Salary Cap Concerns
Giving As An Act of Worship
I Corinthians 16:2
A couple of weeks ago, on a Sunday afternoon, Carol and I drove down to Madison to visit our two boys who are attending the University there. It was during one of those first cool stretches of weather that we had a couple weeks ago, and as such, both boys mentioned that they were in need of some long-sleeved shirts, and perhaps a light jacket. So we made our way to the mall for some shopping and dinner.
John had found a couple of long sleeved shirts and Andrew located a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. We were headed toward the cashier, when it happened. John spotted a black velour jacket. His eyes got as huge as saucers, his mouth gaped wide, and he breathed out an “OH!” He quickly put it on, and loved it! He said, “Can I get this? We can take all the other stuff back! I’ll get a job! I’ll love you forever!!!”
We all just cracked up! I wish I had had a camera with me so I could show you his face at that instant! He was beaming! Carol and I talked it over. You know, we’re doing this financial management series at church these days, so we were especially sensitive to making all the purchases. We knew the need was legitimate, and that we could make some other adjustments in our budget to make it work, so we got it for him.
That jacket is not a measure of our love. Thinking that we can “buy” another person’s love is a dangerous and destructive trap. Love can’t be bought. And real love can’t be expressed by any amount of money or gifts! But giving that jacket to John was an act of love. As I paid for the jacket, all four of us were still laughing and giving John a good-hearted ribbing about his excitement. Even the cashier at Penny’s had a big grin on her face watching us. Rather than being a frustrating, depressing, and resentment-filled experience, it was an act of love and joy.
After we dropped the boys back at their respective rooms, and started on the way back, Carol and I were the ones who were beaming. It made us so happy to be able to give John that jacket – because we knew how much it pleased him. His joy became our joy. If it had been necessary, I think we would have gone without dinner, or made some other sacrifice to make it work because we could see how much it pleased him. Again, the jacket was not a measure of our love, but giving it to John was an act of love.
Can I toss out what might be a rather shocking notion to you? Our giving to God is meant to be just like that. Our giving back to God through our tithes and offerings is intended to be done with a heart of joy, and is to be an act of love and worship.
I wonder what our attitude is when we give? Here at Gateway Community Church we don’t pass a plate – but check out this video about what might be going through our minds as we give each week:
Show The Offering Plate from Bluefishtv.com
Where do you see yourself in that video? As we give, is there a sense of, “Well, God, I’m putting money in – so you’d better deliver!” Or is there some other emotion – guilt, resentment or even frustration? What motivates our giving? Is it greed – we give to get; or pride – we give to be seen giving; or is it duty – we give because we have to? Some people give out of fear – they are afraid that if they don’t give, they will be punished.
I submit that our motivation for giving must be none of the above. Our motivation for giving needs to be nothing less than love. When we bring our tithes and our offerings to God, it can be, it should be, it must be, an act of worship. It is not meant to be a legalistic duty, or a way to manipulate God, or some twisted formula for getting rich - it should be done from a heart that loves the Lord and is thrilled to express that love to Him. When we give, the very act can be, and should be, an experience of generosity, and joy and love. It should leave us glowing!
Paul wrote about our heart attitude when he wrote to the Christians in Corinth in his second letter, chapter 9, verses 5-7:
5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Our giving is to be an act of worship – we are go give with a grateful heart that is filled with joy.
A perfect example of this is shown in the Old Testament, when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. David loved the Lord like few have. He longed to have the Ark of the Covenant in his city so he could be in the presence of God’s temple all the time. He gathered his army around him, brought a brand new cart to put the ark on, and as they began along the way, when they had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a ram, and then he danced before the Lord with all his might, and he brought the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. When the ark arrived in Jerusalem, David sacrificed offerings again before the Lord, and then he blessed the people, in the name of the Lord, and then he gave every person in the kingdom, men and women, a loaf of bread and a cake of raisins and a cake of dates, and sent them back to their homes. David’s offerings were done out of love and as an act of worship and his worship overflowed in generosity to everyone he knew – his worship translated into a national holiday! (2 Samuel 6)
You can bet that everyone around him had a big smile on their face after what they had witnessed! What an amazing experience it was! Music, dancing, shouting for joy and the offering of sacrifices – and these offerings came from David’s personal holdings – he later said, “I will not offer the Lord offerings that cost me nothing!” (2 Samuel 24:24)
I have a rather unique perspective on church services – I get to watch people’s faces during the songs and communion, during testimonies and the message. I see people raise their hands during songs, with their eyes closed. I see people smiling, or clapping their hands. I hear people whisper, “Thank you, Jesus” during testimonies and prayers. I see people nod their heads during the message, and I watch them as they enjoy fellowship around the tables at potlucks and picnics.
I wonder – how much of a stretch would it be for us to have that same attitude – the same joy and thoughts, as we approached the box in the back with our tithes and offerings. Can you imagine yourself writing out your offering check, and then dropping the pen, closing your eyes and saying, “Thank you, Jesus, I worship you! I love you! I thank you for all your blessings!”
Can you imagine your heart being in the same place as you place your offering in the box as it is when you sing, “I worship you, Almighty God, there is none like You”? It should be and it can be.
Now that doesn’t mean that it’s an impulsive, emotional, and thoughtless act – in fact it’s just the opposite – it’s a determined, thoughtful, voluntary act of worship. It’s worshiping God through the act of giving to him out of love.
Rick Warren writes,
You can give without worshiping, but you cannot worship without giving…
Did you hear that? Let me repeat it…
You can give without worshiping, but you cannot worship without giving – giving your praise, your love, your time and your resources from a genuine hear of gratitude. Jesus said in Matthew 15:8-9, “These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far away, their worship is a farce.” Obviously, God cares about our giving. He is concerned not simply that we give, but why we give.
Can we do that? Can we somehow change our perspective so that our giving of our offerings to God becomes primarily an act of worship? I believe we can. But it’s not going to be automatic, and it’s not going to be perfect.
There are times when I give out of nothing other than obedience – it is simply doing what I am told to do in Scripture. There are other times when I give, and, I confess, in the back of my mind, have the idea that God will somehow give me back even more. And there have been times when I have given because I thought it would be a way of alleviating God’s judgment for being stupid in some other part of my life.
The fact is that as human beings none of us is ever going to do anything with pure, holy motives. Even the best heart is still a human heart, and there’s always going to be some element of the flesh there.
But you know what? The same is true when I give to my kids. There are times when I really resent it…you know what I mean, don’t you? Your daughter needs another pair of shoes, and you don’t think so, but you look at her feet, and the little toe is wiggling at you through the material, and so you get your wallet and off you go. As a parent, it’s our responsibility to clothe and shelter our children, and sometimes that sense of responsibility is what moves us. Our attitudes and motives may not always be perfect, but the underlying motive is because we love them.
Our motives and our attitude about giving to the Lord will never be perfect, because we will never be perfect – but we can determine in our hearts to make WORSHIP our primary motive in giving. And we can discipline ourselves to make our offerings an experience of joy and an expression of love.
How do we do it?
First, we pray. Ask God to search your heart and help you see clearly the current motivations in your giving – or what is keeping you from giving. Is there fear, obligation, or resentment there? The next time you walk up to that offering box, or sit down to write out that check, be conscious of the thoughts in your head or the attitude of your heart. It’s only when we are honest with ourselves and recognize our attitudes and motives that we can move forward.
Secondly, confess. Every one of us is going to find some level of the flesh in that self-exam. When we do, we need to confess it to the Lord. Tell Him, “Lord, there’s a little resentment in my heart when I give (or greed, or fear, or whatever).”
Then surrender. Ask Him to change your heart – to give you a greater sense of His glory, His provision, and His love for us you. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with joy as you give.
Lastly, act. I don’t become a runner unless I run. I’m not a singer unless I sing. I’m not a worshipful giver unless I worship while I give. Determine in your mind and your heart that you are going to make giving as much a time of worship as your singing, or reading, or praying or sharing. When you give, pray a prayer of thanksgiving – whisper a prayer of love and worship to the Lord as you drop that money in the offering box, or as you send off that check to support the Lord’s work, or as you review your bank statement and see the Automatic deposit that went to sponsor a missionary or sponsor a child overseas. As you worship in your giving more and more, you will become more and more a worshipful giver – there’s no other way.
In closing, you’ll notice today that we didn’t talk today at all about how much to give. There were no commitment cards asking you promise your first born child if you don’t give more to the church – because it’s not about what the church needs – it’s about what God wants. He wants His people to love Him, and to demonstrate that love through hearts of worship, in every area of our lives, including the way we handle our money.
May we be the kind of worshipers, and givers that God desires.
Prayer.