To Give or Not to Give

We at Trailhead Church, believe that God wants us to prosper (even you). That God wants to bless us and take care of us, including our financial world. Jesus told in Matthew that the same way God provides food for the birds and sunshine for the plants, so will he provide you with what you need and as long as you are walking in the will of God, there's no need to worry about such things. Even when it seems like, you are running on empty, you can trust that God'll make a way, and one of these facets of walking in His will is through your tithes and offering. Now before I "Christianeze" this up, let me explain the two.

Tithe - 10% of your gross income (normally should go to your church)
Offering - Anything you want to give above your tithe

Now before you completely discredit this blog and write this off as another "preacher trying to get my money" type thing, just hear me out and I may surprise you. Don't worry, I won't ask for any money at the end of this blog or tell you God told me to tell you that you should give me your credit card number or give me $31 in honor of my 31st blog. It almost seems like you're cussing if you talk about offering anymore in many Christian circles. After the scandals of Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart in the 1980's, it seems like any type of church that talks about the importance of giving is given the stigma that they're trying to scam you, and I'll be honest with you, sometimes when I watch Christian television or listen to a radio program, I feel that way as well. I mean, let's face it, we've all had times when we turned on the TV and watched as someone took up an hour of time telling us to give while using every gimmick they could think of to get our checks. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it's well intended and can even be legit. I'm not about to point out anyone and say he or she's not hearing from God, but sometimes I can't help but feel like I need to take a shower after listening to some of these speeches. I guess it's just too much to ask what exactly my money will be going to, other than God giving me a new yacht.

First off, I'd like to say that we at Trailhead want you to be blessed and we want you to be educated on giving to help further your walk with God, your maturity at handling money, and your finances. Now with that said, let me go on to say this. God is not a slot machine. You don't put your money in and hope that the return will be greater. That shouldn't be your motive behind your giving. Now when you give, you should trust and have faith that God is going to provide for you and bless you, but there's a fine line between faith and manipulation and the ability to tell the difference between the two can be found in the motives.

The path to a blessed and prosperous life starts with the heart and not the wallet. Why are you giving? What's the reasons for it? Is it because you want something in return? Are you putting in $50 and demanding you get back $500. If so, I got news for you, you're not a follower of Christ, you are a wannabe loan shark. What's next? Threatening God that you'll break his knee caps if he doesn't make the return sooner? You're giving should be a fruit of your character. When you give, you should expect God to provide and bless you. That's called faith, which is another word for trust, but your first reason for giving is simply because He said so. Not because He can bless you or give you more, but because He wants you to give. He wants you to be genrous with what He gave you. When you are giving out of obedience to God, that shows that you are trusting in Him and you are showing how much you need Him. That's why he asks us to do something that makes no sense in the business world. In Malachi, God accused the Israelites of stealing from Him when they didn't give their tithes, because that money already belonged to Him. When you act out of rebellion by not tithing, you are stealing from God and not trusting in Him to do what He said He would do: That even when it seems like times are tough, He will still be in control and will not leave or forsake you. Also, when you give, you give because you love God and you want to see his kingdom grow and that means by seeing lives change. It's about seeing hope restored and the gospel of Jesus Christ being able to put out there because of your obedience and generosity. That's what your money goes to and when you start to possess those characteristics of a Godly giver: obedience, generosity, cheerfulness, and love, then that's when you'll start to see the blessing God has for you, but when you give the sole purpose of trying to shake God of any loose change He may have in his pockets, you'll find in the end, that's the reward you'll have: loose change. When you don't give for the sake of getting, ironically that's when you'll start to see what God really has for you. And if He does bless you financially, it's so you can serve as a blessings to others.

A greedy man stirs up dissension but he who trusts in the Lord will prosper

Proverbs 28:25