6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
From a heart of appreciation for what God has done for us in Christ, we can participate in the selfless act of giving. We also regard the resources that we have as being given to us by Him, for Him to use for His purposes. The work of the Kingdom increases as God's people share from the resources that He has provided, so that His glory might be seen throughout our local communities and around the world. And, He grants us the capacity to give more as He blesses us for our faithfulness.
God has given us sound and wise principles by which we can live our lives. In Proverbs 3, we can read:
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
There's a new report that gives some insight into what Americans are spending money on, and there is one startling statistic that a report on the CNSNews.com website calls attention to. That story says: "...in three years—from 2013 to 2016—the average tax bill for Americans increased 41.13 percent."
This is based on a new Bureau of Labor Statistics report, which, according to CNS, found that "The average tax bill for American 'consumer units' increased from $7,423 in 2013 to $10,489 in 2016, according to data released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The article points out that these units "spent more on average on federal, state, and local taxes" than they did on food and clothing combined.
The average income prior to taxes was just under $75,000. Take out the tax bill and the average drops to just under $65k. Just over $7,000 of that went to food and about $1,800 went to clothing. Based on the breakdown of the data, it's hard to say how much went into giving and personal savings, which are two important categories - there is a "miscellaneous" category, which had $959 listed and a "cash contributions" category with just over $2,000.
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God has given us sound and wise principles by which we can live our lives. In Proverbs 3, we can read:
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
There's a new report that gives some insight into what Americans are spending money on, and there is one startling statistic that a report on the CNSNews.com website calls attention to. That story says: "...in three years—from 2013 to 2016—the average tax bill for Americans increased 41.13 percent."
This is based on a new Bureau of Labor Statistics report, which, according to CNS, found that "The average tax bill for American 'consumer units' increased from $7,423 in 2013 to $10,489 in 2016, according to data released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The article points out that these units "spent more on average on federal, state, and local taxes" than they did on food and clothing combined.
The average income prior to taxes was just under $75,000. Take out the tax bill and the average drops to just under $65k. Just over $7,000 of that went to food and about $1,800 went to clothing. Based on the breakdown of the data, it's hard to say how much went into giving and personal savings, which are two important categories - there is a "miscellaneous" category, which had $959 listed and a "cash contributions" category with just over $2,000.
I did come across a statistic from the National Center for Charitable Statistics website, which stated: "In broad strokes, those with income between $100,000 and $200,000 contribute, on average, 2.6 percent of their income, which is lower compared to those with income either below $100,000 (3.6 percent) or above $200,000 (3.1 percent)." This appears to be 2011 data, though.
For the Christian, we are directed to honor the Lord with our firstfruits, so giving to Him through tithes and offerings is paramount. Malachi 3 speaks of bringing the tithe into the storehouse. 2nd Corinthians 9 says that God loves a cheerful giver. Luke 6 says that we are to give and there will be a blessing in store.
So, giving is important. And, we are to be motivated by love for God and His work.
Christianity Today reports on a survey from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, of which Faith Radio is a member. The study examined motivations for giving. 45% of those surveyed indicated they gave to a ministry because they had been blessed, while 23% believed their gift made a difference. With respect to their core motivation, almost half said they gave "because of who I am." Almost a-third said they gave because of the ministry asking.
96% of those surveyed said they were likely to support ministries that told others about Jesus; 95% said they were likely to support ministries that made God's Word available to all people. The ECFA survey also highlighted this about Millennials: "Nearly a quarter of millennial Christian givers (22%) say efficiency and effectiveness are good reasons to support an organization, compared to 12 percent of those over 35..." This age group is also looking for personal involvement along with their financial investment, according to the story, which also highlighted how some organizations that provide support services for ministry organizations have suffered a decline in giving.
So, all in all, these statistics tell a story. Let me go out a limb and say this - the government is an institution intended to be used of God for very specific purposes. But, when you consider generally that people give close to 15% of their income in taxes, and 2% of their adjusted gross income in charitable giving, there is a disconnect. Does this reflect our dependence on government rather than charity? When you factor in religious giving at less than 2%, are we depending more on government than God? That's why I am so appreciative of government employees, who do incredible work, who are giving of themselves through payroll deductions to support charitable organizations. The government has incredible work to do, but the private sector, including Christian ministries, can provide so many services to our communities.
We have to understand that there is a spiritual component to the well-being of the people in our communities. So many issues can be addressed as the Church steps up to be a strong and wise voice. We bring our tithes to the local church in order to fund its work - to provide for the operation and programs, but also to seek to minister through missions: local, national, and international...Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. If we want to see the Lord's work proceed more powerfully, we certainly pray and grow stronger, but our giving also provides the resources for the work of the Kingdom. We need more of God in our culture today; our charitable hearts and actions can help bring that about.
So, all in all, these statistics tell a story. Let me go out a limb and say this - the government is an institution intended to be used of God for very specific purposes. But, when you consider generally that people give close to 15% of their income in taxes, and 2% of their adjusted gross income in charitable giving, there is a disconnect. Does this reflect our dependence on government rather than charity? When you factor in religious giving at less than 2%, are we depending more on government than God? That's why I am so appreciative of government employees, who do incredible work, who are giving of themselves through payroll deductions to support charitable organizations. The government has incredible work to do, but the private sector, including Christian ministries, can provide so many services to our communities.
We have to understand that there is a spiritual component to the well-being of the people in our communities. So many issues can be addressed as the Church steps up to be a strong and wise voice. We bring our tithes to the local church in order to fund its work - to provide for the operation and programs, but also to seek to minister through missions: local, national, and international...Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. If we want to see the Lord's work proceed more powerfully, we certainly pray and grow stronger, but our giving also provides the resources for the work of the Kingdom. We need more of God in our culture today; our charitable hearts and actions can help bring that about.
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