states:
30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
Later in the chapter, we read, in verse 38:
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
We have been given much by God - He sent His Son to redeem us and to bring us into a relationship with Himself. He calls us to walk with Him daily and to enter in to His holy presence. He wants us to be devoted to service in and through the body of Christ. And, that includes how we give - as an act of love for Him and for other people, as an expression of our thanksgiving for who He is and what He's done, and as an issue of stewardship, recognizing He grants us resources for which He has specific purposes.
+++++
We look to God as our provider, and recognizes that as He provides for us, He calls us to be generous
toward the work of His Kingdom. 2nd Corinthians 9 presents the cycle that occurs in God's economy:
10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.
12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God...
Our lawmakers in Congress are continuing to debate how to reform the tax system or rewrite the tax code in America, and there has been discussion centered around what could or could not be deducted under the revisions. There is talk of increasing the standard deduction while eliminating other deductions, such as the tax credit for adoptive families, which has raised concern among some Christian, pro-life organizations. And, so far, from what I can tell, the deduction for charitable contributions remains intact, and that, of course, can be an incentive for people to give or give more of their income.
A Christianity Today story highlights what some Christian leaders are saying about the way tax reform could affect giving to charities. Dan Busby, president of the Evangelical Council for
Financial Accountability (ECFA), points out:
- Lowering corporate tax rates and the pass-through rates for small business are pro-growth elements, placing more dollars in the hands of those who support churches and ministries. That is good for ministries, but the impact will tend to be long-term.
- The elimination of the personal deduction reduces available resources to make charitable deductions.
- The repeal of the death tax removes the significant incentive for many to make charitable contributions to avoid this tax.
The CT story continues:
Representative Mark Walker from North Carolina told CBN News that he has positive response to the initial bill, but adds: "We've been pushing for what we call the universal charitable giving act, that allows people making less than $200,000 who don't itemize to continue to get deductions for charitable giving. As a former pastor that's very important to me for people who give to their local ministries, local churches, local shelters..."
It is true that the tax deduction can be a motivation to give, but I think that the chief motivation is our love and devotion for Christ and our love for His work. And, a new study affirms what intuitively we would expect: the more faithful someone is in church attendance, the greater propensity he or she has to give.
Religion News Service has a report on a study by Giving USA, and states:
The story relates that, "Overall, giving to religious causes amounted to close to a third of all charitable giving in 2016, Giving USA says. Religious institutions received $122.94 billion that year, or 32 percent of charitable donations."
Former Meeting House guest Rick Dunham, a board member of Giving USA, is quoted in the article: "(Y)ounger generations do give to religion, and do so at a rate that is similar to earlier generations,” adding, “It is reasonable to expect that as younger generations mature, they will be similarly engaged in charitable giving as older generations are.”
The study indicates that adults between 40 and 64 are the "peak" givers. Protestants comprise the largest religious group of givers. And, "African-Americans give a greater percentage of their donations to religion than other groups – 74 percent, compared with 66 percent among Hispanics and 58 percent among whites."
Some takeaways for us today:
I think this study actually confirms how our level of devotion to Christ affects how we give. I believe that our greatest motivation should be that we give because He gave. The Bible teaches that God's economic principles are predicated on giving. The work of the Kingdom continues because His people are devoted not only to the teaching and fellowship of the local church, but to seeing that work proliferate. And, I believe that you can make the case that the more we give, our capacity to give increases as He responds to our faithfulness.
We can be challenged to examine the level of generosity that we possess. And, I think that generosity is related to thankfulness. If we appreciate the work of the local church, into which we bring our tithe, our firstfruits, as well as the work of ministries, which supplement and complement our congregations' work, then we can enthusiastically be committed to their sustenance and growth.
Faith Radio is devoted to strengthening the walk of individual believers in Christ, and I believe that stronger Christians make for a stronger Church. On our website, we have displayed five reasons why churches support the ministry of Faith Radio. Those are: evangelism, growing disciples, encouraging church attendance and support, support for the Christian community (an element that Billy Irvin and I discussed on the air yesterday), and ministering to ministers and the homebound.
As we approach the end of 2017, would you consider partnering with us, as an individual or family? And, we encourage local churches to also become a financial partner with Faith Radio, as we are ministry partners in growing the Kingdom of God.
One further note on tax reform: we, as engaged citizens, can be engaged in the process and communicate our concerns to our lawmakers. And, we can select leaders in the electoral process, voting as an act of worship, supporting candidates who are sensitive to our Christian values and our religious liberty.
Raising the standard deduction puts money back into taxpayer pockets, but also means those who itemize their charitable contributions on their IRS 1040 forms would drop from about 30 percent of the population to about 5 percent, said National Christian Foundation president emeritus David Wills. If that group of people is no longer able to write off their charitable contributions as tax free, they may be less inclined to give.The article refers to a study commissioned by a group called Independent Sector, and projects that people making between $50,000 and $100,000 a year will give less under the proposed system.
Representative Mark Walker from North Carolina told CBN News that he has positive response to the initial bill, but adds: "We've been pushing for what we call the universal charitable giving act, that allows people making less than $200,000 who don't itemize to continue to get deductions for charitable giving. As a former pastor that's very important to me for people who give to their local ministries, local churches, local shelters..."
It is true that the tax deduction can be a motivation to give, but I think that the chief motivation is our love and devotion for Christ and our love for His work. And, a new study affirms what intuitively we would expect: the more faithful someone is in church attendance, the greater propensity he or she has to give.
Religion News Service has a report on a study by Giving USA, and states:
Most strikingly, those attending religious services once a month or more make an average annual religious contribution of $1,848, while those attending religious services less than once a month donate $111,” says the report from Giving USA.
The report, released Tuesday (Oct. 24), draws on data from the University of Michigan’s Philanthropy Panel Study.
“Giving to religion,” as defined by the Chicago-based Giving USA Foundation, includes contributions to congregations, religious media, denominations and mission organizations.Some faith-related organizations, including schools or hospitals, are excluded from that definition.
The story relates that, "Overall, giving to religious causes amounted to close to a third of all charitable giving in 2016, Giving USA says. Religious institutions received $122.94 billion that year, or 32 percent of charitable donations."
Former Meeting House guest Rick Dunham, a board member of Giving USA, is quoted in the article: "(Y)ounger generations do give to religion, and do so at a rate that is similar to earlier generations,” adding, “It is reasonable to expect that as younger generations mature, they will be similarly engaged in charitable giving as older generations are.”
The study indicates that adults between 40 and 64 are the "peak" givers. Protestants comprise the largest religious group of givers. And, "African-Americans give a greater percentage of their donations to religion than other groups – 74 percent, compared with 66 percent among Hispanics and 58 percent among whites."
Some takeaways for us today:
I think this study actually confirms how our level of devotion to Christ affects how we give. I believe that our greatest motivation should be that we give because He gave. The Bible teaches that God's economic principles are predicated on giving. The work of the Kingdom continues because His people are devoted not only to the teaching and fellowship of the local church, but to seeing that work proliferate. And, I believe that you can make the case that the more we give, our capacity to give increases as He responds to our faithfulness.
We can be challenged to examine the level of generosity that we possess. And, I think that generosity is related to thankfulness. If we appreciate the work of the local church, into which we bring our tithe, our firstfruits, as well as the work of ministries, which supplement and complement our congregations' work, then we can enthusiastically be committed to their sustenance and growth.
Faith Radio is devoted to strengthening the walk of individual believers in Christ, and I believe that stronger Christians make for a stronger Church. On our website, we have displayed five reasons why churches support the ministry of Faith Radio. Those are: evangelism, growing disciples, encouraging church attendance and support, support for the Christian community (an element that Billy Irvin and I discussed on the air yesterday), and ministering to ministers and the homebound.
As we approach the end of 2017, would you consider partnering with us, as an individual or family? And, we encourage local churches to also become a financial partner with Faith Radio, as we are ministry partners in growing the Kingdom of God.
One further note on tax reform: we, as engaged citizens, can be engaged in the process and communicate our concerns to our lawmakers. And, we can select leaders in the electoral process, voting as an act of worship, supporting candidates who are sensitive to our Christian values and our religious liberty.
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