Time, Talents, and Treasures

It is God's nature to give - He gave His only Son so that we might be saved.  The Bible tells us that God is love.  And, because we have come to know Him, He has released His love into our hearts.
James 1 states:
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Just as it's God's nature to give, our true identity is expressed in giving to others, being willing to share of ourselves; committing the tangible and intangible gifts to be used by Him.  He will provide the proper attitude so that we can renounce selfishness and experience a sense of selflessness, that the love of God might be seen in us.  In the new year, we can pray and surrender; we can allow the Spirit of God to move through us mightily as He expresses Himself through us.

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The Bible speaks clearly to the giving attitude that God enables us to possess. 2nd Corinthians 9, for instance, says this:
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.

Our service to God is no doubt expressed through our service to others, as it should be.  We recognize as the Lord has gifted us with time and talents, we can use those for His glory.  And, we acknowledge that as He has blessed us financially, we can depend on Him to direct us to use those resources for His glory.

The Barna Group has been studying the relationship between volunteering and giving, and recently released list of the cities in America where people volunteer the most.  The #1 city, or group of cities in a population area is Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, PA, with 30% of those surveyed indicating that they volunteer with a non-profit organization on a weekly basis.

The remainder of the top 10 include cities from a variety of different geographical regions, such as #2: Green Bay-Appleton, WI, with 28%; then Austin, TX; Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC-Asheville, NC; and Nashville, with 27%. The remainer of the top 10 are; San Diego, CA; Providence, RI-New Bedford, MA; Salt Lake City, UT; Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa, AL; and Houston, TX.  According to the survey summary, "Southern cities made an impressive showing, with the rest split between cities out West and in the Northeast, and only one city in the Midwest."  Barna displayed data for the top 100 markets in the U.S.

A previous Barna article highlighted how people view generosity, and found what is referred to as a "generosity gap," relating that congregants and pastors have differing views on what it means to be truly generous.  For instance, according to this survey summary:

Barna asked participants in the quantitative study to select, from a list of possibilities, the three acts they consider to be most generous. Almost six in 10 (57%) believe taking care of a sick person is one of the most generous things one can do. A majority in each generation agrees. But second on the list among all Christians is volunteering for an organization (52%).

But, the summary also points out that:

Christians don’t just have a high opinion of volunteering as a form of generosity—they also see it as interchangeable with financial offerings. Only one in five Christians disagrees (10% strongly, 11% somewhat) that it would be acceptable to give of one’s time instead of one’s money to their church. Pastors, for the most part, don’t see these two activities in the same light. More than eight out of 10 disagree strongly (67%) or somewhat (18%) that “it is okay for a member who volunteers extensively not to give financially.”

But, financial giving and volunteering apparently go hand-in-hand, according to this survey.  Barna states: "Christians who give most are also most likely to say they have volunteered within the past week or month. The pattern also holds true for those who consider generosity extremely important. In other words, Christians prone to participate in one type of giving aren’t looking to get a pass on the other. Whether giving of money or of time, generous Christians are simply generous."

For instance, 45% of those who said they volunteered in the past week had given $2500. Of those who gave that amount, almost one-quarter (23%) had volunteered in the past week.  On the other end of the spectrum, 21% of those who volunteered in the past week had donated less than $50.  Of those giving less than $50, a whopping 70% said they had never volunteered.

So, as we consider some principles we can glean from this survey data, we can first remember that God has provided the means for us to be generous - in our time and our financial resources. He has gifted us with certain abilities and for sure we have the time available in order to put those to work for His glory.  And, He has provided financial blessings as well.  Remember, the Bible says that He provides the seed for the sower.  Personally, I don't think that financial giving and volunteering are interchangeable - there is just too much Scripture that reinforces the concept of the wise use of finances, including the principle of giving a tithe to the local church.

But, I do believe that we are called to seek out ways to show the love of Christ to others.  And, He provides the means to complete what He has assigned us to do.

We can also examine the attitudes of our hearts.  God is a giver; He is described in James 1 as the giver of all good and perfect gifts.  He gave His Son so that we might have eternal life.  And, He has implanted that nature in us. We do not need to be selfish with the financial resources, and we can hold on to them lightly, so that they can be used as God directs.