Give

At Elevation we approach giving with the desire that as followers of Jesus each of us will “move towards a regular offering of at least 10% percent.” Each word there is key. The Old Testament command from God was to give 10% of your income back to him as a way of worshipfully acknowledging that every good thing you have in life is a gift from him. So we should “move towards” that because the stats say that the average non church-going American gives 2-3% of their income to charitable causes, and the average church-going American gives 2-3% of their income to God causes. So, we’ve got a ways to go to honor God Old Testament style.

But then Jesus came along, and upped the ante. He never taught his followers to tithe 10%, instead he said things like this, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:32-34 In other words, God has given you the greatest possible inheritance; everything God has, his entire kingdom, is yours in the coming future.

So then, since we are living to see his kingdom come, our money should reflect that, and rather than spend on perishable and fleeting things, we want to invest our resources in what brings God’s eternal kingdom to earth. Jesus doesn’t put a specific amount on that because he knows we would turn that into a legalistic box to check, he wants it to be about the relationship he has with you. And ultimately as he leads you in a life of joyful generosity to see his kingdom come, that will likely be more than 10%. So, please don’t give out of duty to God. Along the adventure of following him, ask him to lead you what to give to help you move towards the freedom and joy of using your resources to see His kingdom come