Generous, Day 16 - Give. Save. Live

Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 1 Cor. 16:1-2
And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.     2 Cor. 8:10-12

It’s impossible to be generous without a plan.  Paul knew this when he talked with the church at Corinth.  He knew there was a connection between cheerful and planned giving.  The church at Corinth had a great heart, but had no plan.  In many things in life, motivation without training is pretty much a waste of time.  I know a lot of people who are motivated to exercise, lose weight, get an education, etc., but without a plan, it simply doesn’t get done.  I believe people want to be generous.  I also believe that they don’t know how to start.  The journey of generosity begins with a plan.

In talking with the Corinthians, Paul suggests that they follow the pattern of the churches in Galatia (modern day Turkey).  In Paul’s years of ministry and church involvement, I’m sure he had seen lots of motivated people who never got it done.  So in this moment Paul suggests a pathway to generosity.  He talks about prioritized percentage giving.

Paul begins by suggesting that giving should be prioritized.  “On the first day of the week”   In other words, before you do anything else, give first.  That advice ties well with the rest of Scripture.  All through the Old Testament you see the pattern of giving your first and your best (Pr. 3:9-10, Ex. 23:16,19) – in fact that is what God did (John 3:16).  We see it in the life of Abraham before the laws of the Old Testament came into effect (Gen. 14:18-20), reminding us that tithing is not just a rule to be followed but a life priority to be lived.

Paul goes on to suggest that our giving should not only be prioritized but percentaged.  He says each person should “set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income”.   We see references to percentage giving in the Bible as a first step in generosity (2 Cor. 8:12-15), showing us that generosity is not measured in the size of gifts but the size of sacrifice (Luke 21:1-4).  Again and again the Bible talks about giving God a “tithe” (Lv. 27:30, Dt. 12:5-7, 2 Chr. 31:5, Mt. 23:23, Lk. 11:42).  “Tithe” means 10%…once again an example of percentage giving.  Paul mentions that we should be “saving it up”, reminding us that Generosity begins with discipline.  If you cannot be disciplined to save, you won’t be able to give.  

At Cornerstone we call this progression Give. Save. Live. Give first, save second and live on the rest. As a starting point I would suggest a 10-10-80 plan.  First give 10% to God in obedience to His word.  Second, save at least 10% in savings and retirement.  Finally, learn to live on the rest (80%). As your income increases, don’t assume that your lifestyle should also increase proportionately.  Instead consider increasing your giving and saving.  Learn to live on less for more.

In 2 Cor. 8:7, Paul challenges us to “excel in this grace of giving.”  Giving should not only be prioritized and percentaged, it should also be progressive.  A tithe is a starting point, not a finish line.  Paul challenges us to continue to grow in generosity the same way we grow prayerfulness, evangelism, and study of God’s word. I would hate to think that my greatest days of faith in giving were the times when I made the least amount of money.

Prioritized. Percentage. Progressive.

Give. Save. Live.

Having motivation without a demonstration amounts to nothing in the mind of God (James 2:14-16, 1 John 3:17,18).  If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.   And although this can be very challenging to the person who has never done it, God promises to meet the giver where they are at and to provide for them as they learn to trust God (Phil. 4:19).

Generosity Challenge (Day 16) – As an exercise, take your income and multiply it by 10% (income x .10).  Ask yourself, “What would I have to do to be able to give that amount away in 2011?  (If you already tithe – that means give 10% – think about what you would have to do to increase your giving by 1-3% more.) Choose to become a percentage giver and make a plan to accomplish that step.