A NOTE oN Giving FROM PASTOR ROD

The Bible gives several helpful principles to guide us in how we think about and how we give our money:

1. God owns everything and gives His things, including money, to whom He chooses. Consider Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Consider also Proverbs 22:2, “Rich and poor have this in common: the LORD is the Maker of them all.” The reality is that all we have is from God. He gives according to His purposes and plans. The question should never be “How much of my money should I give away?” but “How would God have me use His money?”

2. How we spend and give away God’s money is a fundamental aspect of worship. Colossians 3:17 commands us to do everything for God’s glory, whatever we do. Thus, when we spend and give our money, we must be confident that what we’re doing glorifies God and honors Him. This includes our charitable giving to the church and other gospel ministries. But it also includes what we do with all of the money entrusted to us by God.

3. Giving to the church and the ministry of the gospel is commanded by God. First Corinthians 16:1–2 addresses the need for giving: “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 your income, saving it up.” Consistent giving to the church for the ministry is a directive of God to Christians.

4. Giving is to be done with thoughtfulness, sacrifice, generosity, and joy. We are to thoughtfully consider how much to give based upon our income (1 Corinthians 16:2). Along these lines, 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Thoughtfulness, generosity, freedom, and joy are all part of giving. We are to be “cheerful” in our giving. It’s easy to be joyful when singing praise songs to God. This same joy should be present in our giving. We have an example of sacrificial giving in the Macedonians, who gave even in their “severe trial,” “extreme poverty,” and “beyond their ability” (2 Corinthians 8:1–9).

5. Our giving is to be done quietly. Jesus warned us against giving with fanfare or in a manner that would draw attention to ourselves. He told us, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3). Our giving should “be in secret” (verse 4). And we have the promise that “your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (verse 4). God the Father’s reward will surely be better than the applause and accolades of men.

6. As we give for God’s glory, sacrificially, generously, and joyfully, God promises blessing. The one who gives generously also reaps generously (2 Corinthians 9:6). Proverbs 22:9 states, “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” 

7. Our attitude toward giving reveals our heart. Jesus addressed this in Matthew 6:19-21 19  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust [e]  destroy and where thieves break in and steal,  20  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  21  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus is our example in all things, including giving. Let us strive to be like him as we give.

With love,

Pastor Rod

Giving at lakeshore

Christians give their resources to support the local church for many reasons, but our primary motivation for our generosity is because God has been so generous with His grace towards us. When we give cheerfully, not under compulsion, we honor the Lord, serve the needs of His people, and advance the kingdom of God.  (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Read more information here on Gifts & Tithing.

ways to give

Additional Ways to Give

Give with Amazon Smile

Shop through Amazon Smile and set Lakeshore City Church as your supported charity! Amazon Smile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Lakeshore every time you shop, at no cost to you. Amazon will donate 0.5 percent of all purchases to Lakeshore City Church.

Don’t forget to turn on Smile via your mobile app!

Note:

Lakeshore City Church greatly discourages online giving which leads to personal indebtedness. For that reason, we recommend that you use your debit card or banking account for giving purposes rather than a credit card, especially if you do not pay off your credit card balance each month.