Worshipful giving involves faith. It is giving from the firstfruits of all our increase. If we give what we have left over after paying our bills, entertaining our families, and laying aside for retirement, we have given nothing. That kind of giving requires no faith. That kind of giving is an abomination to God. He will not have our leavings! If we would honor God in our giving, we must prove God with our giving. Prove his faithfulness. Prove His promises. Prove His Word. Prove His goodness by giving to Him what you need, thus trusting Him to supply your need. God challenges us so to prove him (2 Chron. 31:5-10; Mal. 3:10; Luke 6:38). It is written, “Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Pro. 3:9-10).
How believers handle their money is inextricably related to the depth of their worship. Whether we put money in the offering plate or not, weekly worship should remind us of our continual stewardship of the possessions that Lord has entrusted to us. If we do not give properly we cannot worship properly.
1 Corinthians, Moody, 1984, p. 453-454.
While researching the biblical principles of giving, I considered the subject of worship. Frankly, I had never before studied worship in detail to find out God’s point of view. I have come to the conclusion that giving, along with our thanksgiving and praise, is worship. In the past I made pledges to my church to be paid on a yearly basis. Once a month, I would write a check while in church and drop it in the collection plate. Sometimes I would mail a check from my office. My objective was for the church to get the total pledge before the end of the year. Though I had already experienced the joy of giving, the act of making my gift had little relationship to worship. While I was writing this book God convicted me to begin giving every time I went to church. The verse that spoke to me about this Deuteronomy 16:16: “Do not appear before Me empty-handed.” When I started doing this, if a check were not handy, I gave cash. At first I thought about keeping up with the money given. Then God convicted me again. He seemed to say, “You do not need to keep up with the amount of cash. Give to Me simply out of a heart of love, and see how much you enjoy the service.” I made this change in giving habits, and it has greatly enhanced my joy in our worship services (Wayne Watts).
The Gift of Giving, NavPress, 1982, p. 35-36.
The question then is how can we, as believers, worship God with our financial resources while at the same time rejecting temptations that lead to idolatry and covetousness? The answer is found in giving to the Lord and His purposes. When we give our money to the work of the gospel, we not only demonstrate our heartfelt love for God (2 Cor. 9:7), we also store up for ourselves treasures in heaven (Mt. 6:16-24) (Jonathan Rourke).
Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong, Grace Community Church, 2009, p. 142.
God increases our yield so that by giving we can prove our yield is not our god.
Desiring God, 1996, p. 169, Used by Permission, www.desiringGod.org. Get this book!
Offertory Prayer: “Lord, no matter what we say or do, here is what we really think of You. Amen”
