I was taught to give what I can, if anything, and to do it, not out of an obligation or for recognition of the giving, but because I WANT to out of thanks to God for the good life He has blessed me with.
As you pointed out, people looking to GET in exchange for their giving have TOTALLY misunderstood the meaning behind the act. And if you are expecting to gain praise from others in your congregation, you are putting yourself above God, and AGAIN missing the point of the act.
Bottom line was; give what you can, when you can, but to not give what you don't truly have to give. That saying "Charity begins at home" was said often in our area because many in the area were just above poverty level themselves.
Giving reveals the heart. How we give (or don't) can reveal what we believe about our earthly treasure.
And "charity begins at home" should be even more poignant for Christians - we should be taking care of our own, for this is how the world will know us: "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) Not that we can't give outside the Church, but our charity should first and foremost go to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
There are MANY organizations that will take every penny they can from Christians. BUT, they will be some of the first to chastise the Christian faith in public. And they dang sure aren't going to freely give BACK to the Christian community what was give to them.
One other thing that came to mind for me the lesson I got when I was a teenager. You can not give freely and have any conditions or expectations of return. There is no true humility if you do.
While I am in much agreement, that does not include the use of 1 Corinthians 9:14. This is an issue of a word being translated differently in the same edition. The Greek “zaō” or “ζάω” is a verb meaning to live.
In the King James we read “…they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” The LSV has “those proclaiming the good news: to live of the good news.”
The NASB or ESV read “who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” It is not just “live” but “to get their living”. It has a connotation of income rather than life itself. In modern times it suggests a house, car, and cellphone. This is Scripture twisting.
When Jesus sends out the Apostles or the Seventy-Two in Luke 9 and 10, He does not instruct them to take a collection, build a ministry organization, or plan for retirement, but to simply live. What is provided is food and shelter.
Consider the absurdity of the translation if applied to other verses. For example Philippians 1:21 “For to me to get my living is Christ, and to die is gain.” Or 2nd Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to get their living with a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”.
I was taught to give what I can, if anything, and to do it, not out of an obligation or for recognition of the giving, but because I WANT to out of thanks to God for the good life He has blessed me with.
As you pointed out, people looking to GET in exchange for their giving have TOTALLY misunderstood the meaning behind the act. And if you are expecting to gain praise from others in your congregation, you are putting yourself above God, and AGAIN missing the point of the act.
Bottom line was; give what you can, when you can, but to not give what you don't truly have to give. That saying "Charity begins at home" was said often in our area because many in the area were just above poverty level themselves.
Giving reveals the heart. How we give (or don't) can reveal what we believe about our earthly treasure.
And "charity begins at home" should be even more poignant for Christians - we should be taking care of our own, for this is how the world will know us: "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) Not that we can't give outside the Church, but our charity should first and foremost go to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
There are MANY organizations that will take every penny they can from Christians. BUT, they will be some of the first to chastise the Christian faith in public. And they dang sure aren't going to freely give BACK to the Christian community what was give to them.
One other thing that came to mind for me the lesson I got when I was a teenager. You can not give freely and have any conditions or expectations of return. There is no true humility if you do.
Thanks for sharing this Chad. I enjoyed the read! God bless.
While I am in much agreement, that does not include the use of 1 Corinthians 9:14. This is an issue of a word being translated differently in the same edition. The Greek “zaō” or “ζάω” is a verb meaning to live.
In the King James we read “…they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” The LSV has “those proclaiming the good news: to live of the good news.”
The NASB or ESV read “who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” It is not just “live” but “to get their living”. It has a connotation of income rather than life itself. In modern times it suggests a house, car, and cellphone. This is Scripture twisting.
When Jesus sends out the Apostles or the Seventy-Two in Luke 9 and 10, He does not instruct them to take a collection, build a ministry organization, or plan for retirement, but to simply live. What is provided is food and shelter.
Consider the absurdity of the translation if applied to other verses. For example Philippians 1:21 “For to me to get my living is Christ, and to die is gain.” Or 2nd Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to get their living with a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”.
Thanks for sharing this Chad. I enjoyed the read! God bless.