Saturday, June 30, 2018
WHY WE GIVE
1 John 4:19 (NKJV) We love Him because He first loved us.
When a well-known figure in organized crime died, the newspaper story on his death mentioned that during his life he had been quite generous in his gifts to his family's church. He surely was not the first nor the last thief to salve his conscience by giving to a church or charity a small part of what he had stolen.
We may be shocked at a gangster's attempt to sanctify his money by giving some of it away. But we should see that all who think God is pleased with mere material offerings are acting as if He were desperate for our gifts, as though He were dependent on us. God once rebuked His people for this error. In Psalm 50 (verses 7-15) He took them to task about their offerings. The problem was not that they were failing to bring the offerings and sacrifices that were prescribed in the law. The people were outwardly faithful in bringing the sacrifices that God had commanded. But their hearts were not right. It was not out of loving devotion to God that they brought their animals and their grain to Him. It was in pride, as though they were doing God a favor.
We too ought not think that our gifts are pleasing to God just because we give a certain percentage of our income or because our congregation or synod meets its annual budget. Good stewardship begins at the cross, where we remember that we have nothing to offer to God except what He has first given to us. We are sinners, unable to please God with our best efforts. We are beggars with nothing of our own. But God has made us rich. Christ has taken away our sins and covered us with His righteousness. Every day our heavenly Father provides for us, far beyond our needs. It is these thoughts that should fill our minds as we consider our offerings, as we humbly give back some of what our gracious God has generously given to us. "We love Him because He first loved us!"
-- From the "Lutheran Spokesman"
