1. Giving Generously (2 Cor. 9:7): God loves a cheerful giver, generously giving out of the fullness of our hearts. We give because we are given to, following God’s own example in generously giving His one and only Son to pay the price for our wrongdoings. God does not need our gifts, but in His wise compassion He works through our gifts and rewards our generosity.

What about tithing? If we had only the Old Testament law as our guide, we would be required to give 23% a year. The New Testament doesn’t necessarily nullify this—it simply puts our responsibility to give in different language—give as God has given to us, sacrificially, and with a heart of joy. For some, that may be less than ten percent of income, but for others, it could, should and must be more. We should seek God’s guidance and give generously. We must also look beyond just finances and consider how we might give generously of all that we have—our time, talents, gifts, and finances.

2. Giving Out of Love (2 Cor. 8:7-9): First, our giving reflects our love for God and for our neighbor. We give to join in the work of God and His church. Village is committed to declaring Christ to the world—connecting locally and globally. Giving generously of our resources allows us to participate in realizing the vision of Village.

Second, our giving reflect our love for God. (Ps. 50:9-11) By giving back some of our resources (time, money, talents, and gifts) to God we affirm it is He who gave us all that we have. We put our faith in Him to meet our every need and affirm that He is our Master and Lord. As Jesus said, we cannot serve two masters. We worship God through our resources, rather than worshipping our resources.

3. Giving Wholly (Rom. 12:1): While finances are often thought of when giving is discussed, it is important to remember that we are called to be living sacrifices for God. Our whole self is to be offered up in service of God.

4. Giving With Eternity in Mind (Matt 6:19-21): Some have compared our life here on Earth to living in a hotel room, waiting to go to our eternal home. Following that metaphor, we as believers have a choice to decorate the perishable hotel or send our treasures ahead to our everlasting home. We are called to invest in the eternal. Wise use of what we have been given is rewarded by our Master. We may find rewards here and now, and we will certainly see rewards for our generous giving and our act of faith in eternity.

5. Giving Regularly (I Cor. 16:1-2): It does not serve the church to give in a hit and miss way. When we give weekly or monthly, be it in the offering or through online giving, we make it possible for the ministry to more effectively carry out its mission.