Giving to the Lord's work grudgingly or not at all is a common problem among many of the Lord's people. Some seem to think you should give only if you have some extra funds. Some have the idea that the brethren who are well-off should do the giving. Some have the idea that giving is necessary only on the Lord's day that is near their pay day; they claim that if you are paid once a month, then you should be expected to give only once a month. Some have the idea that if you suffer a job loss or some financial difficulty, you are excused from giving all together. But, what do the Scriptures teach about giving? Are the above stated ideas good reasons or are they just excuses some make because of their lack of love for God, the church, and needy brethren? Which is it?

In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 the apostle Paul commanded, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." In this passage Paul gives the why, the who, the when, the where, the what, and the how much.

1. Why? - on this occasion, for the poor saints, according to the Divine order (command) of the apostle Paul.
2. Who? - "every one of you." This means "every one of you!" When Peter and the apostles preached on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, Peter instructed the Jews by saying, "repent and be baptized every one of you for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). So, the Who in our text included every member in all the churches of Galatia and the church at Corinth. And, it remains the pattern for all Christians today.
3. When?-"on the first day of the week." When means the first day of every week, since every week has a first day.
4. Where? - in the assembly when the saints come together on the "first day of the week" (1 Corinthians 11:17; 18, 20, 33; 14:23, 26; Hebrews 10:25). The assembly necessitated the saints coming together "into one place" (1 Corinthians 11:20; 14:23).
5. What? - a portion of the physical blessings with which the Lord has blessed us and over which we have individual control (Acts 4:32-37; Romans 15:25).
6. How Much? - "as God hath prospered." This means in proportion to the amount with which God has blessed you and "every one of you" has been blessed! In the words of the song we sing, "count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done" (Song # 392 - Hymns for Worship).

In the first paragraph of this short article, I posed the question - are the above stated ideas good reasons, or are they excuses some make because of their lack of love for God, the church, and needy brethren? Should Christians consider the need and obligation God places on EVERY one of us doing our share according to how He has blessed us in our lives?

Since the local congregation uses its treasury to accomplish the Lord's work, then failing to give to this great work demonstrates lack of love for God. Case in point: When Paul wrote to Corinth, he used as an example the liberal giving of the churches in Macedonia. The Macedonians were exceedingly poor. Paul described their situation - "How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality" (2 Corinthians 8:2). Notice what Paul said--they gave "in a great trial of affliction" being in "deep poverty." But, they gave liberally, even though they themselves were in poverty. Also, they gave joyfully, not making excuses or bemoaning their "deep poverty." They gave abundantly. That is, their giving exceeded Paul's expectations. In other words, they gave until it hurt (cf. Luke 21:1-4). They looked not on their own poverty, but on the needs, or poverty, of others (Philippians 2:4).

But, there was a reason why the "riches of their liberality abounded." Paul told the Corinthians, and the Scripture text records it "for our learning." The Macedonian brethren gave as they did because they "first gave their own selves to the Lord" (vs. 5). They did not make excuses such as, but not limited to, those we hear some brethren make, "I'm just as poor as they are" or "I also have bills to pay" or "I can't afford to give" or "times are also tough for me" or "I have to care for my family." No, these brethren gave liberally because they "first gave their own selves to the Lord."

You see, many brethren have not given themselves over to the Lord. This is evidenced when they do not give liberally and cheerfully (or at all), but grudgingly or out of necessity (2 Corinthians 9:7). There are also other manifestations of lack of love for the Lord--forsaking the assembly of the saints (Heb. 10:25), not studying to show oneself approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15), walking according to the lusts of the flesh and not after the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25; Romans 8:1-14), etc. Need I list more? I could!

Having said all of the above, we now know the pattern to follow for Scriptural giving. But the process begins with the first important ingredient, that being giving our own selves to the Lord. When "every one of you" does this, the excuses we hear some make for not giving and failing to be faithful to the Lord will fade away, and the Lord's church and His cause will prosper abundantly!

Remember, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9). Has "every one of you" first given your own self to Him?