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Fall Theological Focus:
Motive, and Starting Somewhere
Written by Reverend J. Philip Letizia, Ph.D.
This week in our Fall Theological Focus we are diving into the motives of giving and generosity. There are many reasons for why people give to others, or why we may give to our church, or a local charity involved in the community. The question this week asks us to consider what is leading us to be generous? What is the foundation for our generosity? It’s OK if you might also be realizing, maybe I don’t have a foundation, or a guiding motive for my giving. We may not always sense we have motives for everything we do, but the reality is the motives are very much there.
For the Christian, we are called both to give to the Lord and to care well for one another. This type of giving and care can be shown in many different ways. All of the resources God has given us can be used in this kind of giving or care. Of course, our money, but also our time, our gifts and talents, and our patience with each other as we endure difficult seasons of life. But specifically, let’s consider the motives that often dictate our giving of money.
Money is such a powerful force in the world. It dictates so much of our everyday lives. No wonder then when we give some of it away, it can be easy to wonder, will other people notice that I’ve given my money away? We can secretly be motivated by the need to be seen by others as being generous. Or, are we sometimes motivated by guilt? We feel as if we should give because if we do not, we will incur some kind of debt or trouble? Or, might we be tempted to wonder if God will bless us if we give a certain amount?
Christians live with these motivations flooding our thoughts and hearts. Yet, the Apostle Paul directs us to see one motivation as THE motivation for our giving. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes:
7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
(2 Cor. 8:7-9)
The Christian motivation for giving is rooted in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is gospel motivation. Because we have been made rich in Christ, we can give what we have away. We need not entertain the common motivations that are often tinged by sin. We are invited to rest in the grace of Jesus and give from that grace both to the Lord, and to others. So then, if this is the motivation all Christians should live with, then how do we start giving? Or, how do we restart a life of generosity?
We begin in worship. For God’s people, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, giving was tied to worship. In the Old Testament, the people were commanded to give a tenth of what they had to the Lord. We call this tenth, a “tithe.” As New Testament Christians, we do not see the tithe as a law or command that must be kept, but a guide, or a starting place for our giving. Once again, the Apostle Paul is helpful when he gives direct guidance to when we should give.
“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income.” (1 Cor. 16:2)
The first day of the week is the Christian day of worship. So, Paul here states clearly that giving is part of our worship. How do we start then? By embracing giving as worship. Where do we begin? By giving our tithe or our gift to the Lord each Sunday in the worship service.
Today, in our modern world we have new technological ways in which to exchange money. We can now give online by direct deposit. We can give through apps. Or, we can even text donations. These are all helpful tools that can even encourage us to stay more regular in our giving to the Lord. What is most important though, is that we see our giving to the Lord as an act of worship. We give to God, what he has already given to us. When this becomes a regular part of our Christian lifestyle, then we will experience a kind of thanksgiving that only God’s grace can provide.
Remember, the motivation, the source, is God’s grace! It makes perfect sense then that generosity fueled by grace will only lead to more and more grace. This is the cycle of generous grace that the Christian is called to live in as an act of worship.
Phil Letizia
Associate Pastor
Park Road Presbyterian Church
Categories: Fall Theological Focus | Featured Post