All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:4
“Giving isn’t sacrificial unless you sacrifice to give. Many professing Christians give only token amounts to the work of God’s kingdom. A much smaller number give well. Perhaps only a few give sacrificially.
Polls consistently show that the more money Americans make, the less sacrificially we give. With each transition to a higher income bracket, the smaller percentage of our income we give each year to churches, charities, and other nonprofit groups. Wouldn’t you agree that if we are making more money than ever but giving a smaller percentage than before, then we are not giving sacrificially? We may be giving larger amounts, but actually sacrificing less financially for the kingdom of God.
I’ve never known anyone who gave sacrificially—whether through a one-time sacrificial gift or consistent sacrificial offerings—who regretted it. Sure, they missed having some of the things they could have enjoyed if they spent the money on themselves. But the joy and fulfillment gained by giving away something they could not ultimately keep was more than worth the sacrifice.”
Donald S. Whitney in Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, revised and updated (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2014) 175.
The only kind of giving Jesus celebrated was sacrificial giving. On this note Jenni and I have learned that when we sacrifice, we realize experientially that when Christ is all we have, that He is all we have ever needed all along.
The challenge of sacrificial giving is that it constantly stretches us. We never arrive. It’s not rooted in a percentage but teaches us a posture. Are you giving sacrificially? What changes might you need to make in your life to give sacrificially?