But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. 2 Samuel 24:24
“It’s not always easy to view God in our giving. After all, God is invisible. And He doesn’t drop fire from heaven to show pleasure in our cash gifts. Sadly, that’s why giving today often becomes more about having impact than about pleasing God.
When making giving decisions, we wonder: Does the church leadership have vision? Does the non-profit have sound management? Are the funds getting to the poor? How much of every dollar goes to administrative costs?
We want our gifts to make a difference, right? After all, our gifts can change the world. And that makes us feel good. But what makes our gifts especially acceptable (pleasing) to God? Consider two thoughts.
1. God measures how our gift costs us. God values our sacrifice.
Consider two families with the same household incomes. Both give the same percentage of their gross incomes to their church. Digging deeper, we learn Family A receives free medical coverage from their employer and use of a company car. But Family B pays a significant portion of their health care premiums.
Family A also has parents who live nearby — providing regular dining opportunities, occasional vacations and on-call babysitting for the grandkids. Family B does not have assistance from family and incurs significant costs to care for a special needs child.
Though the percentages are identical, the “giving” costs more for Family B. The point is not to undermine Family A’s generosity (their gifts can please God also), but to recognize that God’s calculator goes much deeper in measuring how our gifts cost us personally.
When a man offered to provide King David the land, animals, and materials to present sacrifices to God, David insisted he pay full price, saying, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). The question for us is — does our giving cost us in a meaningful way?
2. God measures the gift by our hearts (that is, our obedience).
Giver A is viewed as a “good person.” He attends church regularly as well as occasional Bible study classes. But he doesn’t seem bothered by behaviors such as cheating on his taxes, gossiping at home, cutting corners in the marketplace to inflate sales commissions, or ongoing lust in his heart. Giver B prays and reads the Bible faithfully, seeks forgiveness with her family and others. Maintaining a pure heart is a priority to her.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that if your brother has something against you, leave your gift at the altar and go reconcile. Then come give your gift (see Matthew 5:23-24). So, we see that our gifts are an extension of our walk with God.
If a seemingly “generous giver” is living a life of sin or conflict, the gift may be nothing more than Christian philanthropy (literally, “love of man”). A gift might be effective (at meeting needs) but may not please God. Ananias and Sapphira learned this the hard way (see Acts 5:1-11). They sold their land and gave (part of) the proceeds. The gift might have been effective, but it did not please God.”
Jeff Anderson in his three-page essay “How does God measure our giving?” in Purposeful Living: Financial Wisdom for All of Life compiled and edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim Macready (Rhodes, NSW: Christian Super, 2018) 70-72. Click on the title to download this free ebook today.
When we look at giving from God’s perspective we discover there’s something far more important that meeting needs or solving problems. Anderson alerts us to the fact that God desires sacrifice and obedience. God cares more about what we keep and what that says about our hearts than what we give. Further digging reveals that sacrificial giving is the only kind of giving that Jesus celebrated (see Mark 12:41-44). God also cares about our obedience. We can be so focused on making money to give it away to meet a need or solve a problem that we miss the point of giving. God does not need the money. He wants our hearts, our obedience.
So how can our generosity please God? Realize the sacrifice Jesus made for you and respond gratefully by obeying all that He says to do with money, rather than picking and choosing which commands you will follow.
Giving for many people many people looks like this. They either hold back a portion from God like Ananias and Sapphire, or they give to assuage their guilt for sins committed against God or linked to unreconciled relationships. If you fall into those categories, then leave your gift at the altar today and be reconciled with God or with a brother or sister. And never ever hold anything back from God, as only sacrificial giving and obedience please Him.
We can trace this through human history. Acceptable giving comes into view with Cain and Abel (see Genesis 4). Cain brought a sampling of his produce. Abel sacrificed his first and best, implying that his entire flock belonged to the LORD. Abel did what was right. Cain succumbed to the sin crouching at his door. The pattern continues today. Some give a sampling. Others give their first and best. Hold nothing back. Sacrifice and obedience pleases God.