For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14
“God cares about each of us. He allows us to steward financial resources for His glory and our good. He knows that as we glorify Him out of gratitude for His gifts to us, we experience true life. And He desires that we reflect His generosity through our giving. In giving, it can help to start with three questions: Why should I give? How do I give? Where should I give? Often, we tend to give in areas of personal passion, or to places we care about. But we may have this a bit backward. We must put God at the center of the equation and see what He thinks. If we make obedience to God and reflecting His love to the world our supreme motivation, then giving comes into view as an excellent context to glorify God.”
David Wills in his three-page essay “Does God care where we give?” in Purposeful Living: Financial Wisdom for All of Life compiled and edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim Macready (Rhodes, NSW: Christian Super, 2018) 61. Click on the title to download this free ebook from the Global Generosity Roundtable 2018.
In the larger context of today’s Scripture, Habakkuk announces woes to those who practice injustice and aim at selfish gain. He proclaims that God’s purposes will ultimately be accomplished and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of His glory. What’s this have to do with our current theme of gratitude as it relates to generosity?
When we think we have earned what we possess, our hearts are filled with entitlement rather than gratitude and we put ourselves at the center of of our giving. The conversations sound like this: “Give to the things that bring you the most joy” or “Give to what matters most to you.” I concur with Wills that this thinking is backwards.
Instead, we must put God at the center. We do this by acknowledging with gratitude that all we possess came from God and by making obedience to God and reflecting His love our chief motivations. On this path, we truly take hold of life as we realize that we are resourced to participate with Him in accomplishing His purposes worldwide.
For more on putting God at the center of your generosity, so that your giving reflects gratitude to God and advances His purposes, read the entire three-page essay from David Wills on pages 61-63 of Purposeful Living: Financial Wisdom for All of Life. Again, click the title to download the free ebook today.