How to GiveNäide

Stick with grace

I took some unofficial measurements of the offering boxes in our church lobby and the cross that hangs in our sanctuary. I discovered that our offering boxes are a forearm wide, a hand deep, and a cubit tall (that’s elbow to fingertips). Overall, each box is about the size of my torso. But our cross is far bigger—13 feet tall and 7 feet across. If the church decor is preaching a message, it is declaring that what God gave to us is far bigger than what we give to God.

That’s a vital part of Christian giving. Does our Father want us to give generously to support Christian ministry? Yes. But our offerings are given with more joy and excitement when we start every gift with grace. Paul told the Corinthians, “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 Corinthians 8:9). The generosity of Jesus was their constant motivation to be generous.

It can be easy to skim past the gospel and get to “paying the church bills” or sending another check to St. ______ Church. But that repetition will become robotic without a long look at your redemption in Jesus. Maybe the next time you’re ready to give an offering, pause, think about the cross, and think about your spiritual bank account. Call to mind the heart of God, which deposited unending glory in your account so you could live in his presence forever.