I was taught about philanthropy as a young child, in the form of giving to the church. My parents always put money in the collection plate when it came around, which kind of mystified me because I knew how little they had. (I learned what it meant to postdate a check from my mom.)
The Bible often calls it tithing, which is a very churchy word for giving back to God at least ten percent of what He gives me.
Tithing is hard. But it is also something that God clearly asks, and I have always tried to be obedient with. My tithing has sometimes involved giving to a church and letting them decide how to disburse the funds in service of God’s will. More recently, it has involved giving to other organizations that directly meet the needs of the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society. I think God approves both methods of tithing. It’s just a matter of how much I want to be involved in the process of vetting and selecting worthy causes.
Today’s verse is part of my evidence for that opinion. If I am generous with the poor, whether through the church or not, God is pleased.
And God is actually more than pleased. He considers generosity to the poor equal to generosity to Him. God takes it personally. If I treat a person who is downtrodden with kindness, generosity, and respect, it is the same as treating God with kindness, generosity, and respect. And God will repay me for it. That’s what a loan is. Loans get repaid. But today’s verse says I will even get a reward on top of the repayment. Bonus!
In case obedience to God isn’t enough incentive toward philanthropy, today’s verse offers the selfish motivation of getting even more in return. And I can honestly and personally attest that this is very much true. God has repaid me many times more than I have given away, and I have given away a lot.
Dear God,
Thank you so much for your promise to reward my generosity with even more generosity from your infinite resources. I am so glad that I took you up on your offer to test you in this area. You continue to prove yourself faithful. Forgive me when selfishness and fear get the upper hand in my life. Remind me of this verse at those times, and pry open my fingers (and heart) to give.
CamDevo 