The interesting discussion in this other thread got me thinking...
From God's perspective, I wonder if it's less about how much I give away and more about how much I decide to keep (for my wants and self-perceived 'needs'). If so, then the issue of what does/doesn't count as a tithe becomes secondary.
Should we focus on the % we give away, or on the $ we spend on our lifestyles? It seems we tend to focus on the %.
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Good topic. Bill Gates is covers both bases, evidence of true Christianity? He gives away so much money that he had to start a (501c3) corporation to help him give away money.
Or is Gates trying to buy his way into Heaven? Would that make him a typical Christian?
Several times I have tried to help people by giving them money to help them through a situation and it made their situation worse.
Some people will never forgive a person for helping them.
Only God has the ability to intentionally forget. Would most Christians help their neighbors if their good works were to be hidden from God?
There is a book out about short term mission trips, but I can see many of the same principles in regular giving. The book is titled "When Helping Hurts."
It forces us to think about what we are doing. Are we just throwing money at things to make them go away? Is this done for some therapuetic reprieve for our guilty souls? Money is a very dangerous thing. Is our giving truely cheerful?
If God owns everything, and he does, then we should not focus on the % we give away nor the $ we spend on our lifestyles but on managing all the gifts he gives us so that we glorify and please him. Another way to look at it: if you were in God's place, how do you think you would want the gifts you've given--wealth, time, talent, opportunities, etc.--to be used on earth?
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