Acceptable Giving

Is it more important to give consistently — or in a way that pleases God? And can you do both? We’ll have answers to those questions today on Faith and Finance.  2 Corinthians 9:7:  “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” We’d like to thank our friends at Christian Stewardship Network for a terrific article on this topic titled “Giving that God Accepts.” As Christians, we should be committed to doing things the right way. But our fallen, sinful nature often leads us astray. Not in trying to be righteous, but more often in the reason why we try to act in a righteous way. If we’re doing it to prove ourselves to God, we go astray. And it’s in giving that our attempts at righteousness perhaps most often miss their mark.  Giving is tangible. It provides proof, to us at least,that we’re doing the right thing. Other righteous acts, like prayer and worship, are less concrete.  WHAT SORT OF GIVING DOES GOD ACCEPT?  We can look to King David for an example of a generous giver. David likely gave billions of dollars worth of treasure to build the temple in Jerusalem. But it wasn’t the size of the construction budget that pleased God. It was the way that David gave to complete the massive project. No amount of giving can sway God one way or the other. He already owns 100% of anything we give back to His kingdom. He doesn’t need the money. What do you give to Someone who has everything? To quote David in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” God owns everything because He created everything. But He does want to have a relationship with us. God requires us to give a portion of what He gives us back to His Kingdom because He wants us to be a part of it. God made us in His image and He desires relationships, so He made us that way too. And that’s how we need to understand giving. David understood this and we’ll see in Psalm 51 how he acts properly. Let’s set the stage. The prophet Nathan had called out David for his adultery with Bathsheba and sending her husband Uriah off to die in battle to cover his sin. That takes place in 2 Samuel 11. Now, obviously, David sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, but he understood that his sin was ultimately against God. Now to Psalm 51 and verse 16  where David reveals something about God that should direct us in how we give. He writes, “You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.” If money could buy God’s forgiveness, David probably would have given everything, but he knew God wanted nothing material from him. David goes on to write, “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” That’s what God desires from us, a broken, repentant heart. And that’s what David gave Him. We must let that be the basis of all we do, including giving.<br /><br /> On today’s program, Rob also answers listener questions: <br /><br /> - When you start withdrawing money from retirement accounts, which accounts should you withdraw from first? -How can you find out if a relative who passed away had a life insurance policy? -How do you determine how best to help a parent with their finances? -What factors should you weigh in determining the best way to leave your assets behind for your adult children?  RESOURCES MENTIONED:<br /><br /> -  IRS.gov-  Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor-