One of our two-year-old girls at church missed the ‘Orphan Coin Bucket’ as it came by. Thus, she ran forward to deposit her contribution. The five-year-old boy, noticing his oversight, offered her the bucket—in which she placed her coin—and quickly put the bucket back in its place. At which point the little girl filled the auditorium with a scream. Her parent, knowing the problem, ran forward and directed her to the coin bucket…in which she released a second coin that she had in her other hand. Someone was heard to quip later, “Pity that all Christians aren’t that desperate to give their last coin to the Lord!”
If Jesus was interested in the size of a person’s contribution, he would not have told the Rich Young Ruler to give everything away to poor people. It is a fact that our “God of the cattle of a thousand hills” has no personal need of anything anyone can give Him. All gifts passed from one party to the other ultimately flows in one direction only—and it is not from us to God!
It is not my business to tell you how much to give, or to whom to give. That is a heart matter between you and God. Paul says, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Praise God that I have never been in a place where contributed funds have been mishandled. Instead, I have seen good brethren do good things with God’s money. However, it doesn’t take much to imagine how easy it is for churches to spend too much time and effort believing that more money will solve all their problems. It’s just not so!
Congregational giving is vital. But it is first and foremost a heart matter. And it is when we all give from the heart that we share in what fills the heart of God—the love of the orphan and the salvation of the world.
John Staiger
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