Giving – An Antidote to Selfishness

What runs through your mind when you drop some money in the church offering plate, or write out a check to a missions organization? I'd like to say that I always follow the model Paul outlines in Corinthians:

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7, NIV)

but sometimes I have to wrestle with selfishness. Thoughts creep up reminding me of what else I could spend that money on: "If I just put some of that money toward paying extra on the minivan, I could be out of debt that much sooner; after all, debt is bad, right?"

Besides, God doesn't need my offerings. As it says in the Psalms, it's all God's anyway:

for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10, NIV)

But here's one thing I've learned. God doesn't ask us to give because He needs it, He asks us to give because it's good for us. God knows my heart, and by making a regular habit of giving back some of the money and resources God has graciously allowed me to receive, it is a reminder to me that it's not really mine to keep. God gives me the privilege of enjoying some of the fruits of my labor, sure; but by giving back I also have the privilege of playing a small part in God's plan for the world. By giving, "my" money helps feed the hungry, clothe the needy, defend the fatherless, and spread the Good News to my community and the world at large.

By giving regularly, I am exercising my philanthropic muscle. The more I give, the easier it is to sustain.  And the more I give, the less selfish I become in wanting to hold on to "my" money.