by Bror Erickson

GUEST COLUMNIST

Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7 (ESV)).

Christians give. It is the privilege of the Christian to give to the church and other charities in response to all that has been given them. Most especially, it is in response to the gift of eternal life that has been given them in the death and resurrection of Christ.

Giving to the church and other charities is not a tax. God does not assess the Christian's earthly wealth and demand they pay accordingly in order to retain citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. Instead, He tells us to give as we make up our own mind on what we want to give, and to whom we want to give it to. In this way, giving becomes a privilege, not a chore, for God loves a cheerful giver.

People, including Christians, give for a variety of reasons. Today, karma is quite popular. It seems to have become the dogma of the modern man. According to this, people give either to receive more blessings, or to ward off bad events in their own lives. People often give out of guilt, to make up for past "mistakes." Or they give from a sense of obligation.

Many today still practice the Old Testament rule of tithing, the mandatory relinquishing of 10 percent of their income, and they only give it to their church body. Though 10 percent is a worthy goal for giving (I'd be hard pressed to discourage giving 10 percent to one's church), the New Testament gives us a new policy.

In short, determine what you can give cheerfully and then give it. This is because Christ gave His all for you, to save you from your sins, so that you would not "have" to give or do anything out of guilt or obligation. Karma be cursed. You are Christ's, and the greatest of blessings has been given to you in the blood of Christ. That is the forgiveness of sins, and the assurance of salvation. You won't lose that because you failed to give enough.

The gift of salvation, though, has given us the opportunity to truly give, without compulsion or reluctance; to joyfully give from a pure heart and a clean conscience washed in the blood of the lamb. It is from this pure heart and clean conscience that God asks you to calculate what you can truly give cheerfully.

For some that may only be the occasional $20 in the offering plate, or the spare change in a Salvation Army kettle. For others it will be a dedicated giving of 2 or 3 percent of their income. Some can afford 20 percent and others only 10. But if you don't want to give it, God doesn't want it. He gave it to you in the first place for you to do with it what you please. If it pleases you to give some back in the form of charity or offerings, it pleases Him to receive it. But don't think you can buy God. On the contrary, He bought you, ransomed you, not with gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Once you decide you want to give and how much you want to give you also have to decide whom to give it to. I tend to give a lot to the church myself. Churches, especially those that preach the gospel, are worthy recipients for giving. God may not need your money but churches have bills like any other non-profit organization. However, they are not the only organizations one should consider giving to. There are many other organizations out there that do many great things.

This last week, for instance, the March of Dimes held their annual Jail and Bail drive. I was honored to be a participant. I was even more honored to see the generous hearts of this community I call home. Members of my congregation donated above and beyond what they already give to the church. People outside of my congregation also helped me to try and "raise my bail." I know those people have their own churches, and other charities they donate to as well. I thank all those who contributed not only to my "bail," but to the other participants also. It was great fun to sit at Tracks Brewery and call on the great members of this community who contribute so much to the welfare of others. I would mention names, but most indicated they would be embarrassed. They don't do it for the recognition, and that is to their credit.

I tend to hesitate to do these charities. I don't want people thinking they are going to hell because a pastor asked them to support a charity and they didn't contribute. Christ has already taken care of the hell problem for you. I decided to do this one though, because I liked the cause.

So often, us pro-life types spend a lot of time and money fighting abortion, as we should, but we often don't give much thought to the person after they are born. The March of Dimes helps in the fight against deaths due to premature birth. It's a great cause for those who are pro-life through life, and a great way to help others for whom Christ died. At this time of year, there are plenty of charities that could use your help: food banks and homeless shelters to name a few. The value of life is the blood of God, but it can be shown to another with the donation of a turkey, a bed, or even a can of beans.

Bror Erickson is pastor of the First Lutheran Church in Tooele. He is a graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Ind.