Most secular finances deal with how to get more money, and how to keep it. While being a good steward of what God has given you is important, Christian finances add another aspect to proper financial management. That of giving. There are numerous admonitions in the Bible to give tithes to the church, and to neglect not the needy, the widow and the orphans. Indeed, God will help you as you give to others, as it is "more blessed to give than to receive," (Acts 20:35).

Anyone can give in the Spirit of the Lord

It is important to remember, though, that the amount given is not as important as the spirit in which we give. Do we give grudgingly? Or merely because we know we should? Or are we giving in the Spirit of the Lord, wanting to help His children and glorify him? I am reminded of the parable of the widow's mites, found in Luke 21. The widow had only two mites, but she gave them humbly, wishing to glorify the Lord. And Jesus pointed out that her humble sacrifice to help those even less fortunate than herself accounted as more than the greater amounts that the rich donated.

Even if we have nothing in the way of money to give, it is possible to donate our time and talents to helping relieve the sufferings of others. And, for many of us, we still have a mite or two that we can donate to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

How charitable giving should work in Christian finances

The Lord has set forth guidelines to help us in our charitable giving. In 2 Corinthians, we read that giving should be determined by the need others have, and also by how much you have. If you have been blessed with greater wealth, more is required. However, it is important to remember that no matter how much you give, you cannot buy salvation. The Lord has already purchased that for us. Your giving will help you become infused with the Spirit of the Lord and to lay up treasures of eternal life in heaven. Christian finances must also take into account the fact that blessings do not always come in the form of money.

God has asked us to give, and He has promised us spiritual blessings in return. When it comes to Christian finances are we more like the rich young man (Mark 10:17-30) who did not want to part with his possessions, or are we more like the widow?