10—Giving (Part Two: How It Fits)
How giving "fits" with spending and saving in our financial plans
One of the biggest challenges, even for Christians who want to be as generous as possible, is to know how to balance their giving with the other things they need to do with their money.
Whether young or old, most Christians want to honor and obey the Lord in their stewardship. However, one challenge is not often discussed: making sure that our spending, saving, and giving are at the proper levels relative to each other, according to what the Bible teaches. It’s the biblical principle of proportionality.
Deuteronomy 16:17 says it this way: “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.” (ESV)
The Apostle Paul describes it this way in 2 Corinthians 8:12: “For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” (ESV)
The early church practiced proportional giving, as seen in Acts 11:29, where "the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea." This reflects a community-oriented approach to giving, where believers contributed according to their means to support those in need, especially in the church.
These passages highlight that in God’s sight, the value of a gift is not in its amount but in the giver's willingness and ability to give.
If you haven't already experienced it, you will experience the relentless pull of the world telling you to spend more and more. There are also voices urging you to save more, especially for emergencies, a major purchase like a house, or retirement. There are also the voices suggesting you must take tons of risk: trade stocks and options, buy commodities and Crypto, etc.
But you also know that the Bible teaches sacrificial generosity, so you need to find the right balance between these things in a way that is true to the teachings of Scripture and God's will for you and your family.
I wish I could give you a black-and-white solution to this problem, but I can’t. As we discussed earlier, except for mentioning a ten percent tithe (actually, it was more) in the Old Testament, the Bible doesn't assign numbers or percentages to these categories. It doesn't draw a line that says you can't spend more than "X" or save more than "Y.
God leaves that up to us, but we are not without guidance.
The Bible does say to love God and people, not money and possessions. It calls us to generosity—sacrificial giving out of a heart of love and gratitude to God for all the gifts He has given us. The Bible also reminds us of the need to provide for our families and save wisely for needs we know we will have.
So, as always, my approach to answering this question is to look at it from a stewardship perspective: the principle that God owns everything and that everything we have is given to us by God to manage on His behalf.
As I've studied and written on this subject, I've found that there can be extremes, as with many things in the Christian life. Wealth can be deceiving and even ruinous to the Christian, but does this mean it is sinful to acquire some? No, by no means.
Hoarding wealth is idolatrous, but does that mean you shouldn't save for a house, your kid’s college, or retirement? No, it doesn’t.
Scripture highly commends giving generously, especially to those in need, but does that mean you can't spend money on a family vacation? No, take that vacation (but please don’t charge it).
Once we accurately assess our stewardship based on God’s Word and Jesus's teachings and the Holy Spirit has shown us where we are out of balance, we can repent and realign ourselves with God's will for our lives.
And if there’s something the Bible is abundantly clear about, it’s giving.
Scripture mentions giving and generosity approximately 2,300 times but says much less about spending and saving. It even says less about love, which is mentioned about 700 times. Still, all three are an essential part of the Christian life.
John Wesley is credited with saying, “Get all you can, save all you can and give all you can.”
I think that’s a good way to look at this question. On the one hand, the Bible condones saving for future needs, such as retirement, but also admonishes us not to become hoarders or cheapskates (i.e., too much saving and not enough giving or wise spending). Saving for short-term emergencies and longer-term needs, such as paying the bills when no longer working for a living, can be very wise (Proverbs 21:20).
However, we are also strongly cautioned not to become like the rich fool in Luke chapter 12 who was not rich toward God through generous giving.
One way I approached this when I was working and saving was to give more than I saved. For example, if I were saving 12%, I would give more than 12%. That was my practice, not something the Bible commands; it just worked for me as a discipline to keep things in their proper balance.
How do you respond when giving opportunities come up (e.g., a church plant needs funds, a family has a medical need they can’t meet, or you encounter a homeless person)?
If the Holy Spirit prompts you to give, do you do so willingly, joyfully, and gratefully? Or do you give out of obligation or feel guilty if you don’t? The latter may indicate that you are out of balance in terms of being “rich toward God.”
Although retirement isn’t explicitly addressed in the Bible and seems light years away to you today, it will be a reality for most of us in one form or another one day. It will come sometimes by choice but also for reasons outside our control. Therefore, a reasonable amount of planning and saving for that time in life is warranted and wise. Consider establishing a “savings finish line” for a time when you think you have enough.
Jesus’ teachings about money and giving are more specific. Still, as we saw in the last article, we can’t always get the exact number or percentage the little legalist in each of us is looking for.
I know this makes people nervous since I’ve “been there and done that.” Generosity does not mean neglecting saving or investing. When guided by a Christ-centered mindset, these financial practices become tools for sustaining a life of giving rather than ends in themselves.
Before knowing Christ, saving often serves as a way to seek security or comfort by setting aside funds for future consumption when ” things get bad.” This is not a bad practice (the ”emergency fund is an excellent idea), but the problem is our heart's motivation; we’re putting our trust in our savings, not God.
But as new creations in Christ, our hearts change. We view saving as a response to God’s gracious generosity toward us—not something we do out of fear or greed. Furthermore, instead of a means of future comfort and security, it becomes a means to support ongoing giving, not just consumption, even when ”things get bad.”
As you know by now, I am a retiree, but that doesn’t mean I’m on the other side of this. I view my retirement savings like a water reservoir that sustains us during good times and bad, such as drought and fires (which happen to be very much in the news as I write this). When I retired, I resolved by the grace of God not to reduce my giving and, if possible, to increase it year by year.
Without adequate savings, financial crises or emergencies can drain resources, hinder our ability to give, and trap us in debt cycles that diminish our ability to serve others.
We’ll discuss this later, but with a spending plan that allows us to live below our means and a holistic, well-integrated strategy that includes savings, investments, tax planning, and debt avoidance, we can build a foundation for generosity throughout all the seasons of life, including retirement.
Each person’s balance between income, savings, spending, and giving will differ. However, the common denominator should be an attitude of awe and gratitude for God’s provision. Generosity is not about rigid rules, such as giving precisely 10% of one’s income to satisfy God. Instead, it’s about embracing giving as an exciting, joyful response to our identity in Christ. As we receive His grace and blessings, we are empowered to share them freely with others.
For reflection: Evaluate your current level of giving versus saving and spending. Do you think it is reasonably aligned with biblical priorities? If not, what can you do to bring it into greater balance?
Verse: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12, ESV).