Many Scriptures show the principles of giving. One that stands out is, “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). Matthew 6:3-4 also admonishes, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

We would like to share with you the joy many have found in giving by way of testimonies we have received, witnessed, and practiced.

One man wrote, “Mom is a Christian who enjoys giving for the furtherance of God’s kingdom. There are several aspects to her motive for giving generously. She was born and raised during the Great Depression which was soon followed by World War II, when many consumer goods were rationed. Growing up in a Christian home, she knew that God was providing for her and her family even during those difficult times. I think this left such an impression on her that she continued to live modestly many years later, even though she is well provided for. When she sees a need in the church or with her neighbors, she is glad to help where she can, because she understands that what she has belongs to God and she is His steward. On the practical side, Mom’s giving also helps to significantly reduce the amount of income tax she owes, and she prefers to maximize her giving to the church and to charity while minimizing the taxes she is required to pay to the government.”

Another man writes; “I come from a tradition where tithing of your income to the church is not the norm. My wife, on the other hand, does come from a tithing family. When we got married (41 years ago), that brought up an interesting question. Would we tithe our income? Almost to prove to my wife that it would not work for a family living on a graduate student’s small stipend, to give away a tenth of their income, I agreed to try tithing, just for a little while. When she saw that this could not work, she would finally see things my way. Of course, it was I who was surprised, not my wife. Even though we gave 10 percent of our income to the Lord’s work, we always, always had more than enough. Forty-one years later we are still tithing. And we still always have more than enough. God is God. God is faithful. And God provided abundantly.” We too followed the practice of tithing. We also wanted our children to learn to do this and gave them shoe boxes that were divided into sections: one for God, one for short-term savings, one for long-term savings, and one for spending.

We had many around us that were very generous givers. One elder investigated what percentage of donated money actually reached the mission field (rather than used for administration) before he would commit to give to a charitable organization. Another elder modeled generosity not only in the giving of money, but also in the way he gave his time to serve brought others along with him. He had a particular love for gardening, and his giving spirit brought a team of young people together once a week to weed, plant, and upgrade the church grounds. This same elder later went to the session, when we were considering a huge addition, and suggested we introduce to the congregation the idea of double tithing to help avoid going into debt. Many congregants took up the challenge to double tithe for the next year. In this amazing project God providentially allowed the church to add a large addition without the debt that usually occurs.

Our biggest challenge as a family in regards to our tithing and giving was the year Dad took a sabbatical from teaching to finish my seminary training. The family was on half salary for the year, and yet God provided for us in unexpected abundance. We had three children in college that year, and they worked hard to avoid debt. One Lord’s Day morning a young lady joined us for church and dinner afterwards. She asked if we had filled out FAFSA financial aid forms for our students. Ashamedly, we did not know of this (as homeschoolers, we often found out things as we went along). She not only helped us get the forms but helped us fill them out. That year God provided for all three children. In fact when all four of our children graduated, they had no debt. We give God the credit for His provision.

Giving is something that can be learned. It is learned from the text of holy Scripture and from the example of others. God promises to “open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (Mal. 3:10, ESV). It results in meeting needs and causing many to give thanks (2 Cor. 9:12). We have learned that if we give first rather than giving from what’s left over, God supplies for our needs in abundance. We also give on a regular basis to remind us that God gives to us daily; He provides our “daily bread” as our Lord taught us.

One testimony sums up why we give as a family. It comes from a lady we know who came to know Christ as her Savior. Shortly after she received Christ, there was an opportunity for giving to a project at church, and she gave a very generous financial gift. When asked why she did so, her response was, “That’s nothing compared to what Christ has given me, and the fact He saved me from hell.” Isn’t that really at the heart of giving—realizing what we have been saved from and what He has given us? We can tangibly show our love to others and support our churches by giving finances and time, with joyous and thankful hearts to our Savior.

A Trustees of Synod feature appears semiannually in the Witness. Authors’ names for this article were withheld at their request. For further information about RPCNA giving, go to Facebook.com/rpmissionsandministries.