In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Paul writes, “Now about the collection for God’s people…On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income” (NIV). In this short passage, Paul gives us insight into how we ought to bring our gift to God.

First of all, he talks about how much we are supposed to give: a sum in keeping with our income. The Bible never tells us to give a specific dollar amount. Never do we hear, “To honor God, you must give $100 every week.” Of course not. This issue isn’t a dollar amount but rather how proportional our gift is to our income.

Ultimately, giving is about our level of sacrifice. If you make just a little bit of money, you are expected to give only a little bit. If you don’t make anything, you aren’t expected to give anything. Your giving should be directly and proportionally tied to what God allows to come into your life.

College students have a lot of questions about this issue. Many want to give but don’t have an income while they are in school. They’ll approach me and say, “I want to give, but I don’t know how much I should give since I don’t have any real income.” I always tell them that, biblically, they don’t have to give yet. People with no income aren’t expected to give. Still, I encourage them to give a little when they can, just to get on the ladder and begin establishing a habit for when why are blessed with an income, no matter how large or small.

Honoring God by bringing a gift back to him acknowledges his importance in your life. By choosing to return a gift to God, you are essentially saying, “God, I am thankful for the life, health, breath, and intelligence you have given to me to be able to earn this money. Apart from you, I wouldn’t have anything in my life. So I am going to honor you by returning a part of what’ve you given me.”

–Nelson Searcy and Jennifer Dykes Henson

The above excerpt is from pgs. 46-48 of The Generosity Ladder: Your Next Step to Financial Peace.

Help your people find financial peace with my best-selling book, The Generosity Ladder. Imagine a life in which you don’t struggle to make ends meet each month–a life with no debt, a healthy savings account, and solid plans for retirement. Imagine being able to help people in need and give to causes much bigger than your own concerns. This is how God wants everyone to live. And it is attainable. With the help of this practical and insightful book, your people will uncover their true level of financial health and discover a step-by-step plan to save, spend, and invest money in a responsible, godly way. Click here for more information on ordering in bulk for your church.

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.