From time to time someone will apologize to me about their offerings. I think they think I know what they're giving, how much they're giving and that their giving has changed. People have also expressed a desire to give more and apologized for not giving more.
On the one hand, I think that's awesome. I think it's awesome - and more than that, it's a gift of God that they desire to give large gifts of grace to the work of Christ's church. That is the work of God in their hearts to desire to give offerings, to support the work of the congregation. When God's people express a desire to give to him, I give thanks to God for giving them that desire. That was God's grace to the Macedonian congregations.
But on the other hand, I'm always a little worried because what I hear in the apology is a sense of guilt as if they were sinning by not giving more; I sense some shame because they're not giving like others give; I sense that they don't think they're that valuable to the church because they don't give more money. I'm sad about this.
First of all, there is no guilt! We don't give offerings to God as if there was a transaction taking place, as if we were paying God, as if we were letting God down because we didn't give a bigger offering. The whole debt of our salvation has been paid by Jesus, by his blood on the cross, by his holy precious, blood, by his innocent suffering and death. There is no guilt because all our guilt has been atoned for on the cross.
Second of all, there is no shame or comparison in the body of Christ. God doesn't ask us to give what we don't have! Paul knew that and told the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 8:11,12): Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. So, what's Paul saying to you as you give your offerings? Consider all God's gifts to you and give to him from what you have!
On top of that, the reality is that Christ has bound you, the members of his body, to himself and given each of us different gifts, different abilities. He has given some members of his body an amazing ability to support the work of the church. A few people really can carry the work of the church with their offerings. That's awesome! That's God's gift to his people. Thank God that he has blessed some members like that and has given them those gifts.
And then thank him for the gifts he has given you. He's given you gifts to pray for his people, to encourage him people, to serve his people in other ways in addition to your generous offerings.
Romans 12: 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
So, be who you are.
Do what you do.
Give from what you've been given.
It's all God's grace to you in Christ.
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