How Much is Too Much?

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”   —2 Corinthians 9:7

At our house, I can and often watch almost anything that comes on the television. I do, however, tend to migrate to typical outdoors and manly things like the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and sports. My wife watches almost nothing but occasionally the Game Show Network, and the Weather Channel capture her interest. Her two favorite shows are Local on the 8’s and $25,000 Pyramid.

Last week, we turned on the TV to catch the weather and then flipped to the game channel. The new American Bible Challenge game was on. By the way, we got every answer right but one. We forgot Jacob’s daughter’s name, Dinah. Family Feud followed where teams try to guess what 100 surveyed persons answered on a variety of subjects. One question caught my attention. “What is an appropriate amount to put in the offering plate at church?” In the Fast Money round, one lady guessed, “$20.” Ten persons agreed. When her partner’s turn came, she said, “$10.” I think 14 persons agreed. The number one answer was $5.00. You can see why this interested me.

How much is too much? I don’t think we really know, but the Bible very clearly tells us how much is too little. The Old Testament consistently speaks about giving a tithe to the Lord. A tithe is 10% of your income. It is called the first fruits (2 Chron. 31:5). If we do not give the first 10% of our income to God, it’s not enough. We often debate whether tithing refers to before or after taxed income. Jesus said to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s (Matt 22:21). I guess if we put the government first, we would tithe on the take home pay. If God is first, then tithe on our gross pay. $5 in the offering plate would imply an income of $50.00.

In the book of Malachi, God seems very intense about the whole tithing issue. God curses the Israelites for robbing Him by not giving their tithes and offerings. God said, “You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house” (Malachi 3:8-10). God clearly describes anything less than 10% as not enough.

But how much is too much? In the New Testament, the emphasis on how much to give shifted. New Testament Christians believed that they themselves and everything they owned were under the Lordship of Jesus. They saw all their income as belonging to God. (100% and not just 10%). The New Testament model for Christians was to keep only what was needed to provide for themselves and their families. I guess too much would be giving to the point that you and your family depended upon and became a drain on the resources of others. Beyond that, the New Testament describes giving in terms of generosity rather than law.

The verse, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart,” refers to the upper limit of giving. The tithe, 10%, remains, for me and many, the minimum we should give. Giving beyond the tithe is limited only by our ability to give and the amount of joy we receive in giving. The scripture continues, “For God loves a cheerful giver.” Maybe the reason so many people and businesses are so grumpy these days is they don’t give enough. God promises to open the windows of heaven to meet the needs and more of those who give. Let us give generously and joyfully.