Christian Giving

Christian Giving - Calling Time Out
Are you bombarded with options for your Christian giving? Calling "time out" helps families make better giving decisions. Why do you hit the pause button on your car CD player when you're looking for an unfamiliar address? You want to concentrate, don't you? When you are being asked by a senior leader to donate large amounts of money to an organization, hit the "pause button" before committing to a donation.

Christian Giving - Pause Button Statements
Consider the following statements which give you time to wisely consider your Christian giving:

• "I will consult with my spouse and get back to you. We always make major giving decisions together." This makes the leader aware that you and your wife take giving large donations to charity seriously. It also allows you to benefit from your spouse's wisdom and intuition about the organization, its leaders, and the project's potential impact. The spouse will feel honored and valued by being included in the decision-making process. Ephesians 5:33 says, "...Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."
• "Our family has a foundation and the next time we meet, we will consider your request. I don't have the authority to act without their approval." This "pause button" communicates your desire to have structure in your giving. The organization will know that you involve family members and/or board members in your giving decisions. Using a multitude of counselors allows decisions to be looked at from a variety of perspectives. The challenge is to balance the input from the group and make timely decisions, while keeping the members satisfied that their voice has been heard. Group decision-making can be especially frustrating for busy entrepreneurs who are used to making quick decisions independently. Remember Proverbs 15:22, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."
• "We will prayerfully consider that request and get back to you." When using this "pause button," be sure to follow through! How many times have we told someone that we will pray about something and forgotten to actually take that specific request to the Lord? God wants our giving decisions to incorporate the spiritual wisdom and discernment that comes from prayer and time in His Word. This is a valuable pause button when we hear God's answer and act obediently on it. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
• "We love you and your organization. Would you contact our professional advisor and provide them all the information they need to help us make the best decision on your request?" This pause button indicates that you take the stewardship of God's resources seriously. You desire to make well-informed decisions that involve your intellect, as well as your emotions. You may have already established charitable giving guidelines. You want to know if the organization has carefully developed a plan to use the funds for maximum impact. Your team of professionals allows you to give confidently, to increase the probability of successful outcomes and measurable impact. "But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving" (2 Corinthians 8:7).

Using these "pause buttons" allows the family to carefully consider the potential impact and probable success of each proposal. The family uses its intellectual capacity as well as its emotional and spiritual resources to make wise giving decisions.

Christian Giving - Measurable Results
Do you want measurable results in your Christian giving? The most enjoyable gifts that you make are to organizations and projects that you have confidence in and where you see measurable results. Hitting the "pause button" helps to avoid making purely emotional giving decisions and provides the time necessary to give confidently.

James 1:27 tells us, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." Galatians 2:10 encourages us to "remember the poor." In Matthew 19:14, Jesus declared, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Pray and ask God for wisdom as to whether He would have you sponsor a child. We highly recommend Compassion International as a Christian charity of the highest quality and integrity.

Learn More Now!