1 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 (ESV)

Some Christians have taken “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7) and stood it on its head, making emotions the standard for giving. But emotions are fickle and vary according to temperament. Some people have a difficult time getting cheerful, and if they depended on light-heartedness to generate their generosity, they would be misers—and once their giving began, their shut-off valve would trip too early. But the Bible teaches something more measured than emotion in this connection.

For some time, Paul had been taking up an offering for relief of the beleaguered and impoverished Jerusalem church. He addressed the matter in both 1 and 2 Corinthians, with special praise for the glad, sacrificial example of the Macedonians in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. He rehearsed the blessings of generosity, as with reaping and sowing (2 Cor. 9:6) and reminded them of God’s own kindness toward the needy (2 Cor. 9:9).

But, again, this was not simply a matter of feelings. Each believer was to “make up his mind” (ESV) on the matter, not going with the flow of mood (2 Cor. 9:7). It was a “decision” (NIV, HCSB) or a “purposing” (NKJV, ASV) of the “heart,” not surrender to either melancholy or giddiness. Of course, gladness is a natural counterpart to a godly choice. Indeed, if money is given sullenly, it is a spiritual zero. As Paul said, “ If I give away all I have . . . but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3).

Besides being gladsome and loving, offerings should be systematic. Paul urged his readers to set something aside weekly so that they did not get behind and have to scurry around at the last minute, piecing together what they could, which was likely to be meager. He knew the financial pressures and distractions, the tendency to procrastinate, and the way that expenditures expand to exhaust the cash at hand. So he pressed them to be orderly, not spasmodic, in stewardship; he wanted them to be automatic in their practice, not “reinventing the wheel” whenever the topic arose once again. In this connection, he suggested a set-aside on the first day of the week, likely honoring the Lord’s Day and “taking the money off the top” before it was all spent unthinkingly.

Note that they were to give as God “prospered” them – an objective standard, not a subjective one: Get more, give more. Paul knew not to say, “Give as God excites you,” “Give as your walk makes you tingle,” or “Give only as much as you can and still stand yourself.”

Unfortunately, this attitude is found often in the Church today, and, consequently, the work of the kingdom is slighted. A host of studies tell the sad tale: For instance, many so-called born again people give nothing at all, and poor church members give at a far higher rate than the rich. The fact is, total giving would be staggering in its quantity and impact if all believers followed Paul’s admonition.1

But that is just the beginning, for Paul was talking about a minimum—about an ordered, decent contribution. This was not meant as a limit to their giving, but as a base, for the Bible celebrates holy extravagance, as in Mary’s impulsive act of worship in John 12:1-22, where she poured expensive ointment on Jesus’ feet. This is the way of abundant joy, the path illuminated by Luke 6:38: “[G]ive, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Footnotes:
1
See, for instance, Richard J. Krejcir, “Statistical Research Comparisons to Hypotheses and Interviews,” Church Leadership Website, http://www.churchleadership.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=43900&columnid=4545 (accessed August 19, 2010).
article adapted from Kairos Journal

First Baptist Church of Perryville is located at 4800 W. Pulaski Hwy., Perryville, MD