Bible Society of South Africa

The money and possessions we accumulate are ours by the grace of God and therefore belong to him. In the Old Testament God’s people were under an obligation to set aside one tenth of their earnings for God’s work. In the New Testament we are urged to give our offerings freely and with a glad heart.

"People of Israel, every year you must set aside ten per cent of your grain harvest. Also set aside ten per cent of your wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of every cow, sheep, and goat. Take these to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshipped, and eat them there. This will teach you to always respect the Lord your God."  Deuteronomy 14:22-23

"You Pharisees are in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your gardens, such as mint and rue. But you cheat people, and you don’t love God. You should be fair and kind to others and still give a tenth to God"  Luke 11:42

"Jesus was sitting in the temple near the offering box and watching people put in their gifts. He noticed that many rich people were giving a lot of money. Finally, a poor widow came up and put in two coins that were worth only a few pennies. Jesus told his disciples to gather around him. Then he said: I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others. Everyone else gave what they didn’t need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had. Now she doesn’t have a penny to live on."  Mark 12:41-44

"Remember this saying, “A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a big harvest.’’ Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don’t feel sorry that you must give and don’t feel that you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give. God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. The Scriptures say, “God freely gives his gifts to the poor, and always does right.’’ 2 Corinthians 9:6-9

Often, we Christians spend such a lot of time and energy debating about whether the guideline in the Bible still means we should give a tenth or not, that we forget that it is really about the attitude with which we give. Remember one thing today: God loves a cheerful giver.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for everything we receive from your hand. May we never forget that everything we have is yours and help us to give cheerfully. Amen