God doesn’t need your money. It is just that simple. The lights of heaven aren’t going to shut off because you didn’t send in your tithe check. The gates of heaven aren’t going to be locked because a parishioner didn’t provide a check to pay for the repairs. The tree of life won’t wither if you don’t send your seed in. You then may ask, “then why all the hoopla about giving?” Giving is not just a matter of your checkbook but the matter of the heart. Jesus even made this as His example “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt 6:21)” It changed my way of thinking on the art of giving when I heard this. My heart is to take care of those in need then my wallet or checkbook should follow suit. I love how Rachel Cruze wrote this John D. Rockefeller quote in the Smart Money, Smart Kids book, “I n ever would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 a week.” Isn’t that the truth? If you won’t give to God when you have little then you won’t do it when you have many.
Our kids follow our example in this area. It is proven that the younger a child is when they give, the more that they will give away. The older they are, the more likely they are to keep it for themselves. It’s all a matter of following what they have been taught. Dave would probably say it better like this that “Kids are like sponges” and it’s true. Let out a swear word around your kids and see what happens in the next few days.
Our church teaches kids how to give. Right there, many of you would scoff and say that the church is all about money. Not true. It teaches them this principle; the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. If it is His, we are managing it. If we are managing the money of the One who is the ultimate Giver, then should we not be ready and willing to pass that on to our children? Teaching your kids to give is just as important as teaching your kids how to save money and stay out of debt. Why? It breaks the entitlement gene that we find in ourselves. “The church is all about money and all those preachers do is ask for money….” I find it funny that you never say that about McDonalds when you go through the line to get food or Shell when you get gas (although it feels like it sometimes).
What am I saying? We need to teach our children the right attitude when it comes to giving. We rephrase it in our house. We don’t have to give…we are blessed to give.