Tis the season to give. I often remark about the incredible lengths our culture has gone to commercialize Christmas. That topic is kind of like the proverbial “beating a dead horse”. But, what about charitable giving? Have you noticed how ubiquitous ads for giving to charities have become near Christmas? I have. It’s everywhere.
Of course, the Salvation Army has been doing this for a long time. Frankly, I find the bell ringing workers really annoying. Lose the bell, please. I also feel sorry for these people. They have to stand outside, no matter what the weather, and ring that bell for hours. I am sure that aren’t getting paid much, not enough to endure that agony. But, a job is a job.
I guess other charities have caught on, because it is no longer just the Salvation Army. Every good charity is asking for your donations. I have heard ads for the following: homeless shelters, food banks, cancer support/research, military personnel, military families, toys for tots, educational programs, chemical dependency groups, oversea orphanages, Angel Tree, and much more. Our church participates in the Lottie Moon Christmas offering for International Missions, and in collecting canned goods for our local food banks.
And the great thing is, people give. I don’t know if it has always been this way, but it seems like these charities are asking and more and more people are giving. It seems to have become part of our culture for families to put charitable giving as a part of their Christmas budget.
This is a good thing, right? I definitely think that generosity is a good thing. It is even a biblical thing. It is a requirement for Christ followers to be generous and seek ways to assist those in need. Yes, I know that some people give just to receive the tax break on their IRS returns. But, I am glad that we live in a generous culture.
But, a couple of things trouble me. I don’t want to discourage people from giving to these worthy causes, but I do want to point out a couple of issues for consideration.
The Bible is pretty clear that giving is not enough. The motivation behind the giving is what counts. God looks at your heart first, and then what is in your hand. Well, don’t people who give demonstrate a good heart? Yes, but the biblical motivation is not just goodness or even concern for our fellow man – it is a recognition of the Lordship of God in our lives. It is also a recognition that all that I have comes from the grace of God. I am afraid that many give to charity, but not from a heart that is honoring God as Lord.
This brings me to another issue. I think that people like to give to charities at this time of year because they think that it is adding to their own intrinsic goodness, or mitigating their own intrinsic badness. I encounter this all the time – people think that they are or have to be good in order to have some type of standing with God.
No one gets into heaven because they gave to charity! God doesn’t analyze the financial books of your life to determine if you can enter His presence. Giving money to charity makes you a good person on a human level, but it does nothing for you on a spiritual level. For all our righteous deeds amount to a pile of filthy, disgusting rags in God’s eyes. We are spiritual wretches, sinners in the hands of an angry God, deserving His condemnation for violating His holy character. Giving to the Salvation Army or collecting canned food cannot erase our spiritual condition. The grace of God through Jesus Christ appropriated by repentance in faith is the requirement for right standing with God.
So, as you consider charitable giving this Christmas , take a moment and check your heart. That’s what God is looking at.
