Does My Giving Even Matter?

Speaker A00:00:28

Alright, I got this listener question and I wanted to share it on today's show. Hey, Ralph, I'll be honest. Sometimes I feel embarrassed by how little I can give.I see others giving big amounts or doing huge things for the church and I start thinking, what's the point of a few dollars or a small act? It just feels insignificant. How do I believe that God can still use something so small to make a real impact?And I read that question, I said, wow, that's an interesting thing to think about because it's so easy for us to feel small. Listen, in the global scheme of things, none of us are given enough to be really big things, right? So it feels insignificant to us.We feel like it doesn't matter. But I'm gonna tell you something right now. When your gift feels small, the reason it feels that way is you've got doubt. Doubt's creeping in.But I want you to hear something. I want you to hear it loud and clear. No act of generosity goes unseen by God.I'm gonna talk about scripture a little bit later about how, how God saw the small things. Because I want you to remember this. God doesn't measure the amount. It's not about the amount of money. You're never going to out give God.I've heard people say that a thousand times. What he does measure is your heart. And here's the thing that really is heartbreaking. We did some research for today's show.Barna research found that only 5% of Christians tithe regularly. And I was disappointed to hear that because God wants us to give back. But here's the bigger thing that I thought, here's some joy in this.Those who do report giving feel 23% higher joy and purpose in life. Because here's the truth. Generosity changes the giver.It's not about who you're giving it to, it's about you, the person who's giving it, long before it changes the world. So let's talk about giving on today's show.

Speaker B00:02:15

This is Financially Confident Christian, your daily dose of gospel, grounded insight and faith driven tips to help you break the cycle of financial shame with confidence.

Speaker A00:02:27

Hello there, welcome. I'm Ralph. Thank you so much for joining me today. As always, I'm helping you trying to break that cycle of financial shame and do it with confidence.And I just want to say something really bold today. I've seen how people's mindset around money directly affects peace and generosity. And I've lived this myself.I'm going to tell you a story right in a Minute where given felt small. So I can really appreciate what the listener is saying today. But at that same time, I've seen God multiplied in unexpected ways.So let me tell you my story. I remember I just started off my business.My wife and I, we had just gotten married, we had two young kids and we decided to go off on our own, started our own accounting practice. And man, money was tight. You talk about tight, man, we didn't know from month to month that we were going to make it.I remember we were really active in our church at the time. And this, this traveling missionary came in and they spoke on a Sunday morning and a Sunday night.And let me just tell you right now, they captured my heart. Like I. I could tell. Like the Lord was telling me, ralph, you gotta support these people.And I remember just sitting there going, man, how am I gonna do this, God? Like, I. I feel you're pulling me. Like they had a specific need. They needed a certain amount of money.I don't remember how much it was, wasn't really relevant, but they had a specific need. They were really talking about how the congregation could do this.And I remember I was agonizing because we had gone to the Sunday morning service and they had spoken. And I ago long, I'm just sitting in my home office trying to figure out, how do I make this work? I want to write this check, but how do I do it?I didn't really think I could afford to give it because I was just scraping by. We went back to that Sunday night service and I had the courage. I wrote that check and I gave.And to me, honestly, it felt like a small amount, but I knew it would help them. And I put it in the collection plate as it went by. And I said, God, I just, I just pray that you will multiply this. And I'll never forget.It was like two or three weeks later, I had a new client come in. And I know this person. They actually go to our church with us. At the time, I didn't know this person.And they came in and he said, and one of the things I always ask my new clients is, how did you hear about us? And they said, well, I see your family goes to church. And I noticed when that missionary was in that you put something in the collection plate.I was like, wow, people are really watching me. They're watching what I'm doing here. And I was like, that's interesting. But what it proved to me.And the next thing he said, he said, I saw how generous you are with people and I was like, well that wasn't about that one missionary thing. He saw how I am with people. People constantly come up to me at church and say, ralph, can I ask you a quick question?I never turn them away because I think there's so much value in that. And God reminded me right in that instant that he multiplies what we surrender.Because all Sunday long I'm sitting there, I'm doing the math, I'm doing the numerical stuff, I'm doing the accounting side of this and going, God, I can't do this, dude. But when I finally surrender it, man, he was using it for his kingdom and people saw that. So let's get back to today's question.How do I believe that God can still use something so small to make a real impact? Because that's, that is a big thing. And I love what this quotes is. We couldn't find who said this.But God isn't looking for equal gifts, he's looking for equal sacrifice. Naturally, what it comes down to. So let's dive into this a bit. Number one thing, it's all about faith. It's not about figures.Just think about the widow's might story. God notices the heart. God saw the heart of that poor widow. She gave all she had. She didn't give from abundance, she gave from need.And I'll never forget that story. I'm going to talk about that right now. But Jesus there, he pulls his disciples aside, he goes, did you see what just happened?And his disciples, like, what do you mean, God? We saw these people coming in giving huge amounts of money. He goes, no, no, no, no. Did you see that widow?She took those two small coins and it was huge. See, it's not about the size of the offering. And let me just say something right now. It doesn't have to be money. A lot of people get hung up on this.They think, well, I've got to write a check. No, you can donate time. You can be that friend that somebody needs when they're having a tough time. You could be that.Go to person that is giving as well. It doesn't have to be cash. It doesn't have to be something you give like that. It can be your time.So many people don't get involved in church because they don't have the money. Listen, the church needs people who have time. Talk to any pastor and they will tell you this. They would much rather have.Not that they don't want people to support the missions, don't misunderstand me, but they would love to have Somebody to give their time.And the thing I want you to hear is that generosity will grow your joy because it helps change your mindset, that giving focuses what we lack because it's hard to feel lacking when you're generous. And that's where gratitude really begins, when you can be generous.Listen, I think all of us are wired with a desire to be generous, with a desire to live in that generosity. I think our own conscious mind kind of holds us back from being the generous that we need to be.And don't feel like a small gift isn't going to make a big impact. Small gifts make huge impact for the people who needs it.Listen, if you're hungry right now and somebody gave you $20 to buy a meal, listen, $20 for me, and I don't mean to be braggadocious about this, means nothing to me. But if I'm hungry, if I'm that person that needs 20 bucks for a meal, man, that's a massive need.So don't ever think that a small gift doesn't have a big impact because so many us live in this mentality of scarcity. But when you break out of that, when we give, we declare something that God is our source, not money, and God will multiply it.What did God do that Sunday for me? He multiplied my surrender. Because the moment we release control, and that's what it's really about.The reason that only 5% of Christians tithe regularly is they haven't released control, they haven't surrendered their finances to the Lord. Until you do that, trust me on this, you're not going to feel the blessing.But when you release control, when you let it go, and you live in that belief that Christ gave it to me in the first place, that's when you're going to see the blessing. So remember, it's not about figures. It's about faith. And generosity grows joy and small gifts have a big impact.And let's break that scarcity mentality because God multiplies surrender. Let's get right into the Bible today. Let's get right to the book of Luke, chapter 21, verses 3 and 4.Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put more in than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.And Second Corinthians, chapter nine, verse six. Remember this. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And whoever sows generously will also reap generously.Let's pray together, Lord, we come to you right now. We just want you to remind us that my worth isn't measured by what I give. Lord, you've given us everything we could could ever ask for.But my worth is measured by my willingness to trust you. So, Lord, right now I pray that you will give me a heart of being a cheerful giver. Help me to be consistently generous.And Lord, help me to not let the world speak about how these small acts can make an eternal impact. Because I know, Lord, that these small acts make an eternal impact. So help me to surrender my finances to you today. Help me to be generous, Lord.And we ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. All right, you ready for your quick action item today? I want you to give something away today, not out of guilt, but out of gratitude.Whether it's $5, 15 minutes of your time or just an encouraging word, offer to God and ask him to multiply it. Really that simple?And you want some more encouragement as you grow in generosity and confidence, I want to encourage you to join our financially confident Christian community. There you'll hear real stories from believers just like you learning to trust God with their finances. It's a place to support each other.It's a place for practical tools and a place to share your wins. And you can sign up for by going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join again. That's financiallyconfidentchristian.com/Join. Remember this.God sees your heart. Every single gift matters. And generosity shapes you from the inside out. So small, faithful gifts carry eternal impact.So today, trust God to multiply what you surrender. Keep growing. Keep giving. Be that financially confident Christian. Stay financially savvy. God bless you and and do some gifting today.It will make an eternal impact. Trust me on that. God bless you. Have a great day.