Investing with Generosity: Tithing & Giving from Your Growth?

Speaker A00:00:00

I got this great question the other day, perfect for our investment series. Ralph, I tithe from my paycheck, but should I also give from my investment growth? Well now I better start by defining what the word tithing is.Because my young son said, dad, what does that even mean? Well, tithing basically means giving to the church. In the Bible it talks about a tithe is 10%. So what a great question today.And it led me to discuss tithing in general, which is something I think we need to talk about.As we talk about investments, you might be thinking, wait a minute, Ralph, you're talking about investment, you're talking about making passive income, but we need to talk about tithing as well. And Abby, my producer found some great statistics for today. Listen to these. I was kind of taken back by this. Only 5% of churchgoers regularly tithe.Now we're talking about a tithe of 10% of their income. Only 5% of churchgoers actually do that. The average Christian in the US gives just 2 1/2% of their income to the church.And among evangelicals, that's a type of Christian person. Half give less than 1% of their income annually. Yet listen to this one.95% of practicing Christians gave to charities or churches in 2022, compared with 68% of non practicing Christians. And despite record growth in wealth, charitable giving in the US has stayed stuck at about 2% of GDP for decades.And like I said, these numbers kind of made me feel sad. They don't surprise me. And that's why I'm so happy to get this question today.Because it leads me to a much bigger purpose when it comes to our investment series. See, investing isn't just about getting more. It's not about that greed factor.We've talked about greed, we talked about fear, but it's about giving more. And that's exactly what I'll talk about on today's show. How to invest with the idea of building generosity for the future.This is Financially Confident Christian, your daily dose of God grounded insight and faith driven tips to help you break the cycle of financial shame with confidence. Welcome to the show. I'm Ralph and we're closing in on the end of our month long investment series. I really hope you've enjoyed it.And for 30 years I've worked with families who generosity became the cornerstone of their financial plan. Yeah, you heard me right. Not how much money I'm making, but generosity. And why do I think that's important?Because listen, I, I've seen how they've Experienced the joy and freedom, yes, truly. Joy and freedom that comes from giving, from growth, not just their income. Which is why this particular question today was so important to me.I want to tell you about one of my clients. I knew this guy, he set aside a portion of investment gains every year for missions. That was his deal.He said, ralph, here's my budget for investments. Every year I'm going to set aside a certain amount that goes right to mission work. He was one of these people that embraced missions.He said, ralph, missions are important. We need to get out and share the gospel. And I said to him, okay, that sounds good. Kind of countercultural. And I said to him, why do you do that?He said, ralph, it makes up for the up and downs in a market because when the market really goes well, I can give to God, I can grow his kingdom. And I thought, man, that's amazing. And I love what Randy Alcorn says. The more we give, the more we delight in God and the more he delights in us.And see, that's what I want to focus in on today. So to answer your question right away, give more. Sure. So let's talk about some great things to consider that really answer your question today.What you're really asking is, Ralph, okay, I give based on my paycheck, 10%. My net take on pay. We can argue about net gross, I don't really care, but income.But see, I'm going to challenge you a little bit because I think scripture actually tells us to give based on our growth, the increase. You may have heard that talked about in church sometime. What is my increase? And see, when you grow things, your passive income grows.It gives you the opportunity to give beyond your paycheck. See, tithing from the increase is not just your salary. That could be from your investments, that could be from sale of something.That could be all of those things. But I want you to really understand why you're doing it, because it's all about that kingdom impact.I'm going to tell you right now, what I have found in my own life is when I give more, it's kind of interesting, but things kind of grow. You might be thinking the same thing. You're right, Ralph. I was working with a client a couple months ago.She said to me, ralph, she said, why are you one of them Bible thumping dudes? You're always talking about Christ this and Christ that. She said, do you give to your church?I said, actually, I give to my church and I give to other things. She goes, well, I've never really Done that. Do you think it makes a difference? I said, well, here's this.I said, why don't you take a little step in faith and do that for a little bit? She came back to me six months later. She said, ralph, I don't know what happened. She said, but my investment started to take off.See, that's God right there. And the thing is, wealth needs to be a tool. It can't be an idol. So many people get stuck on that.Well, if I'm growing in wealth, that's a tool for me to be more giving. Right, Ralph? Yeah. Just make sure it doesn't become an idol. Because what is really giving? See, a lot of people get hung up on this.So I like to reverse the question a little bit. Should I tithe more? Let me ask you this question. Should you make a bigger eternal impact? Let's get right into the Bible.We're going to go right to Second Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 11. And this one nails it again. Second Corinthians, 9, 11. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.And through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. Well, there's the answer, isn't it?You'll be enriched so that you can be generous in every occasion through using your generosity and thanksgiving to God. Well, I got a bonus verse today. It's Proverbs 3, 9. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.See, when I got that listener question, I could have just sent her this verse back. Because there's the answer, isn't it? Honor the Lord with your wealth. You notice it doesn't say income there. It doesn't say your paycheck.It doesn't say what your take home pay was this. It says, honor the Lord with your wealth with the first fruits of all of your crops. So that's the answer.Well, how about we pray together right now, Lord, we just thank you for this heart of generosity in both our income and our investments, Lord. And we just ask that you would help us to find new ways to grow that impact and how we can impact your kingdom, Lord.Give us ideas, give us opportunities to give that make a difference, Lord. And help us to not be stingy and help us to be cheerful givers in all these ways, Lord. We ask this in confidence in the name of Jesus. Amen.All right, well, here's your one action step for today. I want you to really think about one way you can give from your investment growth this year. Just put that on your plan, make that your mission.Whether that be like my client did for missions or maybe for your church, or hey, maybe you go find a charity that really is endearing to your heart. But. But I want you to do that today. Just think about one way you can give from your investment growth this year to really go beyond that tithe.And remember this. It's not about how much we keep. It's about how much we give that makes life meaningful.I want to read that one more time because it's so important that you hear that. It's not about how much we keep, but how much we give that makes life meaningful. So place every bit of your growth in God's hands.You'll see something amazing happen because God knows how to turn it into lasting impact. And as you grow, as your portfolio, as your investments grow, let your generosity tell the story of God's goodness in your life.I want to encourage you right now, go out there today and be that financially confident Christian that I know you can be. Stay financially savvy. God bless you and you have a great day.