Giving God's Way: A Life of Trust and Stewardship

Money is one of the greatest tests of our faith. It’s where trust meets obedience and where our real priorities are revealed. Many say they trust God, but when it comes to finances, fear, anxiety, and self-sufficiency take over. Yet, the Bible is clear: How we handle money is a spiritual issue.

Who Owns It? Why do we honor God with our Finances?

Before we talk about giving, we have to settle one fundamental truth: God owns everything. Psalm 24:1 declares, "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." This means our resources—our salary, our home, our savings, even our children—are entrusted to us. We are not owners, we are stewards. Randy Alcorn puts it this way: "God prospers us not to raise our standard of living, but to raise our standard of giving."

I remember years ago giving to God and praying silently that He would increase my ability to give. I prayed, "Lord, let the income I receive today be the tithe I give someday." And sure enough, years later, that prayer has been answered. I believe it is largely due to the discipline we had as a family to be faithful in our giving. Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying we will never have tough times, nor am I saying we give in order to receive material blessings. What I am saying is that giving is worship and that the God we worship is faithful. He is faithful to lead us even in hard times. But through it all—whether in plenty or in lack—He is still worthy, and everything we have belongs to Him.

First Fruits: Honoring God with Our Giving

The Bible repeatedly calls us to give first. Proverbs 3:9-10 instructs, "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing." The principle here is simple: Give to God before you do anything else.

Recently, Jan reminded me of the importance of giving first. While I was giving, I wasn’t being consistent, and I wasn’t prioritizing it. I realized that my giving had become more of an obligation—just checking it off my list rather than worshiping God through it. When I started giving first, it changed my perspective on the rest of my finances. When giving is worship, we acknowledge that everything we have belongs to God.

Talking about finances can be a difficult thing for many couples. It is for us as well. But it is an important topic. Many couples experience frustration and disappointment in the area of finances, and this one issue has also broken many marriages. So it's important that we don’t ignore it but instead learn as much as possible about ourselves, our spending, and what we want our financial goals to be. Having these conversations promotes health and security for all members of the household.

Paul Tripp writes, "Giving isn’t a financial decision—it’s a worship decision." When we give first, we declare that God—not our paycheck—is our provider.

Tithing: A Starting Point, not a Ceiling

Many believers wrestle with the idea of tithing—giving 10% of their income to God’s work. Some ask, "Isn’t that just an Old Testament law?" But Jesus affirmed giving in the New Testament (Luke 11:42), and in reality, the tithe is the starting line, not the finish line. If you’ve fallen out of the practice of giving, tithing is a good place to start.

Giving is meant to be generous, joyful, and sacrificial (2 Corinthians 9:7). Dave Ramsey says, "Giving is the antidote to selfishness. It teaches us contentment and trust." When we prioritize giving, we break the power of materialism over our lives.

Saving: The Other Side of Faithful Stewardship

While giving is vital, saving is also a biblical principle. Proverbs 6:6-8 tells us to "consider the ant"—a tiny creature that stores up for the future. The Bible encourages us to be wise stewards, planning for emergencies and future needs.

A practical first step? Set aside ₹10,000 as an emergency fund. Work towards it slowly. Then, build 3-6 months of living expenses in savings. This isn’t a lack of faith—it’s wisdom. It prevents us from being financially desperate and allows us to be givers, not just receivers, in times of crisis.

I must confess that this is an area I’m still working on. I tend to be an impulsive spender—which can be quite dangerous. Jan is more realistic when it comes to finances. I also love to be generous, but I’ve realized that if I want to give more in the long run, I need to stop spending everything I make.

Generosity Breaks Chains

I’m glad to say that at OpenDoors, we are a generous community. We’ve seen families provide for widows, students sponsor other students, and churches rally around those in need—whether it's the poor or even one of our own. We’ve been able to give towards Manipur Relief, support a Bible College, sponsor students for education, and contribute to slum rehabilitation. This is the heartbeat of the early church in Acts 2:45, where "they sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need."

What if we lived like this? What if our financial strategy was built on kingdom investment instead of personal accumulation? The world says, "Build bigger storehouses." Jesus says, "Lay up treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:19-21). If you want to break the chains of financial fear and future uncertainty, make this statement in worship: "I give because God is my real source—not the economy, not the stock market, not property values, not my company, but God!"

The Challenge: Surrender It All

So today, I want to challenge us to take a radical step: Surrender it all to God.

Will you take that step? Will you trust Him with everything, including your finances?

Giving God’s way leads to a life of freedom, joy, and trust. It’s not about obligation—it’s about opportunity. It’s about being a faithful steward so that when He asks, "What have you done with what I gave you?" (Matthew 25:14-30), we can joyfully say, "Lord, I gave it back to You."

Join Us for a Bible Study on Finances

Starting this month, we are launching a Bible Study specifically on finances, and I expect it to continue for the rest of the year. I want us to understand these principles in a healthy and biblical way and learn how to honor God with our finances.

I invite you to join us every Wednesday on ZOOM for this important teaching.

At OpenDoors, we believe in raising faithful stewards who live with open hands. If you’re struggling with finances or want to grow in generosity, we’d love to walk this journey with you. Reach out to us—we’re in this together.