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If you want to be a generous person, how much of your income should you give? Often Christians say 10% – a tithe— is what we should give, and that’s a good place to start. But a study shows that only about 25% of Christians in the United States give that much.
This is what C. S. Lewis had to say about how much we should give:
I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusement, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our giving does not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say it is too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our commitment to giving excludes them.
I don’t know about you, but that convicts me. How often have I denied myself something in order to give to others? Probably not often. But I think we should give this careful thought and prayer. Lewis points out that there’s no one answer for everyone, but the standard should be: Give more than you think you can.
When you decide that you want a different attitude toward generosity and in obedience to Christ you want to take it to the next level, you are in for unexpected joys. Even if you approach this new attitude with some caution, maybe even some fear you might overdo it, I am confident you will never regret the new adventure of deciding to give, even to the point of giving sacrificially.
I challenge you, as I do myself, to make a decision to give more than you’re giving now. Discover this true joy of generosity. Maybe you can deny yourself that expensive coffee you buy everyday, and give that money to the Lord. Or shop a little more carefully at the grocery store or deny yourself that new outfit. I simply remind you of what Jesus said, you will be blessed more than you can imagine when you tune your heart to be generous.