Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights."
— James 1:17
God is the source of everything. By His word creation came into being. He has given us the breath in our lungs and the heartbeat in our chest. It is by His grace we have the gifts, the talents, the ability and energy to go to work and earn an income.
Spiritually speaking, money and possessions is something everyone seems to struggle with. Two thirds of our Lord's parables address man's issues with money and possessions. There are more verses in the Bible concerning money and possessions than prayer!
Jesus knows we struggle with fears concerning money and possessions. He speaks directly to this anxiety with words of profound peace:
"Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! … do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well."
— Luke 12:22–32
Because of our fears we tend to store up things. One of the most important sentences in the New Testament, when it comes to our hearts, our souls, and money, is this:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
— Matthew 6:19–21
For where our treasure is, our heart will be there also. This is something that is very important for us to understand. Our Lord is telling us the eternal truth that our heart is anchored in our wallets. There is a great chain that connects our heart, our soul, to money and things. Our hearts and our souls are tethered to our possessions.
But there is another truth that sets us free — God is a giving God:
"God so loved the world that He gave his only Son…"
— John 3:16
Giving is what God does. To give is to act like God. Giving is holy.
The biblical model — the model established by God in the Church for giving — is the tithe. Tithing is a form of proportional giving: a 10% portion of our income, offered back to God through the Church.
Proportional giving is dedicating our heart to God through our wallet. Because our heart is tethered to our wallet, proportional giving is a necessary spiritual discipline. It loosens the chain that ties our heart to this world and re-anchors it in heaven.
In the Church, money is not about money. It is always about faith — our faith in God who created all things and has entrusted them to us.
Our hearts are tethered to our treasure. Tithing deliberately moves that anchor from the things of this world to the Kingdom of heaven.
God gave His only Son. Giving is what God does. When we give freely and generously, we imitate the divine nature and participate in His love.
God challenges us to test Him in giving. He promises to open the windows of heaven and pour down an overflowing blessing on those who tithe.
The only place in the Bible where God says to test Him is in the area of giving to His storehouse, the Church. This testing that God challenges us to do helps us overcome our fears when it comes to giving:
"Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house; and thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing."
— Malachi 3:10
God invites you to test Him to help you overcome your fears. He wants to open the windows of heaven and bless us.
In the Church, money is not about money. Money is a spiritual issue. It is always about faith — our faith in God who created all of creation and owns everything, and who has entrusted it to us. He gives us an income and asks us to tithe it to the Church, to support the work of the Church in the world.
If you are not a proportional giver, if you do not tithe, we invite you to move the anchor of your heart from this world, trust God, and set the anchor in heaven.
A pledge is a prayerful commitment to support the parish through regular giving. Take the first step — sign the pledge and trust God to open the windows of heaven.
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