Bible Tools

		Score:
1.	“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money” (Ecc 5:10).	+1 if this describes you
2.	“Sweet is the sleep of the labourer, whether he eats little or much; but the surfeit of the rich will not let him sleep” (Ecc 5:12).	-1 if you’re the labourer +1 if you’re the rich man
3.	“Behold this was the guilt of your sister Sodom; she and her daughters had pride, surfeit of food … but did not aid the poor … did abominable things … therefore I removed them” (Ezk 16:49-50).	+1 if you have a lot but do not help the needy
4.	“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you” (Jam 5:1).	+1 if you worry about your wealth a
5.	“For the love of money is the root of all evil; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs. But as for you, man of god shun all this;” (1Tim 6:10-11).	+2 if the first part describes you -2 if you’re the man of God
6.	“ ‘Take heed, and beware all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’ ” (Lk 12:15).	+1 if you covet -1 if you do not covet
7.	“Do not be deceived … idolators … nor the greedy … nor robbers … will inherit the kingdom of God” (1Cor 6:9-10).	+2 if you do this to attain wealth
8.	“Will man rob God? … ‘How are we robbing thee?’ … In your tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse … Bring the full tithes into the store house …” (Mal 3:8-10).	-1 if you bring your full tithe to the church +1 if you rob God (give little or nothing to his church)
9.	“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you … evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On the account of these the wrath of God is coming” (Col 3:5-6).	-1 if you have done this in your walk with God
10.	“Now the works of the flesh are plain … idolatry … selfishness … envy … and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherirt the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:19-21).	+2 if this describes you
11.	“Then he (Jesus) will say to those at his left hand ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink’ … ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty … and did not minister to thee?’ … ‘as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment …” (Mat 25:41-46).	+6 if this describes you

(Source: Revised Standard Version – 1952)

Is your score greater than +5? If so, perhaps it’s time to perform a more thorough ‘self-diagnostic’. Why not read on to see what Canadians think about charitable giving.

According to the Y2000 ‘National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating’ we can list the following basic facts about Canadians’ charitable giving:

91% made financial or in-kind donations (a 3% increase since 1997)
78% made financial donations of $4.94B (an 11% increase over 1997)
$259 was the average annual donation (vs. $239 in 1997)
47% of all donation dollar equivalents came from 5% of donors (average giving among this group > $1088)
49% of all donation dollar equivalents went to religious organizations

(Source: www.givingandvolunteering.ca)

A quick review of these facts suggests that the majority of Canadians engage in charitable giving and that this number is growing. Additionally, the amount given is also increasing. Surprisingly, the lion’s share of these donations go to various religious organizations.

There also appears to be a core of people (5%) who give seriously. It is uncertain, however, whether these people give out of their ‘abundance’ or whether they truly stretch themselves to do so. (Mark 12:41-44). We do know, however, that the ability to contribute and give aid is a gift from God (Rom 12:4-8).
What does the Bible have to say about charitable giving? Why not take the ‘charity’ test shown below and rate yourself as suggested?

		Score:
1.	“ ‘ love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High’ ” (Lk 6:35).	+1 if this describes you
2.	“I coveted no one’s silver or gold … these hands ministered to my necessities … In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:33-35).	+1 if this describes you
3.	“Honor the Lord … with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty …” (Prov3:9-10).	+1 if this describes you
4.	“One man gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want” (Prov11:24).	+1 if you give -1 if you withhold
5.	“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinners wealth is laid up for the righteous” (Prov 13:22).	+1 if you are the good man
6.	“He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed” (Prov 19:17).	+1 if this describes you
7.	“He who closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard” ( Prov21:13).	-1 if this describes you
8.	“He who oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to want” (Prov 22:16).	-1 if this describes you
9.	“He who augments his wealth by interest and increase gathers it for him who is kind to the poor (Prov 28:8).	-1 if this describes you
10.	“ ‘ … when you give alms, sound no trumpet … do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father … will reward you.’ ” (Mat 6:2-4).	+1 if this describes you
11.	“ ‘ … 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.’” (Mat 6:20-21).	+1 if this describes you
12.	“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control … And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal5:22-24).	+1 if this describes you
13.	“ ‘Then the King will say to those at his right hand … inherit the kingdom … for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink … Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’” (Mat 25:34-40).	+6 if this describes you

(Source: Revised Standard Version – 1952)

Is your charitable factor greater than +5? If so, good for you. If not – well, read on. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus provides an eye witness account concerning the fate of the rich man in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Regardless of whether you believe this story to be historical or allegorical (and this point has been hotly debated over the centuries), one of the lessons of this account is that self-absorption and lack of concern for your fellow man is not approved of by God. This is one of the reasons why the rich man found himself in torment in Hades (not hell) while Lazarus (formerly oppressed) was comforted by Abraham.

Another story which Jesus told was the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21). In this account, a man spends most of his time accumulating more and more, believing that some day he will sit back and enjoy it all. Unfortunately that day never comes and his possessions are left to another.

Contrast Jesus’ disapproving attitude towards the rich man and rich fool, with His praise for the widow who gave all that she had – 2 copper coins – to the treasury (Mark 12: 41-44). This story squares entirely with the blessing of life bestowed on another widow, who gave all that she had – her last meal – to the prophet Elijah (1Kings 17:8-24).

So what do I conclude from all of this? Charity is God’s way. Another man said it differently: God’s way is the way of give, not get. The Bible says it this way:

“ … he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance…” (2Cor 9:6-8).

“ ‘Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back’ ” (Lk 6:38).

“ ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ “ (Acts 20:35).

And so, on the issue of giving, God is asking us a question which requires an honest answer – who do you say that you are?