When our world isn’t telling us to spend it is telling us to save, save, save. 401Ks, IRAs, saving accounts, college funds, vacation funds, and so on are not just options in our world but expectations. Our concern though as Christians must not be what the world instructs or expects us to do. Instead, our focus must be on what God says to do. While the world is shouting save our Bible calls out saying give, give, give. Not until recently did I realize that never do we see our Bible speak favorably of saving. But oh how the Bible speaks highly of sowing, sharing all we can with those in need.
The Bible makes a point of teaching that sowing is greater than saving. In fact, the verses that speak on saving or those who have saved are unfavorable. They show us the wicked path that is primarily concerned with saving is. All we have stored up in savings can be the very things that keep us from God. Just as the possessions stored up by the rich young man kept him from following Jesus. This is the very same man who caused Jesus to pull back the curtain and reveal that it is hard for a rich man to enter Heaven. A statement that Jesus later corroborated when He spoke of the rich man and Lazarus.
Mark 10:21–22 (ESV)
21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Luke 16:19–26 (ESV)
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
Search through your Bible and you will be hard-pressed to find a verse that instructs you to save. But you won’t be able to help but find countless verses calling you to give. Stretching from the Old Testament to the New we see calls from God to give to those in need. From passages that instruct us to give to all those who ask. To verses that simply remind believers to meet the needs that they see in the world. As well as those that call us to give to the church and our church leaders. It is apparent that God expects His people to be generous. Sowing often from their gain.
Leviticus 25:35–37 (ESV)
35 “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. 36 Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. 37 You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit.
Matthew 5:42 (ESV)
42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Luke 3:11 (ESV)
11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
Proverbs 3:9–10 (ESV)
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Malachi 3:10 (ESV)
10 Bring the full tithe 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 a blessing until there is no more need.
Galatians 6:6 (ESV)
6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.
The Bible itself even compares sowing and saving. Working to teach how much greater sowing is than saving. As we read that the one who gives freely grows richer while the one who withholds suffers want. It also warns of the consequences facing those who chose to not meet the needs they have heard and instead choose to save. Stating clearly that whoever closes their ear to the poor will himself call out and receive nothing. As well as teaching us that those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully. While those who keep a tight hand on what they have sowing sparingly will in turn reap sparingly.
Proverbs 11:24–25 (ESV)
24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
Proverbs 21:13 (ESV)
13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (ESV)
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Often right as we are about to open our hands and start sowing we are overcome with worry. Wondering if we should instead save what we were going to give because we may need it one day. Which is nothing more than a well-devised trick used by the enemy to keep us from doing God’s will. The church has nothing to fear when it comes to giving. As God Promises to support and bless those who are willing to give what they can. Meaning we don’t have to worry about sowing and then not having enough for ourselves or our family. We simply need to trust that God will stay true to His promises. Promises of not only a financial blessing but so much more. An open hand will see God work through it while a closed hand can’t even receive.
Luke 6:38 (ESV)
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Proverbs 22:9 (ESV)
9 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
Psalm 41:1–3 (ESV)
1 Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;
2 the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessed in the land;
you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
3 The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;
in his illness you restore him to full health.
Luke 6:38 (ESV)
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
When we see God’s teaching on giving and begin to sow into this world He takes note. Our giving is not just a great service to our church, community, or world but a service to God Himself. The Bible is clear that as we serve others we are in fact serving the Lord. Meaning when we give to others we are in fact giving to God. Who promises to repay us for such charity. Both in this world and the Heavenly world to come.
Matthew 25:37–40 (ESV)
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Proverbs 19:17 (ESV)
17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.
The truth of the matter is that sowing is really just our Heavenly savings plan. By giving we are exchanging our money and possessions that will one day be gone for something eternal in Heaven. Save all you want in this life but if you never transfer anything to your account in Heaven it won’t matter. No amount of money or possessions on earth will grant you eternal life and peace. Sowing is far greater than saving because it is eternal and shows a deep love for God. While saving is only temporary and shows nothing more than a love of this world. Which we know scripture speaks strongly against.
Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV)
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
1 John 2:15–17 (ESV)
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
It is easy to see how much greater sowing is than saving for the Child of God. The Bible gives us no indication that anything good ever comes from saving. But we can see through the passages above all the blessings that come when we respond to God with an open hand. But there are a few important things to remember when it comes to being generous.
First, it is not about the dollar amount you give. God is not looking for all of us to give hundreds or thousands. Instead, we see a call within scripture to simply give what you can. The poor widow gave the least but was noticed by Jesus because she gave all she could. God isn’t expecting us to show what we don’t have but what we are able to.
2 Corinthians 8:12 (ESV)
12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
Mark 12:41–44 (ESV)
41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
We must also be wise in our giving. God is calling us to meet needs in this world. It is important that through our giving we do not ourselves become one in need. In essence, nullifying our gift as we need to receive the same back from others. The goal isn’t to give everything we have to live on but to simply be willing to share with those who have nothing. Allowing them to better survive, get back on their feet, and allow them to one day help us when the tides turn.
2 Corinthians 8:13–15 (ESV)
13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
Finally, know that even though the Bible speaks of all the blessings God pours out upon those sowing back into this world that is not the reason we give. We should not give in the hope that we will receive more in return. Falling into the false and deceptive idea that we can give fifty dollars and receive a hundred. Having the wrong motives will cause us to receive nothing from God. It is the same as the teaching given by James on prayer. Give because you can and because you know it is what God wants you to do. Not in the hopes you will receive something grand from it that you can spend on worldly lusts.
James 4:3–4 (ESV)
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
This article is not meant to call every Christian to cash out all their saving plans and give them to the poor. If that is what the Lord is leading you to do then do it. But that may not be His desire for everyone. The primary goal of this article is to open our eyes to the fact that the scripture does not call us to save but to give. We must understand that if our primary goal is saving then we are not trusting in God but the world. When we give we show that our trust is in God first, not the possessions or money we have. As Christians, we should be willing to let go and allow God to bless others in need with what we have. Knowing that is nothing more than foolish to trust in money that will only fail us.
1 Timothy 6:17 (ESV)
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
So don’t follow the teaching of this world and put all your emphasis on yourself and saving. Instead, hear the call of our God and begin to sow like never before. Meet the needs you see in this world both foreign and domestic. Give to those in the family of faith as well as the lost. Be a blessing to your local church by meeting needs that extend beyond the basic ten percent. Trust in the Lord to see your sowing and always provide you with exactly what you need. Sowing is far greater than saving. Just open up your hand and see it for yourself.
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