Give Anyway

“At its best, giving is an act of worship.” — Cornelius J. Dyck
I was a single mother struggling to get by when he was looking for a tax deduction. I still don’t know his name.
It was almost the end of the year, late enough that Christmas spending was not a consideration. The amount was sizable enough for me to ask my pastor–the go-between in this anonymous transaction–whether I should fix my roof or invest in a better car.
“Fix the roof,” he said. So I did. And it stopped raining in my daughters’ closet.
I don’t know how much difference the donation made on that man’s tax return. But the difference for us was enormous. Our home was no longer rotting away.
Twenty-eighteen brings a new tax law, one some experts expect will mean less money going to charity. The tax incentive for gifts like the one I received is reduced.
But all of life is not the bottom line.
Wouldn’t it be great to read headlines next year that said–“Charitable Giving Remains Steady Despite New Tax Law”? Or even better–“Charitable Donations Up even with Limited Deductions”?
Some may reduce their giving in accordance with the revised tax code. May that not be the case for the Church. Now is our chance to shine–to give to glorify Christ–to worship Him. To give to love Christ and others even when there may be nothing to gain for ourselves.
Long before there was such a thing as a tax deduction, God commanded His followers to be givers. We are to give generously. Period.
Now rubber meets road. Who will we be in light of the reduced incentive to give? Will we care more about moms with leaky roofs or our own bottom line?
Next year at this time, those questions will have answers. How the world perceives us going forward will depend on our reply.
“But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You.” — I Chronicles 29: 14 NASB. 
 

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