Money and possessions, often perceived as the blessings of life, have tied more people in knots, caused more ulcers, and sent more people to the psychiatrist than we’ll ever know. This is largely because those ruled by the checkbook find it easy to act as if God does not exist. Not having enough money to meet their “needs,” they become tense and anxious, tied in knots by their lack of faith. If they look to God at all, they see God through the wrong end of the telescope.
Giving a meaningful percentage of one’s income to the church is not a cure-all, but it is a step in the right direction because it helps a person develop a proper perspective and ultimately frees them from the shackles of faithless fear. Sacrificial giving is an acknowledgement that God is alive and at the very center of our lives. It helps us recognize that all our money, ability, our very lives, belong to God. These things are trusts from God, to be used as God would have them used. This results in an indescribable freedom that can never come to the people who think they must do everything for themselves.
The wrong attitude toward money and possessions can quickly lock our spirits in a prison of our own making, but the right attitude can free us just as quickly. This attitude will come through worship, prayer and an act that will prove to yourself that you really believe God is at the center of your life. Sacrificial giving could be that act; an act of faith in which you will find a new dimension of freedom!