Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)

Financially speaking, giving doesn’t make sense, but spiritually and practically speaking, it’s the right thing to do. Here are three good reasons to give:

1. Giving brings financial freedom. When you give, you control your money instead of your money controlling you. Giving enables you to relinquish worldly security and acknowledge your dependence on God (cf. Matthew 6:21, 24). When you depend on God you’ll know financial freedom. “For your Father knows what you need before you ask him” Matthew 6:8. “God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19.

2. Giving brings significant rewards. When you give, God promises to reward you, i.e. you will be better off for doing it (cf. Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:10-12). The rewards may be material, physical, relational, spiritual, or something else. They are usually realised in this life but may be realised in the life to come. After all, God reserves the right to reward you as He sees fit. Whatever the case, give cheerfully and generously, as God has prospered you, and your promised reward is guaranteed. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” Luke 6:38.

3. Giving brings eternal dividends. Gifts to the Lord’s work are credited to an eternal account (cf. Philippians 4:17). When you give, you give up something you cannot keep and gain something you cannot lose. According to the Word, temporal investments are uncertain but eternal investments are both certain and secure. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” Matthew 6:19-20.

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give” Winston Churchill.