How Much Should God's People Give?
In one sense, God's people are to give everything to God (Matthew ; Luke ; ; ). One's loyalty and devotion cannot be shared between God and material possessions (Matthew ). In another sense, we recognize that we really own nothing, that all things belongs to God and we are stewards of them. We may have possessions, but we are not to be possessive (1 Corinthians ). From Acts (-45; -35; ) we conclude that the early Christians did not claim anything as their own, but neither did they sell everything they possessed. They would, from time to time, sell what they did not need to meet the needs of others, as needs arose. Paul makes it clear that people should give only what they have to give (2 Corinthians ), and this according to one's ability and according to what he or she has purposed to give (2 Corinthians 8:3, 10-14).
