Kraft Cheese and Tithing

How much do you give in offerings to your church? I know that’s a loaded question. Here’s why I am asking. Recently a report titled “The State of Church Giving” was released. The report used data from mainline churches across the United States and it noted that financial giving was at its lowest point in 41 years.  Church members were giving about 2.38 percent of their income.

I understand and you do too that times are tough financially. In fact the bad economic situation across our country and even around our world may get worse. But poverty is not an excuse for not giving. In the first century when the apostle Paul wanted to motivate the relatively well off Corinthians to give generously he pointed to the very poor Macedonians. He wrote that the Macedonian’s “great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality (2 Corinthians 8:2).” In other words, troubles plus poverty plus joy in the Lord resulted in gracious, generous giving. It is our joy in the Lord that overcomes troubles and poverty when it comes to our offerings to the Lord (see also Mark 12:41-44).

The standard for giving set in the Old Testament was called a tithe, which means that giving was set at 10 percent of your income. Many times people gave more, much more and this was called a free will offering (Exodus 35:20ff). There is no set amount of giving required in the New Testament. Scripture simply says “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

I know, I know you are all thinking when is he going to tell us about Kraft cheese? The answer is now. All of us have heard of Kraft Foods. Kraft is a huge international company founded by James L. Kraft. But not many of us know the story that began it all. Kraft was sent to Chicago in 1903 by a cheese company in Buffalo, New York to be their representative. But he was soon released from their employment and found himself stranded and alone. He took the little money he had left and bought a horse named “Paddy” and a wagon and began to sell cheese. But it didn’t go well at all.

After one very unsuccessful day Kraft had a conversation with Paddy. He remarked to his horse that he needed a business partner. Being raised in a faithful Christian family Kraft realized that he needed to reorganize his priorities. He needed to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33) and then all that he needed would be provided. So he decided to give 25% of his personal profits to the Lord in his offerings. Things turned around in a very big way for James Kraft. And he gave 25% and more of his own personal profits to the church for the rest of his life. Later in life he made this statement: “The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord.”

Now it would be good to find yourself prospering like Kraft did for your generosity. And the Bible says that we can (Proverbs 3:9, 10). But our first reason to give must be worship! The Bible says that “the tithe” was to be given so “that you may learn to fear the LORD (Numbers 14:23). Financial giving to the church shows that we honor God and that we trust Him to meet all of our needs, spiritually and materially. Therefore giving at church is not just a time when the offering plate is passed and we put in our two bits; it is an act of worship or it should be.

When we receive the offering in our church we use a cornucopia like the one pictured above. We do this for two reasons: our abundance towards God and God’s abundance towards us. The divine promise is that as you give with a cheerful heart “God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that you, always having sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). Don’t let the economy dictate how you honor God with your finances. Do I hear Paddy neighing in agreement in the background?