Why Give to Jehovah?
AS THE sun blazed down on the small Sidonian town of Zarephath, a widow stooped to gather up sticks. She needed to build a fire so that she could cook a meager meal—probably the last meal that she and her young son would eat. She had struggled to keep herself and her boy alive through a long drought and famine, and it had all come to this miserable end. They were starving.
A man approached. His name was Elijah, and the widow soon saw that he was a prophet of Jehovah. It seems that she had heard of this God. Jehovah was different from Baal, whose cruel, perverse worship was prevalent in her land of Sidon. So when Elijah asked her for a drink of water, she was eager to help. Perhaps she felt that doing so would gain her favor with Jehovah. (Matthew 10:41, 42) But then Elijah asked for more—a bit of food. She explained that she had only enough food for one last meal. Yet, Elijah persisted, assuring her that Jehovah would provide food miraculously for her until the drought was over. What did she do? The Bible says: “So she went and did according to Elijah’s word.” (1 Kings 17:10-15) These simple words describe a deed of great faith—so great, in fact, that Jesus Christ praised that widow almost a thousand years later!—Luke 4:25, 26.
Even so, it may seem odd that Jehovah would ask so much from a woman who had so little. This is particularly so when we consider a prayer once offered by a very prominent man. King David’s collecting of contributions for his son Solomon to use in the construction of the temple prompted great generosity. In modern terms, the gifts contributed were worth billions of dollars! David, though, said in prayer to Jehovah: “Who am I and who are my people, that we should retain power to make voluntary offerings like this? For everything is from you, and out of your own hand we have given to you.” (1 Chronicles 29:14) As David said, everything belongs to Jehovah. So whenever we give in order to advance pure worship, we are simply rendering to Jehovah what is already his. (Psalm 50:10) Thus, the question arises, Why does Jehovah want us to give in the first place?
A Vital Part of True Worship
The simplest answer is that from early times Jehovah has made giving a vital part of pure worship. The faithful man Abel sacrificed some of his precious livestock to Jehovah. The patriarchs Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job made similar offerings.—Genesis 4:4; 8:20; 12:7; 26:25; 31:54; Job 1:5.
The Mosaic Law mandated and even regulated the giving of contributions to Jehovah. For example, all Israelites were commanded to tithe, or donate a tenth part of the land’s produce and of the increase in their livestock. (Numbers 18:25-28) Other contributions were not so closely regulated. For instance, each Israelite was required to give Jehovah the firstfruits of his livestock and produce. (Exodus 22:29, 30; 23:19) Yet, the Law left it to each individual to determine how much of his firstfruits to give, as long as he gave of the best. The Law also provided for thanksgiving and vow offerings, which were entirely voluntary. (Leviticus 7:15, 16) Jehovah encouraged his people to give in proportion to the way he had blessed them. (Deuteronomy 16:17) As it had been with the building of the tabernacle and later the temple, each one gave what his heart impelled him to give. (Exodus 35:21; 1 Chronicles 29:9) Surely such voluntary contributions were most pleasing to Jehovah!
Under “the law of the Christ,” all giving was to be voluntary. (Galatians 6:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7) That did not mean that followers of Christ stopped giving or that they gave less. On the contrary! As Jesus and his apostles preached in Israel, a group of women followed them and ministered to them out of their own belongings. (Luke 8:1-3) The apostle Paul likewise received gifts that supported his missionary work, and he in turn encouraged some congregations to give funds to others in cases of need. (2 Corinthians 8:14; Philippians 1:3-5) The governing body in Jerusalem assigned responsible men to make sure that contributed resources were distributed to the needy. (Acts 6:2-4) Clearly, the early Christians saw it as a privilege to support pure worship in such ways.
Still, we may wonder just why Jehovah makes giving a part of his worship. Consider four reasons.
Why We Give
First, Jehovah makes giving a part of true worship because doing so is good for us. It underlines our appreciation of God’s goodness. For example, if a child buys or makes a gift for a parent, why does the parent beam with pleasure? Does the gift meet some dire need that the parent could not have met otherwise? Probably not. Rather, the parent is delighted to see the child develop an appreciative and giving spirit. For similar reasons Jehovah encourages us to give and is delighted when we do. This is how we show him that we really appreciate all his boundless kindness and his generosity to us. He is the giver of “every good gift and every perfect present,” so we will never run out of reasons to thank him. (James 1:17) Above all, Jehovah gave his own beloved Son, allowing him to die so that we might live forever. (John 3:16) Could we ever thank him enough?
Second, if we make a habit of giving, we thereby learn to imitate Jehovah and his Son, Jesus Christ, in a most important respect. Jehovah is consistently giving, constantly generous. As the Bible says, he bestows upon us “life and breath and all things.” (Acts 17:25) We may rightly thank him for every breath we draw, every bite of food we enjoy, every happy and fulfilling moment in life. (Acts 14:17) Jesus, like his Father, showed a giving spirit. He gave unstintingly of himself. Did you know that when Jesus performed miracles, he did so at a cost to himself? More than once the Scriptures tell us that when he cured sick people, power ‘went out of him.’ (Luke 6:19; 8:45, 46) Jesus was so generous that he even poured out his own soul, his life, to the very death.—Isaiah 53:12.
So when we give, whether of our time, our energy, or our possessions, we imitate Jehovah and make his heart rejoice. (Proverbs 27:11; Ephesians 5:1) We also follow the perfect model for human conduct that was left for us by Jesus Christ.—1 Peter 2:21.
Third, giving meets real and important needs. True, Jehovah could easily meet the needs of Kingdom interests without our help, just as he could arrange to have the stones cry out instead of using us to preach the word. (Luke 19:40) But he has chosen to dignify us with these privileges. So when we give of our resources to advance Kingdom interests, we have the great satisfaction of knowing that we are playing a real part in the most important work going on in this world.—Matthew 24:14.
It hardly needs to be said that money is required to finance the worldwide work of Jehovah’s Witnesses. During the 1995 service year, the Society spent nearly $60 million just on caring for special pioneers, missionaries, and traveling overseers in their field service assignments. However, that is a relatively small expense compared with the construction and operation of branch offices and printing facilities around the world. Yet, all of it is made possible by voluntary contributions!
Jehovah’s people do not generally assume that if they are not well-off themselves, they may simply let others carry the load. Such an attitude could lead us to miss out on this aspect of our worship. According to the apostle Paul, the Christians in Macedonia were suffering from “deep poverty.” Still, they begged for the privilege of giving. And what they gave, Paul testified, was “beyond their actual ability”!—2 Corinthians 8:1-4.
Fourth, Jehovah has made giving a part of true worship because giving will help us to be happy. Jesus himself said: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.” (Acts 20:35) That is how Jehovah designed us. It is yet another reason why we may feel that no matter how much we give to him, we could never match the appreciation we feel for him in our hearts. Happily, though, Jehovah does not expect more of us than we can give. We can be confident that he is delighted when we joyously give what we can!—2 Corinthians 8:12; 9:7.
Blessings Result From Showing a Giving Spirit
To return to our earlier example, imagine that the widow of Zarephath had rationalized that someone else could take care of Elijah’s need for a meal. What a blessing she would then have missed!
There is no question that Jehovah blesses those who show a giving spirit. (Proverbs 11:25) The widow of Zarephath did not have to suffer for giving up what she thought was her last meal. Jehovah rewarded her with a miracle. As Elijah had promised, her containers of flour and of oil were not exhausted until the drought had passed. But she received an even greater reward. When her son fell sick and died, Elijah, the man of the true God, restored him to her. How that must have built her up spiritually!—1 Kings 17:16-24.
Today we do not expect to be blessed with miracles. (1 Corinthians 13:8) But Jehovah does assure us that he will sustain those who serve him whole-souled. (Matthew 6:33) So we can be like the widow of Zarephath in that respect, giving freely, confident that Jehovah will care for us. Likewise, we can enjoy great spiritual rewards. If our giving is part of a regular routine, rather than a sporadic, spur-of-the-moment affair, it will help us to keep our eye simple and focused on Kingdom interests, as Jesus recommended. (Luke 11:34; compare 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2.) It will also help us to feel closer to Jehovah and Jesus as their fellow workers. (1 Corinthians 3:9) And it will add to the generous, giving spirit that already marks Jehovah’s worshipers worldwide.
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WAYS IN WHICH SOME CHOOSE TO GIVE
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLDWIDE WORK
Many set aside or budget an amount that they place in the contribution boxes labeled: “Contributions for the Society’s Worldwide Work—Matthew 24:14.” Each month congregations forward these amounts either to the world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, or to the local branch office.
Voluntary donations of money may also be sent directly to the Treasurer’s Office, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, New York 11201-2483, or to the Society’s office that serves your country. Jewelry or other valuables may be donated as well. A brief letter stating that such is an outright gift should accompany these contributions.
CONDITIONAL-DONATION ARRANGEMENT
Money may be given to the Watch Tower Society to be held in trust until the donor’s death, with the provision that in the case of personal need, it will be returned to the donor. For more information, please contact the Treasurer’s Office at the address noted above.
PLANNED GIVING
In addition to outright gifts of money and conditional donations of money, there are other methods of giving to benefit Kingdom service worldwide. These include:
Insurance: The Watch Tower Society may be named as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or in a retirement/pension plan. The Society should be informed of any such arrangement.
Bank Accounts: Bank accounts, certificates of deposit, or individual retirement accounts may be placed in trust for or made payable on death to the Watch Tower Society, in accord with local bank requirements. The Society should be informed of any such arrangements.
Stocks and Bonds: Stocks and bonds may be donated to the Watch Tower Society either as an outright gift or under an arrangement whereby the income continues to be paid to the donor.
Real Estate: Salable real estate may be donated to the Watch Tower Society either by making an outright gift or by reserving a life estate to the donor, who can continue to live therein during his or her lifetime. One should contact the Society before deeding any real estate to the Society.
Wills and Trusts: Property or money may be bequeathed to the Watch Tower Society by means of a legally executed will, or the Society may be named as a beneficiary of a trust agreement. A trust benefiting a religious organization may provide certain tax advantages. A copy of the will or trust agreement should be sent to the Society.
Those interested in any of these planned giving arrangements should contact the Planned Giving Desk at the address listed below or the Society’s office that serves your country. The Planned Giving Desk should receive a copy of relevant documents pertaining to any of these arrangements.
The Society has prepared an English-language brochure entitled Planned Giving. Those in the United States who are planning to make a special gift to the Society now or to leave a bequest at death may find this information helpful. That is especially true if they wish to accomplish some family goal or estate-planning objective while using tax benefits to minimize the cost of the gift or bequest. The brochure is available upon request, whether in writing or by telephone.
PLANNED GIVING DESK
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
100 Watchtower Drive, Patterson, New York 12563-9204
Telephone: (914) 878-7000