Why I Give

I give a minimum of 10% of my pre-tax income to Verve, and I thought I’d share a few of the reasons:

(1) God commands it. Really, this is reason enough. In the Old Testament God told us to give ten percent of all we bring in back to Him. In the New Testament Jesus talks more about money than just about anything else. I want to live my life for God and do whatever He asks, and so giving generously is actually something that gets me excited.

(2) There’s nothing more important I can do with my money than support the mission of our church. The money I spend on me tends to be on temporary, inconsequential items. But when I give to Verve it goes to changing lives. And that has eternal significance. Every time I hear about a life that’s been impacted at Verve, I know that my giving contributed to that.

(3) To be an example to my kids. I want my kids to live for God. I want them to obey Him. I want them to be generous. And I can’t expect any of that unless I set that example. Some people may argue that kids don’t know how much their parents give, but I think kids know more than we realize. And either way, I want to be the kind of person I want my kids to become.