During challenging economic times, studies show that God’s people don’t really flinch and continue to “give,” oftentimes more than they were giving. I think people, in general, begin to realize how quickly “it” can come and go and the right thing to do is to make sure that percentage giving to God’s work is in place. It’s really simple: God will really move on your behalf when He sees that you are a giver.
Historically, charitable giving overall has not declined much during hard economic times. That’s the finding from Giving USA Foundation, which in September released a report that looks at the trends over the past 40 years, including several periods of recession.
“While charitable giving is impacted by recessions and/or economic slowdowns, it’s not by … as much as one might expect,” said George Ruotolo Jr., chair of the Giving Institute, on releasing the study. During recessions since 1967, total giving has dropped by an average rate of 1 percent, and individual giving declined by 1.5 percent, adjusted for inflation.
Stay the course, trust God, and make sure your generosity is a part of God’s movement. Your eternal investment is the only thing that will outlive you and will live on. Your return will always be great and you never suffer a loss. Your stocks, bonds, securities, and 401(k)’s are for you and yours right now and they are volatile, however, they don’t decide your success in life. At the end of this life, what really matters is not what you had, but what you gave away! God’s dream for you is not determined by our national economic condition. He works on a different agenda. Be encouraged!
