Do You Get An Allowance?

What is an allowance?  The word allowance means money or things you are permitted to have or use.  In our lesson today it means the money that you are given.  An allowance is usually given each week. 

Who gives an allowance to you; your parents or guardian?   Where did they get the money? 

You might say that it belonged to your parents and they gave it to you to use.   Did you know that the money that your parents have is an allowance too?  It was given to them to use, just like they gave money to you.

You might find this confusing.  You might even be thinking, wait a minute, my Daddy or Mommy work for their money and it isn’t an allowance, it belongs to them. 

In the bible God lets us know that EVERYTHING belongs to him.  He allows us to use it.  In other words, money and things are given to us as an allowance from God. 

Hag 2:8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.   

Psa 50:10  Every animal in the forest belongs to me, and so do the cattle on a thousand hills.   Psa 50:11  I know all the birds in the mountains, and every wild creature is in my care.    Psa 50:12  If I were hungry, I wouldn't tell you, because I own the world and everything in it.

Now one of the things that God has commanded us to do with our “allowances” is to give some of it back to be used for the things that are needed. 

You probably noticed that your Mommy and Daddy give some of their allowance back to God on Sundays.  The collection plate is passed to make it easier to follow God’s command.  

1Co 16:2  That is, each Sunday each of you must put aside part of what you have earned. If you do this, you won't have to take up a collection when I come.

Sometimes we expect Mommy or Daddy to give us some extra money or some of their “allowance” to put into the basket.   Shouldn’t you be putting part of your OWN allowance into the collection?  Shouldn’t you be giving some of your allowance back to God?  

The next thing you might ask me is, HOW MUCH?  The bible tells us to “lay by in store.  What does that mean?  Well I don’t know exactly.  My Mommy told me that the Old Testament is often used for helping us to learn.  In the old law God required that his children give at least 10%.  That would be 10 cents from every dollar that you have.  She also said to me that although the New Testament does not tell us exactly, if we use the Old Testament as a guide it might be helpful knowing what the least they had to give, in order  to be pleasing to God.  The bible also tells us that we should be a cheerful giver.  That does not mean to be stingy and selfish with God.   Jesus told the story of the poor Widow.

Luk 21:1  Jesus looked up and saw some rich people tossing their gifts into the offering box.

Luk 21:2  He also saw a poor widow putting in two pennies.

Luk 21:3  And he said, "I tell you that this poor woman has put in more than all the others.

Luk 21:4  Everyone else gave what they didn't need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had."

Everything would be 100%.   The poor widow was not selfish or stingy.  She was a cheerful giver.   She didn’t even keep back money that she might need herself to buy things she wanted.  Would you give up something that you wanted and instead give your whole allowance back to God?   That would take a cheerful giver. 

Remember that the Jesus said, Act 20:35  ... It is more blessed to give than to receive.