Giving reveals what we really believe about God and money. It’s easy to say we trust God when we’re holding tightly to everything we have. But when we open our hands and release resources we could keep for ourselves, we’re making a statement about where our security actually lies. Giving feels risky when your budget is tight, foolish when you’re worried about tomorrow, and countercultural in a world that screams to accumulate, hoard, and protect what’s yours.
The Bible talks about money more than almost any other topic because Jesus knew that our hearts follow our treasure. Where we invest our resources reveals what we truly value. God doesn’t need our money, but we need the spiritual transformation that happens when we learn to give generously. Biblical giving isn’t about funding God’s work as much as freeing our hearts from greed’s grip and participating in kingdom priorities. It’s worship expressed through open hands, faith demonstrated through generosity, and love made tangible through sacrifice.
These verses challenge the tight-fisted approach to money that our culture celebrates and invite us into the joy and freedom that come from generous, sacrificial, cheerful giving.
Bible Verses About Giving
1. 2 Corinthians 9:7 – God Loves a Cheerful Giver
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
New International Version (NIV)
2. Luke 6:38 – Give, and It Will Be Given to You
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. Proverbs 11:25 – A Generous Person Will Prosper
The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. Acts 20:35 – It Is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive
And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. Malachi 3:10 – Bring the Whole Tithe into the Storehouse
Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the LORD of Armies. “See if I won’t open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. 2 Corinthians 9:6 – Whoever Sows Sparingly Will Also Reap Sparingly
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honor the Lord with Your Wealth
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Matthew 6:19-21 – Store Up Treasures in Heaven
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Proverbs 19:17 – Whoever Is Kind to the Poor Lends to the Lord
Mercy to the needy is a loan to GOD, and GOD pays back those loans in full.
The Message (MSG)
10. 1 Timothy 6:18 – Command Them to Do Good
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Deuteronomy 15:10 – Give Generously to Them
You must by all means lend to him, and you must not be upset by doing it, for because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you attempt.
New English Translation (NET)
12. Proverbs 22:9 – The Generous Will Themselves Be Blessed
A generous person will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. Luke 12:33 – Sell Your Possessions and Give to the Poor
Sell what you have and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that don’t wear out. Save your riches in heaven, where they will be safe. No thief can steal them, and no moth can destroy them.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. Matthew 6:3-4 – When You Give to the Needy
But when you give to the needy, don’t tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. Then your giving will be done secretly. Your Father will see what is done secretly. He will reward you.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
15. 1 Chronicles 29:14 – Everything Comes from You
But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You.
New King James Version (NKJV)
16. 2 Corinthians 8:12 – If the Willingness Is There
For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
New International Version (NIV)
17. Proverbs 28:27 – Those Who Give to the Poor Will Lack Nothing
Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
English Standard Version (ESV)
18. 1 John 3:17 – If Anyone Has Material Possessions
But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
New King James Version (NKJV)
19. Philippians 4:17 – Not That I Desire Your Gifts
I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.
New Living Translation (NLT)
20. Hebrews 13:16 – Do Not Forget to Do Good and to Share
Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
21. Luke 21:3-4 – This Poor Widow Has Put In More
And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
22. Proverbs 21:26 – But the Righteous Give Without Sparing
He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.
King James Version (KJV)
23. 2 Corinthians 9:11 – You Will Be Enriched in Every Way
You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
24. Matthew 10:8 – Freely You Have Received; Freely Give
Give as freely as you have received!
The Message (MSG)
25. Acts 2:45 – They Sold Property and Possessions to Give
And they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as anyone had need.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
26. Deuteronomy 16:17 – Each of You Must Bring a Gift
Every one of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.
New English Translation (NET)
27. 2 Corinthians 8:7 – Excel in This Grace of Giving
Now as you excel in everything—faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us—excel also in this grace of giving.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
28. Proverbs 14:21 – Blessed Is the One Who Is Kind
It’s wrong to hate others, but God blesses everyone who is kind to the poor.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
29. Romans 12:8 – If It Is to Contribute to the Needs of Others
If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
New International Version (NIV)
30. Isaiah 58:10 – If You Spend Yourselves on Behalf of the Hungry
if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
English Standard Version (ESV)
31. 1 Timothy 6:17-18 – Command Them Not to Be Arrogant
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share.
New King James Version (NKJV)
32. Luke 3:11 – Anyone Who Has Two Shirts Should Share
John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
New Living Translation (NLT)
33. 2 Corinthians 8:9 – Though He Was Rich, Yet for Your Sake
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
34. Proverbs 11:24 – One Person Gives Freely
There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
35. Matthew 5:42 – Give to the One Who Asks You
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
King James Version (KJV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Giving
Giving is fundamentally an act of worship and trust. When we give generously, we’re declaring that God is our provider, that His kingdom priorities matter more than our comfort, and that we trust Him to meet our needs. The Bible doesn’t present giving as an optional activity for when we feel financially comfortable but as a core spiritual discipline that shapes our character and breaks greed’s power over our hearts. Generous giving isn’t about earning God’s favor but responding to His lavish generosity toward us.
What challenges me most about biblical giving is how radical it is. The early church sold possessions to meet needs. Jesus praised a widow who gave everything she had. Paul urged believers to excel in the grace of giving. Scripture consistently pushes against our natural tendency to accumulate and hoard, inviting us instead to hold our possessions loosely and give liberally. This isn’t reckless irresponsibility but faith-filled obedience to a God who promises to supply our needs.
The most encouraging truth about giving is that we can’t outgive God. He delights in generous hearts and promises blessings, not necessarily financial prosperity, but the deep satisfaction that comes from participating in His work and experiencing freedom from money’s grip. When we give cheerfully and sacrificially, we discover a joy that no amount of accumulation can provide.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, forgive me for the ways I’ve held my possessions with clenched fists, treating what You’ve given me as if I earned it and deserve to keep it all. Everything I have comes from You, and none of it really belongs to me. Help me to be a faithful steward, not a possessive owner.
Teach me to give generously, cheerfully, and sacrificially. Break the power that money has over my heart. Help me to trust that You will provide for my needs even when I open my hands and give away what I could keep for myself. Give me eyes to see needs around me and a heart that’s moved to respond with practical generosity.
Show me where You want me to give. Lead me to people, ministries, and causes that align with Your kingdom priorities. Help me to give not out of guilt or compulsion but out of joy and gratitude for all You’ve given me. Let my giving be worship, a tangible expression of my trust in You.
Thank You that You gave everything through Jesus. Make me more like Him, generous beyond measure.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Evang. Anabelle Thompson is the founder of Believers Refuge, a Scripture-based resource that helps Christians to find biblical guidance for life’s challenges.
With over 15 years of ministry experience and a decade of dedicated Bible study, she creates content that connects believers with relevant Scripture for their daily struggles.
Her work has reached over 76,000 monthly readers (which is projected to reach 100,000 readers by the end of 2025) seeking practical faith applications, biblical encouragement, and spiritual guidance rooted in God’s Word.
She writes from personal experience, having walked through seasons of waiting, breakthrough, and spiritual growth that inform her teaching.
Evang. Thompson brings 12 years of active ministry and evangelism experience, along with over 10 years of systematic Bible study and theological research.
As a former small group leader and Sunday school teacher, she has published over 200 biblical resources and devotional studies.
She specializes in applying Scripture to everyday life challenges and regularly studies the original Hebrew and Greek texts for a deeper biblical understanding.