The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, is full of all sorts of information about us. I saw some figures from it the other day that I thought were interesting. They told us how much of our income was used for “charitable contributions.” In the table below various ranges of income are on the left. The percent given to charity is:<\/p>\n
| zero to $10,000<\/td>\n | 5.5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 10,000 to 19,000<\/td>\n | 3.2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 20,000 to 29,000<\/td>\n | 2.9%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 30,000 to 39,000<\/td>\n | 2.6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 40,000 to 49,000<\/td>\n | 1.8%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n The table is not complete. All levels of income are not included, but there is a disturbing pattern. It seems that many of us who say, “If I had more, I’d give more” find ourselves practicing a lifestyle that says, “When I get more, I keep more.”<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Van James The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, is full of all sorts of information about us. I saw some figures from it the other day that I thought were interesting. They told us how much of our income was used for “charitable contributions.” In the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[194,159],"class_list":["post-57265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-benevolence","tag-giving"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20102,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/learning-the-secret-of-contentment\/","url_meta":{"origin":57265,"position":0},"title":"Learning the Secret of Contentment","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ken Green \u201cNot that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content\u201d (Philippians 4:11, ESV). Do you find contentment to be elusive? Be encouraged. Even the apostle Paul realized being content was something he had to learn. If\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/contentment-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6759,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-lords-supper-with-a-twenty-gallon-cup-how-long-did-you-say-that-would-take\/","url_meta":{"origin":57265,"position":1},"title":"The Lord’s Supper with a Twenty-Gallon Cup — How Long Did You Say that Would Take?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeff Smelser I do not look down on congregations in which saints share one cup in partaking of the Lord\u2019s Supper. When I have occasion to assemble with brethren whose practice is such, I happily share in the one cup. However, there are points to be made from Luke\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7565,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-effect-of-family-instability\/","url_meta":{"origin":57265,"position":2},"title":"The Effect of Family Instability","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: Sydney Briggs, \"Family Instability and Children\u2019s Social Development,\" Child Trends, 7 Aug 2019. \"Family stability can promote positive social behavior in children and adolescents, while instability is associated with social maladjustment, including behaviors such as aggression toward peers, teachers, or parents.\" \"Adolescents whose mothers were married at birth had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16300,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-christians-choose-not-to-pay-an-income-tax\/","url_meta":{"origin":57265,"position":3},"title":"Can Christians choose not to pay an income tax?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Recently, a man teaching a Bible class made the\u00a0comment that \"We as Christians can choose not to pay our income taxes with a clear conscience as it was an unconstitutional act when these taxes were brought into law\" I disagree because\u00a0my understanding is that\u00a0Romans 13\u00a0and \"rendering to Caesar what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17072,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/in-regards-to-my-income-what-are-the-firstfruits-that-i-must-give-to-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":57265,"position":4},"title":"In regards to my income, what are the firstfruits that I must give to God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 18, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can you clarify to me the first fruit I must give unto God in reference to my income? I get paid monthly. What will be my first fruit offering unto God? Answer: \"Firstfruits\" is a concept taught in the Old Testament. While the concept is carried over to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":86029,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/hey-kids-could-you-use-a-little-more-money\/","url_meta":{"origin":57265,"position":5},"title":"Hey Kids, Could You Use a Little More Money?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gary Calton via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 3, September 30, 1990 There's nothing like a little added incentive to get your attention. Everyone would like to make a \"little\" more money to ease the burden of bills. 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