Jesus told us to keep our financial gifts private and not to announce to everyone what we are giving (Mathew 6:1-4). He likened guarding the secret of how much we give to keeping our right hand knowing what our left hand is doing. Since our right and left hand work together to accomplish most tasks, this could prove to be daunting. So does this secrecy mean we should put our offering in the offering basket at church without a corresponding envelope with our name and address?
You could do it that way, but then it will be difficult to explain to the IRS where your money went. If you fill out the envelope the church will keep a record of your giving for you. You then can report it on your tax return which allows exceptions for charitable giving. This will increase the likelihood of a tax return. You can then pay tithes on your tax return and thereby give even more money to God.
