Sadly, sometimes older Christians fail to explain the basics of Christianity under the assumption that everyone already knows this. As a result, some Christians don't learn or catch on to these basics for a long time into their walk with Christ. This in mind I want to take this opportunity to teach a staple in Christian living that you don't often hear taught in church. Partly because of the assumption that everyone already knows and partly because it is a controversial topic. I daresay money is one of the most controversial topics in our faith.
Most people are okay until you approach the topic of what's in their wallet (and I'm not talking about All State insurance). Most of us have the audacity to believe that what we earn is for us and our purposes. What I do with my money is no one else's business. But that mentality is wrong. When you give your life to Christ you give Him everything. You don't have a right to hold back your pocketbook. May I remind you that He is the one who gave you everything you have, including your money. He gives and He takes as He sees fit. It already belongs to Him so who are we to try and hold back what is rightfully His?
Job 1:21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (ESV)
Mark 12:13-17 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him. (NIV)
That all being said, there are a few things Jesus asks us to do with our money. The first one is tithing. Tithe is translated to "tenth." God asks us to give a tenth of everything we earn to the home church He has placed you in. That doesn't mean a tenth of what we have left after bills, taxes, and unexpected expenses. It comes straight from what you have earned. God doesn't want our leftovers, but the "first fruits" of everything we do.
In the old testament they would place an offering of ten percent of everything they produced. And God was explicit in telling them that they were not to offer up the wheat and calves that were the worst off of the produce, but to offer up the very best to Him. I believe He has the same attitude towards us now.
Numbers 18:28-29 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’ (NIV)
Leviticus 27:30 Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord. (ESV)
When you give to God, He will give to you and bless you more. Give to Him out of abundance and give to Him out of poverty. Give to Him with a cheerful and thankful heart. Don't hold anything back from Him and He won't hold any blessings back from you. Interestingly enough it is the only place in the Bible that tells us to test God in this area. Test Him and see that He is not faithful to bless you when you are faithful with your tithes and giving to Him.
Malachi 3:6-10 For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. (ESV)
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (ESV)
Luke 6:38 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. (ESV)
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce (ESV)
Most people are okay until you approach the topic of what's in their wallet (and I'm not talking about All State insurance). Most of us have the audacity to believe that what we earn is for us and our purposes. What I do with my money is no one else's business. But that mentality is wrong. When you give your life to Christ you give Him everything. You don't have a right to hold back your pocketbook. May I remind you that He is the one who gave you everything you have, including your money. He gives and He takes as He sees fit. It already belongs to Him so who are we to try and hold back what is rightfully His?
Job 1:21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (ESV)
Mark 12:13-17 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him. (NIV)
That all being said, there are a few things Jesus asks us to do with our money. The first one is tithing. Tithe is translated to "tenth." God asks us to give a tenth of everything we earn to the home church He has placed you in. That doesn't mean a tenth of what we have left after bills, taxes, and unexpected expenses. It comes straight from what you have earned. God doesn't want our leftovers, but the "first fruits" of everything we do.
In the old testament they would place an offering of ten percent of everything they produced. And God was explicit in telling them that they were not to offer up the wheat and calves that were the worst off of the produce, but to offer up the very best to Him. I believe He has the same attitude towards us now.
Numbers 18:28-29 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’ (NIV)
Leviticus 27:30 Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord. (ESV)
When you give to God, He will give to you and bless you more. Give to Him out of abundance and give to Him out of poverty. Give to Him with a cheerful and thankful heart. Don't hold anything back from Him and He won't hold any blessings back from you. Interestingly enough it is the only place in the Bible that tells us to test God in this area. Test Him and see that He is not faithful to bless you when you are faithful with your tithes and giving to Him.
Malachi 3:6-10 For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. (ESV)
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (ESV)
Luke 6:38 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. (ESV)
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce (ESV)
Mark 12:41-44 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (ESV)
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