Most Christians are really good at saying “Yes, all I have is His,” and what we are saying (or what we pretend to be saying) is that our “things” and our money ultimately belong to God.
We make grand gestures about it all belonging to Him. We talk about the fact that our earthly possessions are just that…earthly. We nod our head in conversation with other believers about our financial responsibilities. We use words like “tithe”, “give”, and “steward.”
But when do we really give? And how generous is this so-called giving? Does it make us uncomfortable when we fill out the check or do we not give it a second thought? Do we tithe our 10% consistently? Or forget that, do we tithe above and beyond that 10%? Do we tithe even when our rent or mortgage is late and our fridge is empty?
Is our cash ours or is it really Jesus’?
Because as much as we pretend, often times, the discussion of money makes us uncomfortable, for different reasons. As much as money can be burdensome or annoying to talk about, Jesus sure has a lot to say on the subject.
I’m sure many of us have heard the statistic, that Jesus actually mentioned money more times than love. He warned us about financial temptation and trappings more than He spoke to us about loving one another.
Why? I’d say it’s because He was (and is) a smart guy. He was no fool to the things that would attempt to drag us down, distract us, and delude us.
Heck, Satan in all his craftiness offered Jesus, you guessed it…money. He tempted Jesus, the King of all Kings, with cash. There must be something there.
But when it comes down to it, if Jesus knew we would be susceptible to the trappings of money, how are we responding? Are we currently allowing Him to have rule and reign of our finances? And what does that even look like?
I will be the first to admit that I hate money. I mean, I love money, but I really hate dealing with and having to be responsible with money.
However, I find that ackowledging that it is all His in the first place, makes it easier for me to let go of my desire for “stuff” or “things.” But that is not to say that I am good with money. I have an aversion to discussing finances.
More than that, I admit too, that I don’t give as generously or as freely as I’d like. I certainly don’t ask God on a regular basis where He would have me give. I tend to take the safe route.
I tithe and give an extra 10% or so on top of that. That feels safe, but responsible. Yet, i know God does not want me to feel safe and responsible with His money. No, He’s not asking for me to be reckless or irresponsible, but He is wanting me to be daring, full of faith, and extravagant.
Our God is extravagant. he holds nothing back from us. I wonder if we did the same in our finances how that could change the culture…
Fabulous post. You are correct in that Jesus covered the topic, a lot. I had always tried to keep a loose grip on my “stuff” and be mindful of needs that needed to be met. However, when we moved into the mission field our perspectives changed.
We are independent missionaries. We are not on a salary from a mission organization. We live totally from the donations that people who believe in our work send us. This changed our thinking on giving. The sad thing is that at times we are a little scared to give while encouraging donors to be free with theirs.
The other thing that changed our views is in the culture where we moved if you are complimented on something many times you are expected to give that item to the complimentor.
As well as we saw people who had nothing, literally, pick wild fruit from the trees near their home so they could bring us a gift of friendship. Humbling to say the least.
This is a “die daily” thing for me to be a biblical giver.
This is great.
It needs to be talked about more. Sometimes the best acting Christians are also the best tippers in the offering plate. I’m inspired by your 20%. My wife and I give close to 15%. We do some other things like sponsor children.
We also recently cancelled our television services and sold a car. We want to be able to do all that God desires us to do to bring Him glory.
Hi Nicole,
Thought provoking post here.
I suspect that Jesus said to give in secret, not letting anyone know how much, is that He did not want to me to be embarrassed when people found out how little I give.
John