How much do we truly give to the Lord?
If you go to any church, you will hear that we are to give 10% of what we have to the Lord. Are you sure, that is what the Bible says? Let’s do some investigating on this idea and see if what we “think” is really what we should give.
Luke 21.1-6: “And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, as for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
What does it mean to Jesus, in the story above about the “poor widow?” Obviously, Jesus was impressed by the gift she gave, as compared to all the others. So in this context we see the true heart of our Lord and Savior, what HE feels is important and then we are able to make a comparison, into what we feel or “think” we should give.
Mark 12.14-17 “And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.
And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.”
In many cases we seem to miss the mark because we are thinking in one set of circumstances and yet the Lord KNOWS the real circumstance. (As in the story above.) The inquisitors were trying to get a conflicting answer concerning “taxes.” They were endeavoring to trap Jesus by his own answer, yet when HE did answer, they…had no reply! First of all, let’s understand that WE (as in humans) did NOT create this planet or anything else─we have never created a single thing.
Money is the weight that drags mankind down and makes him a slave! It is the single greatest thing to harm mankind in almost every way possible. If you have plenty, then you must work even harder to maintain it, because everyone else in the world wants to take it away from you!
If you have too little of it, no one cares about you, no one wants you around them as if you’re sick and filled with disease or the like. Therefore to live, the poor must work harder or do things that are dangerous, just to survive. So, whether in plenty or in want, who is at the heart of this “money” thing? You guessed it, Satan and his ilk!
In other words, the Lord Jesus told us that “money” is nothing, it’s worthless! Then again, anything that we DO NOT use for the Lord, is worthless. That my friends is the point here! Too often we loose sight of where these things, like money and other stuff, really comes from. Money is made from the pulp of trees and the ink originally came from plants. Who do you think created these? It wasn’t you and me! If this is a truth, according to the Bible, why do people put money on this pedestal and revere it so? Is that not idolatry?
The Lord knows we need to be able to buy food and pay our utilities for our homes. The Bible states that, “A man should work or he should not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). We need clothes, warmth in the winter and cool air in the summer, so on and so forth. Where does it say we should hoard it or use it to demean others, to set ourselves above others? It does not. And as a matter of fact, it should be the other way around.
Somewhere along the way, we have taken the 10% rule and have written it in stone! What if you see someone walking about in freezing weather and no coat? You’re supposed to give that person a coat if you have more than one. There is a difference here. Do you think this would include helping someone out with paying their utilities, if they are struggling? If you say this is a “no-brainer” then maybe you understand…more than you are letting on. It is still a long way from “Doing something about it!” Right?
James 1.16-17: “Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
James 1.22: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
There are many other ways that one can be a help in the work of the Lord, where you can give not only money, but of ourselves as well. Most people will not say anything about needing help, it is their pride, but we know “Pride goeth before a fall” right? Most of the time we need to be vigilant with our “intuitive skills” and then to be ready to fill in the gaps were needed.
2 Corinthians 9.6-8: “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
One other thing we must remember, God expects you and me to be different and to handle things differently. We are different because we belong to HIM, therefore we must do the work of our heavenly Father!
Ecclesiastes 12.13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”