Giving: A Humble Plea to the Western Christian

Chapter 12: History’s Greatest Investment

Imagine that you open up the mail and there is a tax free check for $30,000. For a second, let's assume it’s not a scam, so you go to the bank and cash it. You decide you're going to go to your favorite dealership and buy a brand spanking new car with $30,000 ... in cash. Sweet. You find the one that you want with all the features that you desire. The salesman is so excited, and says that he'll have it detailed and delivered to you later in the day. So awesome.

Later that day there's a knock at the door. You open it up and there stands the salesperson with a box. He opens it up and shows you what's inside:  a spare tire, an emergency brake, one of the rear view mirrors and both rear brake lights. Oh, and something that looks like brake fluid covering the bottom of the box.

"What's this?  I ordered that car I test drove with all the features and the cool sound system. What's going on here?", you say.

"Well," the salesman responds, "I know you bought the whole car, features and all, but this is all I'm willing to give you."

What do you think? Pretty good deal, huh? 

Of course not. 

You paid for the entire car. You should get the entire car, right?

Now let me switch gears on you (no pun intended) ...

Jesus paid for us on the cross. He bought us, lock-stock-and-barrel, and we said - and continue to say, "Jesus is my Lord and Savior".  But let's be honest. Do we give him our whole self, or just the spare parts and pieces that we're comfortable with giving to Him?  Heck, the parts we give him most of the time aren't even shiny new OEM parts. They're parts we picked up from the junkyard and offer back to Him with a straight face.

We go to church on Sunday, we read the Bible (on occasion), we might give once a year to some select charity. Maybe we even give a full tithe (10%).  But we really believe that by giving it all up to Him that we'll be losing something. We're that deluded by our culture, by this world. God promises that the more we give of ourselves to Him, the more He will give Himself to us.

That, my brothers and sisters, is one incredible trade-in. So, why do we resist and hang tightly onto our spare parts? Let go, and let God do His thing.

Anecdote compliments of Pastor Greg Laurie.

So, What's the Best Possible Investment? 

My company offers up a matching program for any money I contribute to my 401k. Pretty sweet. They also offer up an employee stock ownership program that, if I invest, I buy in at 15% below the 52-week low. Double sweet. And the stock is doing pretty well, I must say.

I have a rental house that does well too. A little bit of cash flow, but the big deal is someone else is paying down my mortgage for me. In essence, I have that house for free and it's getting more valuable every day.

So, what is my point? 

None of the above is the best possible investment.

Any investment takes trust in the promise of a healthy return on investment. If we are fiduciarily responsible, we will put our money - as well as our time and abilities - into what will gain us the highest yield.

So what is the greatest investment with the highest yield?

For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also. (Matthew 6:21)

I think you know the answer. Reinvest the capital that has been gifted to you into His Kingdom. He's saying, "Here's a bunch of time, talent, and treasure. Let's see what you do with it. Let's see if you've been listening. Let's see if you trust me."

Do you trust that anything invested in the Kingdom will bear the greatest return?

You Reap (More Than) What You Sow

I know personally that this is true. The two years following my first true consistent tithe of >10%, my family made more money, and were blessed with more good fortune, than any other two years in our lives. I'll spare you the amount because that doesn't matter, but you might not believe me if I told you.

Important Note: We didn't start giving out of a desire to gain in earthly ways. We obeyed out of a joyful heart and a desire to please God and to be used by Him.

God knows our heart. And all he wants is love through obedience based on trust in His promises. And with that obedience and trust comes blessing. He promises.

Early in this book, I mentioned this pitiful statistic: About 3% of proclaimed "Christians" tithe regularly. Three percent. Imagine instead if 25% of proclaimed Christians tithed regularly. What would that amount be, and what could God do with that? He does not need it, but how would He use it? 

Now imagine if 50% tithed ... or 100%. Just think about that!

And I'm not even talking about more than 10% here. I'm just saying the minimum of 10% - where we keep 90%! - to show God that we know and are thankful that it all (100%) came from Him.

And what if we all gained confidence through that first step of trust and obedience and started giving 15% the next year, then 20% the following, then 25% the year after, and so on?

Just imagine.

You reap (more than) what you sow. This is a promise and it’s a challenge. 

Will you trust Him at His word?

"God set it up this way because he wants you to become like him. God is a giver. The only way that you're ever going to become like him is to learn to be generous. When you're stingy, you're like the devil. When you're generous, you're like God. When you give it away, God multiplies it." 

-- Rick Warren

Storing Up Treasure in Heaven

I originally wrote this back in 2016: 

“Today, my family will receive a sizable influx of money: tax return, sales bonus, commission check, plus my standard bi-monthly salary. What we choose to do with that blessing from God is different from what the world would do. The world will buy something nice, like a new car, or they'll put it in a strong investment fund with a nice yield. 

Will I do any different? Well, ultimately no, since I will undoubtedly invest it. But where specifically will the money go? That’s the point.

We are called to give God of our first fruits to simply acknowledge that it all came from Him, so my family chooses give at least 20% of the gross (not net, but gross, because we're giving of the first fruits, not of the after-tax amount) to our church, who is dedicated to sharing the Gospel, going on Mission, helping our community, and making the world a better place for the glory of God. We then find a brother or sister in need, and give a chunk to them. Then, we invest a portion in the market. And with any balance, we may or may not buy something nice. Less-nice by worldly standards, but nice nonetheless.

Why? Because we know it all came from Him. And even if we look at this from a secular standpoint, is it not the best approach to put our money (and our time and talent) into the investment which promises the greatest yield? Of course. 

Well, that investment is in the Kingdom of God! Nothing even comes close to God's promised APR. And - to boot - there is no risk involved in this investment. Our Treasure will, without any doubt whatsoever, be stored up for us in heaven.

In short, as for me and my family, we will bank on God's promises.

He has the greatest financial and life direction in both history and non-history. We can trust Him because He is an all-loving and all-knowing Father. And besides, I've seen the returns personally, right here on Earth.

Last Two Shekels

One weekend, my family spent time with my folks on Lake Conroe, just north of Houston, Texas. As is customary for our trips there, we went to their church, St. Mary's of Plantersville.  The guest Priest spoke of Elijah and the widow.  Elijah came upon a widow collecting sticks and asked her for some water and something to eat.  She conveyed that she only had a handful of flour and very little oil, only enough for her and her son.  In essence, he conveyed what Jesus would later convey: give (provide for Elijah's needs) and God would bless that faith in His promises to take care of their needs. Cutting to the chase, she did, baking Elijah a small cake of bread using the last of what she had. And as a result of her faith, she suddenly had enough flour and oil for both her and her son for the next year!

Much much later (from our temporal perspective), Jesus spoke of the widow at the Temple who gave her last two remaining shekels, a tiny fraction of what the Pharisees gave. Jesus said, she gave FAR more. How is that? She gave more because they gave from their surplus, which really didn't hurt much. She, on the other hand, gave all she had. 

She gave all she had.

How do you give? Your money, your time, your talent ... do you give with caution, with reserve, careful not to give too much so you remain comfortable and seemingly secure? Or do you give with real trust in God's promises … throwing worldly caution to the wind?  Unreservedly?  Carelessly (from the world's perspective)?

Every penny, second, talent we have is 100% His. He's giving it to us to use for His Kingdom and His glory, not to keep for ourselves. Do you believe that?  Remember, faith without action shows your TRUE heart. As it says in Matthew 7:16, "You will know them by their fruits."  Let your tree of faith blossom, then watch what God does with that faith. 

Ultimate Wealth

"But as for me, my feet had almost slipped. I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envy the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles. Their bodies are healthy and strong." 

Psalm 73:3-4

Where does ultimate wealth come from? I mean we can chase after money, material items, status ... but where does it all end? Have you ever met someone who is financially well off who doesn't want more? Have you ever bought material things, then 6 months later find yourself tired of those same things?

God may bless us with material goods to enjoy, but we must never forget that ultimate wealth is found in seeking and serving Him, and in loving our neighbor.

Really, what's better?  Chasing after perishable goods in a finite world?  Or knowing the Creator of everything and building up treasure where we will ultimately live ... forever?

Some Additional Thoughts on the Tithe

The tithe is highly misunderstood amongst modern Christians. Many say, “Since we are under the New Covenant of Christ, we are no longer under the previous Covenant tithe!”, which is technically correct. However, when Jesus spoke of the previous covenant laws, He did not take them away, rather He clarified them by explaining the deeper heart-meaning of those commands. According to Dr. John Tolson, "Jesus VALIDATED the mandatory tithe, even on the small things (Matthew 23:23). But there is no mention of tithing after the Gospels. It's neither commanded nor rescinded... [but] every New Testament goes far BEYOND the tithe. However, none falls short of it. The New Testament actually raises the stakes, teaching that all our possessions and wealth belong to God, not just ten percent!"

"There's a timeless truth behind the concept of giving God our first fruits. Whether or not the tithe is still the minimal measure of those first fruits, I ask myself, 'does God expect His New Covenant children to give less or more? Jesus raised the spiritual bar; He never lowered it (Matthew 5:27-28).'" 

-- Randy Alcorn

Some examples, in case you think I’m making this up:

• Jesus said, if you look at a woman with lust, you have already committed adultery in your heart. (Matthew 5:28)

• Jesus said, if you hate your brother, you have committed murder.

• And, if you give less than what you are capable of giving, you are dishonoring God through poor stewardship of His gifts.

If you can not bring yourself to this conclusion and just give open-handedly, you may have money and comfort as your idol, being held captive by the spirit of Mammon. In the end, “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5:29)  Or - more directly - if you can not give as Jesus called us to give, you’d be better to pile your money and stuff in the yard and burn it.

Before saying, "We don't have enough left over to give 10%, much less more!" remember, you wouldn't have anything without Him. So, instead say, “We give 10% (or more) to start, then address the rest with what’s left.” You will not regret making this change. God is a Promise-Keeper and will bless you.

Test God by ... Giving?

That's right. The only time in the Bible that God says it's ok to test Him is in giving.

As mentioned now a number of times, the tithe represents the ultimate heart test for the believer.  In his book The Blessed Life, pastor Robert Morris writes, 

"God gives us stewardship responsibility over our lives. We demonstrate faithful stewardship - we show God that we realize we are stewards, not owners - when we give Him the tithe."

God says, "'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me on this', says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it'" (Malachi 3:10)

Once our family began to tithe obediently, things changed drastically. And once we began giving beyond the tithe amount, things changed exponentially more. I do not say this lightly, and I'm not speaking hyperbolically. I have heard the same from far too many to conclude anything but, God blesses obedience.

We either trust God at His promises or we do not. He instructs us clearly to tithe and then some, and promises that He will bless us for our trust and obedience. 

So why the hesitation? Faith is trust. 

Do you trust Him? Do you have faith in His promises?

Remember, it's not ours to begin with. It's HIS. We are simply stewards of what He's blessed us with. 

Do you believe that? 

Do you show it through how you give?

Lord thank you for your provision, and for making it so clear.

I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.