Let’s get one thing straight out of the gate: I’m not going to tell you how much to give, where to give, or how often. Not only does that not fit my teaching style, but more importantly, there’s an interesting dynamic I see when people are told how much they should give. Let me explain.
Check out Mark 12:13–17:
And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. [14] And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” [15] But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” [16] And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” [17] Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
I heard a sermon on this recently and it helped clarify my thoughts. The preacher’s call to action was that we should all be tithing–that’s “rendering to God what is God’s.” As part of his justification for tithing, he encouraged the congregation to trust God that your finances will be in better shape with 90% (after a 10% tithe) than if you didn’t tithe. I get it. I’ve heard this dozens of times.
Here’s the thing:
That’s missing Jesus’ point, AND it’s shortchanging God. When Jesus makes the point, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s,” we are to ask ourselves, “Well, what exactly belongs to God?” And the answer is obvious: All of it. I made this point in the first post of the series. Now I want to bring the point home.
When we encourage (tell) people to tithe (10%), we largely cut God out of 90%. We’re selling Him short. This is how I see how the process should work out.
You encounter Jesus’ principle: render to God the things that are God’s. That truth sinks in, and you realize all of it—every dollar, every resource—belongs to Him. As this settles, you begin to see that your whole life is His, and your finances are not an end in themselves but a means to align with His purposes. That single conclusion changes everything.
Your approach to finance changes, you start exercising self control, patience, and trust. It may start with small things–avoiding the expensive lattes every morning (now pay attention–I’m not telling you what to do–I’m telling you what it may look like–the choices and decisions are your responsibility), it may be bringing lunch to work. The scope can then grow.
It may be waiting to buy a new car, or clothes, because what you have works just fine. It’s realizing that more money doesn’t equal more faithfulness. Self control over your spending changes your budget in ways you can’t imagine. Changes in your budget frees you up to opportunities you weren’t even aware existed.
The opportunities to give are limitless, as are the ways in which you can render to God what is God’s. It would be arrogant for me to tell you what, or how much to give. You’re commanded to live a life completely sold out to God, and finances are but a small part of that. Far too many Christian men don’t have their own realization of who God is—all they know is what they’ve heard here and there.
Render to God what is God’s? It starts with Mindset. Being persuaded in your own mind who He is, what is His purpose overall, and for you specifically. Only when that’s in place can God’s transformative work filter down into the cracks and crevices of our daily lives.
10%? What you’re doing with the other 90% is the real question.
Get to work, men. Our mindset, our focus and our orientation needs to change. As with everything else, it starts with the reality of who God is, and our alignment with that reality.
Time to get to work.
Pete is Out.