Give it up
“Give and it will be given to you…pressed down, shaken together and running over” (Luke 6:38a). We’re in the run-up to a presidential election. Rarely does a day go by that I don’t get one or more requests for support—read money—for this candidate or that proposition. Many of these are presented as surveys telling me how important my opinions are. That might be believable if they didn’t all end with their pitch for a donation.
All non-profits run on donations. And it’s not my goal to bash any of them. Many are legit and worth supporting. But those of us who follow Christ are required to be good stewards of that which He has entrusted to us. Due diligence suggests doing background checking before signing the check. In the world of Christian giving, if an organization isn’t vetted by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), you might want to dig a little deeper to be sure they’re on the up and up.
Having said all this,
the real question we should ask ourselves is, “Why should I give anything to anybody?” For believers in Jesus, the answer is simple: God said to give. In Malachi 3:10, we’re told “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and test Me now in this” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”
In Old Testament times, the tithe began at 10%. I’m not suggesting a legalistic approach to our giving. It’s a heart matter between you and God. And God doesn’t need our money. Giving is for our benefit. First, it proves our trust in God’s ability and willingness to provide our needs. Second, it’s a little like calling a bet in poker. This verse in Malachi is the only place in scripture where we’re allowed to “test God.” Jesus made that very clear when He rebuked Satan, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matt. 4:7).
Many churches hesitate
to talk about giving. Why? Is Jesus’ command to “bring” any more or less demanding than, say, “love your neighbor”? What else do they not talk about because it may offend the hearers? When obedience is compromised, blessings are reduced or eliminated. Reread Malachi 3:10. Overflowing blessings are the result of obedience in this area. It’s the computer programmer’s IF-THEN statement.
I use the example of giving to shed light on a travesty of disobedience in the church today. Easily available statistics show the average churchgoer gives between 2% – 3% of their income; only 5% tithe and 80% give 2% or less.
The title of this post is: Give it up. What is ‘it’? It’s not more money. It keeps us from intimacy with our Father, and it tops His list of “things I hate.” Proverbs 6:17 in the NASB calls it “haughty eyes.” Psalm 101:5b says, “…no one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.” It causes us to think and act as if we could make it on our own, apart from God. It’s the last thing many Christians want to deal with because it’s so ingrained in our core we don’t recognize it for what it is. It is the enemy of our very souls: Pride.
Failure to obey this command
to give is just one result of sinful pride. It also indicates a preoccupation with self, a lack of compassion for others, but most of all, it indicates a small and ineffective faith in the One who sets the rules, provides our daily needs, and holds the keys to our future. Why is pride considered deadly? Because it lies to us and tells us “we’re doing well, we don’t need a Savior.” Who do you think whispers that in our ears?
Humility is impossible when we think that all we have done and all that we are is strictly our own doing. But Paul reminds us, “What do you have that you did not receive, and if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (I Cor. 4:7). Jesus told His disciples, “Freely you received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8).
The path back to a relationship with the One who loves us enough to forgive even our pride, starts with recognizing how far we have drifted. Jesus said, “…the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). If you don’t want to be cast into “outer darkness” (Matt.8:12; 22:13; 25:30), turn to Jesus before it’s too late. Check out our Steps to Salvation in the back of this book for the path to your freedom from pride.
Thanks for reading.