Give To God First
“Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” -- Luke 16:10
The other day a wonderful man gave a talk on tithing. His goal was to encourage others to regularly give ten percent of their wealth back to God. It is, after all, what God tells us to do.
The audience slowly shut down as he went on and on. Money is never a pleasant topic, especially when someone is telling you to give up part of it. Talking more doesn’t make people listen more intently. They simply tune the speaker out. He sensed it, smiling nervously as he looked around the crowd again and again.
I’m a big believer in tithing. It’s one of those things no one really needs to discuss. The Bible is pretty clear that one tenth of all we have must be returned to God. I don’t believe in pledge cards for budget planning or any of those things. My formula is simple: Pray. Trust God. Tithe. He’ll provide what we need to do what He has called us to do.
Still, I was bothered by something this man said. He talked about how sometimes life throws us curves -- car wrecks, illness, major repairs -- and we simply can’t tithe. It happens to everyone, including him. The man gave his advice: just get back to tithing as soon as you can.
I understood what he was saying. He was encouraging those who’d gotten out of the habit of tithing to just jump right back in. But I wonder if he realized what he said, what he was admitting to? I don’t think he did.
See, God tells us to give Him the first ten percent of all we have. We’re not to wait until everything and everyone is taken care of and then, if we have anything left, give it to God. We give to God first and He makes sure that we have enough for everything else.
That’s the scary part. The mortgage or rent is due. The car payment. The insurance. There’s food to buy. Children to clothe. All those things are reasonable and God expects us to pay our bills. The true test comes when we don’t have enough money to cover everything and we still give God ten percent first. It’s called trust. I’m not sure this man has it. Not really.
Another man I know is a bi-vocational preacher. He wants desperately to devote himself full-time to his small congregation. He feels called to do that. But he can’t let go of that safety net that brings in $50,000 to $60,000 in income each year. He loves God with all his heart. But does he trust God with his finances? Does he trust God to provide him with all he needs? Does he trust himself to be content with what God provides and not want what the world says he needs?
Both of these men are devoted Christians. They love Jesus so much. They, like so many of us, have trust issues. Especially when it comes to money. I wish I could say I never doubt or have moments of panic. It wouldn’t’ be true. It’s hard to depend on what I don’t see to provide what I need and what I want. It’s hard to trust what I can’t see.
But God calls us to do just that. He promises that if we give Him the first ten percent of all we have -- what He’s given us and provided to us -- then He’ll bless us beyond measure and take care of all our needs. So the question is: Do you trust God? Do you really trust Him? Even with your money? Think about it.
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