Giving: Gain or Loss?

Today we are going to look at a truth about money that absolutely contradicts all human wisdom. To start we must first declare we will believe God above our own intellect or we will not be able to accept the truth. The scripture says:

Proverbs 3:⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.^{£ 7} Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. ⁸ This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. ⁹ Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.(NIV)

 

We cannot trust our own understanding especially when it comes to money. We must trust in the instructions of the Lord on every matter but especially on matters relating to money. The promise of overflowing finances in Proverbs three is directly related to money and how we handle it. Now, please set aside your understanding of money and lets go into the scripture to learn some new things.

 

The first thing we are looking at today is the fact that most all of us see giving as loss rather than gain. That means when we write a check on our bank believe that we have just lowered our financial standing. Jesus met a young man who is an illustration of what I am saying. Jesus loved this young man because he had kept the commandments and was seeking more of God. Listen to the instructions Jesus gave.

Mark 10:²¹Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. ²²And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. (KJV)

 

Notice the young man went away grieved. Grief is associated with loss. We grieve the loss of loved ones or the loss of something very special to us. When Jesus instructed the young man to sell what he had and give to the poor, he saw this as loss and could not do it. If Jesus would have told him to invest in a great business venture that would yield a great return, the young man would have quickly agreed because he would see that as gain. This young man is just like us. He didn’t understand true loss and true gain. Because he turned away from the offer Jesus made, he suffered true loss.

 

After the young man left, Jesus continued teaching his disciples about finances. Peter suddenly realized he and the other disciples had done what the young man had refused to do. Listen to what Jesus told Peter.

Mark 10: ²⁸Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. ²⁹And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, ³⁰But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. ³¹But many that are first shall be last; and the last first. (KJV)

 

Most of us understand that if we give to God we will have treasure in heaven. Jesus underscores that but he also speaks of a hundredfold return now in this time. Jesus was not asking the rich young man to suffer loss but to realize great gain not only in heaven but in this time.

 

Now if we get this understanding in our spirit we will never see giving as loss again. We may deduct our check from our bank account but as sold out followers of Jesus we know that our resources are not limited to what the bank statement says. One man said it like this. “When we surrender control of our finances to God, He gives us control of His finances.”

 

Jesus wanted to feed five thousand people one day. The disciples checked the finances and concluded there was no way they could purchase enough food. Jesus was not limited by his pocket book. He promptly blessed a small lunch and turned it into enough food for five thousand with twelve baskets left over. We too can have heaven’s recourses available to meet needs if we are obedient to God.

 

Now I want to move on to another truth. A few days ago I was typing a thank you letter to the faithful financial supporters of our church. Suddenly God gave me a new understanding of tithes. First of all, we know that the tithe belongs to God. God even considers it robbery if we do not bring Him our tithes.

Leviticus 27:³⁰And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S. It is holy to the LORD. ³¹If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it.

 

Malachi 3⁸ “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. ¹⁰ Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try 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 such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. ¹¹ “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts;

 

Second, the Bible refers to paying tithes or bringing the tithe. Tithes are never referred to as “giving.” As I was writing the contribution thank you letter, it suddenly occurred to me that I cannot count my tithes as giving. The IRS may count it as giving but God doesn’t. When I pay my tithes I am technically paying what I owe God. In one sense, I am paying my rent for the earth and the universe that God has created for me to reside in. I remembered a parable that Jesus told about people not paying rent. I wouldn’t want to hold back my “rent” like these guys.

Luke 20: ⁹Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. ¹⁰Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹²And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.

¹³“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ ¹⁴But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.”

 

I took a look Regenia’s church contribution record and mine. We are careful to always pay our tithes and we give in every offering. But I realized our gifts to God were not nearly as much as I had previously thought. Without counting the tithes, the record did not look nearly so good. As I looked over some of the other records I noticed that some were very faithful in paying tithes but had not given in any offering or supported any missionary. God spoke to me and said, “They consider their tithes as giving and think they really love me and are proving it with their tithes. The truth is they have not give anything.”

 

What should we be doing? First under the Law of the Old Covenant the people were to pay three tithes. The first was God’s part and God gave it to the priests as their inheritance. (They did not own any land.) The second tithe was for the people to enjoy at the feasts. The third tithe was given every third year and was to help the poor, the travelers and visiting Levites. These tithes added up to about 23-24 percent yearly.

 

I am not saying we should go back under the Law but should recognize that giving is gain and we should go far beyond paying God’s tithe. When we give more, we have not suffered loss but gained more recourses. We need to have the goal St. Paul put before us in 2 Cor. 9. That goal is to have an abundant offering for every good work.

2 Cor. 9: ⁶But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.