Called To Give

 Matthew 5:38-42

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

I know, you may have seen the title of this devotional and thought, oh great, Andy’s following in line with all the preachers and is now going to preach nothing about money.  Well, that’s not exactly right.  Will money be a topic discussed in this devotional? Yes?  However, I’m going to discuss the error that Christians have in thinking that when God wants us to give that He’s only talking about money.  God’s not just talking about money.  He’s talking about a whole lot more.

The principle of tithing comes from a number of verses and we usually hear these often.  For those who may not, here are some of them.

Leviticus 27:30-34

30 And 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. 31 If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord. 33 He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.’ ”

Genesis 28:20-22

20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. 22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Malachi 3:10

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.

Those verses are generally the main ones you hear about when it comes to tithing, and as you can tell from Scripture, tithing is a very important act of worship.  That’s right.  Read that again.  It’s an act of worship.  We talked in a previous devotion about what worship means.  It means  to express that someone or something has worth.  So when we give of our tithe, we are expressing to God that He is worthy to receive our firstfruits.  

Proverbs 3:9

9 Honor the Lord with your possessions,

And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

So we see, the act of tithing, is a worship act unto God.

As Proverbs 3:9 says, we are to honor the Lord with our possessions. 

Jesus, as He did, fulfilled the law and made us think deeper on God’s commandment of giving.  God just doesn’t want our money.  In reality, God does not need our money.  He owns everything.  He’s God.  It’s an act of humility and sacrifice that shows our complete and utter dependence upon God and our trust in Him.  Not just that though, it show’s our heart.

Jesus stated that giving is strictly a matter of the heart.  Look at today’s theme verses, Matthew 5:38-42.  Jesus instructed us that we should go above and beyond for folks who treat us poorly, who take advantage of us, and who need us.  This is so contrary to what the world teaches, and sadly, this is the farthest thing from that most Christians live.  

Why?

It boils down to trusting God. Christians have fallen into the trap that the world teaches that they will be naive and stupid if they help another person in need.  That the other person will never appreciate it and will just continue to live a life of want.  That’s not what Scripture teaches, and also again, Scripture teaches so much more.  

Do you remember the adage, “If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he can eat for a lifetime.”  Jesus means the same principle when He tells us to go above and beyond for our fellow man.  If a friend is in need, give them what they need, but help them to learn how to supply for their future needs.  Jesus wants us to look in our hearts and go above and beyond for each other.

Mark 12:41-44

41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a ]quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

I love this story.  The story of the widow’s mite.  It drives home the whole point of giving unto God.  God wants us to give (the widow still gave in humility with very little that she had), but he wants us to do it with a pure heart and not a heart looking for attention or to take the glory for ourselves (like the rich did).   

It’s a matter of the heart.  Just like God said, 

2 Corinthians 9:7

7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

God wants us to give from the heart and be joyful about it.  He doesn’t want a show and He doesn’t want someone who is sad and nervous.  He wants you to trust Him.

However, God also wants you to give more than money.  He wants your time, your talents, and most of all your attention.   

Proverbs 3:9 said that we are to honor God with our possessions.  We possess time and talents.  Do you use those to honor God?   That is just as important as giving a tithe.

Do you give of all of yourself?

To quote Dr. Charles Stanley, “You cannot outgive God.”