Investing In Perfection ...

You cannot out give God.  You can try.  He enjoys that I think.  It’s like a Parent watching a toddler try to out-love them; a toddler just does not understand love enough to do it more than a parent, but they know enough to be extremely cute at trying.  God does not give us things, because of our tithes and offerings.  He gives us things, even when we hate Him.  Our behavior does not determine His love.  It is His love that has the power to alter what we do, by changing who we are.  So His gifts to us are coming, to some degree, whether we like them or not.  A toddler can say “no” all they like to a parent, but a loving Parent is going to feed them in spite of what they say.  A loving parent is going to cloth them, and house them, no matter what the toddler thinks about these things.  Many of us toddlers would prefer to run naked, eat bugs, and sleep in the mud – but I think our heavenly parent has higher aspirations for us than that (even if He allows us to realize that kind of eat-bugs-thinking is not all it is cracked up to be).

Sometimes we don’t treat our gifts as something we value.  Sometimes we do things with them, that are downright destructive.  God gives us health, and we take up a practice of smoking, or skydiving.  Now, you can survive skydiving, although the risk is plainly apparent.  But no-one survives the practice of smoking while maintaining excellent health.  It kills you slowly, accumulating over time.  It is less perceptible, but its long-term effects can hardly be hidden.  The gift of God was given, regardless of what we did with it.  God may know what we will do, but He offers us our gifts anyway, hoping we will allow Him to influence what we do, but never controlling our reaction.  His love for us remains, and He does not starve us from His love, only because we make bad choices. 

Wealth can be either a gift, or a curse.  What we do with that can either destroy us, or enable us to bless the world around us.  Whether we consider ourselves wealthy is only a matter of perception.  Comparatively, we will always find those in the world with less than us, some far less.  By the same token, there will always be those in the world with far more than us.  So whether you consider yourself wealthy is how you think about yourself.  Whether others think of you as wealthy depends on whether they have far less, or far more.  The only question that remains is a reflection of “who” you love.  When your resources are spent upon yourself, what most people consider, “taking care of yourself” – it is plain that you are high on the list of things you love.  Those with families spend their resources there as well.  And even though this only seems like the responsible thing to do, and the sensible thing, it is not the only thing our hearts should be so focused upon.

Case in point … the Word of God calls out a practice known as Tithing.  Giving 10 percent of your income back to God (in most cases through a church), is one of our first opportunities to become toddlers showing that our love of God is greater than our love of wealth or means.  It is rarely convenient to part with money.  It is rarely “sensible or responsible” when measured against the “needs” our families have.  But to give it anyway, in spite of these “realities” begins to put a crack in our adult armor, and return us to place of child-like trust that our Parent will not see us destitute because of what we give.  The Bible actually also mentions giving offerings beyond the tithe.  For those already parting with 10 percent of their income, offerings by definition, raises the percentage given.  The Bible does not specify what more we would offer, only that the practice is like icing on a cake, and good for us to do.

Most believers are content to stop here.  I give my tithe.  I give my offerings, and now I am done.  Whew!  That was rough.  (silly toddler, you have no idea how many gifts and blessings are coming your way, open your eyes and watch).  But most believers are content that having engaged faithfully in these 2 practices our obligations for giving have been met.  Nice try.  But there is one more, that was designed with a far more specific purpose in mind.  The last one perhaps is more meaningful, because it directly impacts the giver in a way the others do not, and it impacts the receiver in a way the others could not.  And before you think I am just trying to guilt you into giving more, it was not my idea, it came from Jewish tradition, but was called out and ratified by Jesus Himself.

Matthew records the guidance in his gospel in chapter six, continuing with His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes up the practice of one-on-one charity.  He begins in verse 1 saying … “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”  The practice of giving alms is not the same as tithes or offerings.  Tithes and offerings are given to the priesthood, or in our day to the church, for the preservation and expansion of the church.  Giving alms was something you offered the poor, the homeless, the destitute that called for help from the street corners, and shelters, and impoverished places where they were forced to reside.  Those who asked help because they had need. 

In the time of Christ many of these were crippled unable to earn a wage.  Some had horrific diseases like leprosy, or possession, and were social outcasts.  In our day, the diseases are no less real, addiction (whether to drugs or alcohol or sexual misconduct).  In our day, our veterans suffer from PTSD, and find extremely hard times trying to transition from killing or being killed every second to “normal” society.  There are those in our world who only fake it, and use panhandling as a way to earn enough money to avoid other types of harder work.  But this perception is so easily accepted by those with means, who are looking hard for an excuse not to give.  I challenge anyone so inclined to stand on a busy street corner for 10 hours a day in the heat or cold, and call that “easier” than working a real job.  Those who ask means of us, present us with an opportunity to give alms.

But the further counsel of Christ is profoundly deep.  To give to the poor, only to be seen of our peers, denies us the rewards our Father would otherwise like to see us claim.  Giving for the credit, or the notoriety of giving, feeds our pride.  It is meant to make us appear better to our peers.  It fosters the notion of comparative salvation.  And it denies us the privilege of humility.  Giving to another, one on one, where you offer what you have, to meet the need of the poor who asks, can truly change how YOU think.  If it is done in secret, away from credit and pride, it becomes something only you, God, and receiver will ever know.  That kind of giving changes your heart.  It puts another crack in the adult armor that believes we must be sensible and trust in ourselves to provide for ourselves.  That kind of giving, opens up the possibility that God could actually take care of you, just as you are taking care of the needs of the poor who stand right in front of you.  This is the reward you miss, when you give for other motives.

Jesus continues in verse 2 saying … “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”  In the time of Christ those who desperately craved to be seen as righteous, sounded trumpets to call the attention of the crowds and passersby to the alms they handed out to the poor.  This was not a call of assembly for more efficient distribution, this was a call to show everyone else, that they were generous.  When in truth, they were not.  This was an exchange of services; money, for a better reputation.  Jesus notes, they received what they had purchased.  And the lack of impact within them, was the opportunity they lost.

Jesus continues in verse 3 saying … “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:”  Instead of attention, Jesus asks us to not even we think about what we are doing.  We just do it.  We do not measure to ourselves the size of our donation, or the rationale for it, or whether we think the person might not use our gift the way we think they should.  Ignore all that.  Decide not to think about all of that, and give anyway.  As our Parent gives to us, knowing that we often misuse and abuse what He gives to us, but He gives it anyway.  Not as a means of control, but because He cares about us, and loves us.  There is something personal about giving directly to someone who asks.  There is no middle-man, it you and them and God.  Our gifts are not meant to occupy a continued place in our thinking.  They are meant to happen, and be forgotten.  We are not meant to keep inventory of them to use in a false analysis of our comparative holiness with our peers (even if only in our heads).  We are meant to discard the memory, and only maintain the practice.

When our giving is so common place that we could not possibly remember all the times we did it, or to who, we are finding a reward only the Father understands.  Jesus echoes these sentiments as He concludes this section of His sermon in verse 4 saying … “That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”  Here we go again.  Our selfish minds immediately begin to think of this promise in financial terms.  We give the homeless ten dollars in secret, and we expect God will give us back 20 dollars more openly.  A business transaction.  But that is not the reward our God who is obsessed with our salvation is making.  The giving we offer in secret, in humility, and without remembering it constantly, has the power to help change how we think inside, and who we love outside.  It has the ability to act as a tool to focus the values we hold in our hearts away from ourselves and towards others, as it is in heaven.

The financial investment we are making is in the perfection of our hearts, not in the doubling of our wealth.  Our gifts and our giving may well cause us to lose what we have, to become poor as well.  We could find ourselves having some of the same needs as the people we once gave to.  Jesus is not making us a promise to shower us with wealth, that may very well destroy us because we are still not ready for it.  Jesus is making a promise that the more important results and rewards that our personal giving to others makes is within our hearts and minds.  And then there is something else, something even more, that money cannot buy, but humble giving can sure contribute to … the life of the receiver.

Imagine being the poor, or destitute, or even someone who fakes it.  Imagine seeing Christians give to meet your needs every time you encounter one of them.  Not just folks who roll down the window and hand you a dollar from their cars, on their way to somewhere else.  But folks who pull the car over, get out, and ask you how they can help.  Who stop to buy food, clothes, and take you to a shelter and pay any fees associated to get you in it.  Some of them who would even take you home with them.  Imagine being on the receiving end of so much love from SO many total strangers, who have nothing in common but a passionate love from Jesus Christ for someone so dirty, stinky, and likely diseased as yourself the poor and destitute.  Even the heart of the faker will be broken in tears over watching what the true love of Jesus Christ looks like, not just in one of His followers, but in all of His followers.  That kind of simple humble giving has the potential to truly change the world, finding poor who are searching for this kind of love, and discovering you who becomes so passionate about making sure they find it in you.

That is the reward of the Father.  That is how the gospel is spread throughout the world.  And just for the record, this is exactly the method Jesus used.  He met the needs first, there was no sermon, before the starving were fed, the naked were clothed, and the funds or needs asked for, were granted.  Only after the needs were met, the love was demonstrated, could the words find a listening ear.  Our church growth is stunted, because we go out with words to those in need, and expect our prayers to get them what they want; instead of our hearts so steeped in His love, that our passion gets them their need.  We must become toddlers once again.  Toddlers share as they love, without a thought about it.  We cannot out-give our God.  But we can surely try.  And in the trying, find something we could hardly have imagined.

For those who find Tithe, and offerings, and now the practice of giving alms to poor, just one more drain upon already meager resources – I would advise prayer, to see things and feel things, with the passion of Christ.  Through submission, over time, what you value is going to change.  What looks like burden today, will begin to become blessing tomorrow.  And the best part is, our Parent was always in charge anyway.  He was already meeting our needs before we thought to ask.  This is only His chance to bring us into the system of giving to share with Him, what it is like to give, only because you love.

And the sermon was far from over …

 

God and Money ...

Organized religion is good at one thing – taking your donations. It does not matter which denomination, which belief system, or even which god is being advertised; open yourself a 501-C3 non-profit and you are off and running. Televangelists seem to be known first and foremost for the lavish presentations and pension for offering collection before any other characteristics. One such minister actually claimed God would kill him if he failed to raise one million dollars for his church. He lived. Since Christ has returned to heaven, why would He ask us to give our money to “His” work, could He not provide the funds Himself? Why does God seem to want our money, or does He?

The Bible states … “the cattle on a thousand hills are Mine” - loosely interpreted this passage shows that God considers Himself the rightful creator and owner of this world’s natural resources, beauty, and wealth. So why would He institute systemic giving of our wealth to His ministries or causes? The practice of tithing is first recorded by Abraham who gave ten percent of his increase to a priest of the Lord named Melchizedek. The minor prophet Malachi seems to reaffirm the practice much later in his days not long before the Messiah arrived. When Christ did arrive, it was common practice for the Pharisees and Sadducees to give even more than ten percent of their income towards tithing. They saw this as a business investment counting on God to return their monies with interest accrued, and they were not generally disappointed – despite their motives.

One could argue that since the tribe of Levi was faithful to God during the Mount Sinai incident, He sanctified this tribe as His priesthood. They would get no inheritance in the land of promise, but instead would receive 10 percent of the increase of all the other eleven tribes as their income. 110% if the math holds. But Levitical rights ceased at Calvary, and since then members of the Church have been the messengers of the gospel. Christ never really setup an organized church leadership, as He reserved this role for Himself. Christ said … “I am the shepherd, and you are my sheep.” Despite Catholic claims to the contrary Christ never set any one apostle above another, nor did the early Christian churches act as if He had. Differences and disputes were resolved in councils, sometimes agreeing to disagree. Religious hierarchies then are a creation of man, developed to organize great numbers of believers and increase the efficiency of our missions, but creations of man none the less.

When Israel left Egypt, they took with them the wealth of Egypt as payment for their slavery. Jewelry, golden statues, and other precious stones went with them into the desert and were maintained by the families there. When God gave directions to Moses on how to build a temporary sanctuary, Moses went to the people to ask for donations. The response was overwhelming. People brought so much gold, linen, and stones, that Moses had to ask the people to stop. When was the last time you saw a congregation give this much? And when was the last time you heard any preacher as you to stop giving, that it is more than enough - two things almost never seen in the modern Christian era. One might argue that this was easy for the Israelites to give up, since the items did not really belong to them anyway. They were ill-gotten profits for back pay. But this would not diminish the willingness of the Israelites who went most of their lives in poverty, to shed the little gold they had in service for the sanctuary of God.

And many generations later, David set about to do the same thing. His plans were more ambitious, and would require more of the people’s wealth. And true to form, the Israelites came through again. So much so, that David, like Moses, had to ask the people to cease giving. It was more than enough. Solomon who actually oversaw the construction of the Temple of God did such excellent work that this building became famous around the world. The Queen of Sheba came to visit it. The King Nebuchadnezzar came to raid it a bit, and then came back to destroy it after yet another unsanctioned rebellion by the Jews. But my question remains, why was Israel so willing to part with the golden wealth they had come by in service to God?

At the birth of Christ, Kings gave valuable treasure to His parents. It was this treasure that allowed Joseph and Mary to flee and live in Egypt while Herod sought to kill Jesus. Kings thought it a good idea to bring the best of what they had to offer, to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Later the early Christian church was organized around a communal philosophy that everyone gave everything into a central pot for distribution to those who had need. This was 100% giving of everything, not the 10% tithing we are familiar with today. And early Christians, like the Israelites who preceded them, willingly gave all they had.

Perhaps the secret to the willingness to part with this world’s wealth is found in proximity to Jesus. The closer one grows to Christ, the less gold holds any value at all other than what it can accomplish as a gift. It would appear the opposite is also true, those who are reluctant to give of themselves, tend to be far less Christ oriented than those who do. But perhaps the greatest secret of all was the one God knew, the real treasure of this world is not in its resources but in its people. His children are His greatest treasure, He values them above all else. Not just above all else in this world, but above all else in the entire Universe. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son ...” Immortal words of promise that define the meaning of love to the Universe. God gave it all. More than enough. Everything of greatest value was given to save His erring, obstinate children. There could have been no higher price to pay for our redemption than the one God our Father gave on our behalf. Gold He uses as cement, but your life was worth the torture and death of His only son to redeem you from evil.

So if people are what God values, then why does He continue to ask for our money, which He is not so crazy about? It has to do with building faith and trust. It makes no sense to give money to God, it is not logical, it is financially irresponsible, it probably does not even get used in the way He would really want it to. There are many reasons NOT to give. There is only one TO give; because He asked us to. Despite the lack of logic, despite the unwise usage of our precious funds, despite the suffering our families put at risk in order to give – we are asked to do just that – give Him back 10% of our increase, and then free will offerings over and above that. No emissary from God has yet emerged with a message saying we have given enough. We have simply not been released from this request. So why you ask?

The first reason is that every time you give, God gives back to you so that your needs are met. You do not go hungry. You do not go without housing, clothing, and the things you need. You may believe that giving God His due will cause you to lose all these things, but His blessings prevent it from happening. Over time as you are continually tested with the facts of financial discipline, and then confronted with the miracles of God’s methods – you build faith. You begin to see that God is faithful to every promise He makes us. He does indeed take care of us. He is indeed, the one responsible for if we eat or not. We begin to learn that He is in control, despite what logic may say and despite what accountants may recommend. God cares for us, His children. Now He does not do this BECAUSE we give. But we are able to see it demonstrated BECAUSE we give. We appreciate a bit more the fact we are eating when we know that we should not be, because we should be out of money by now. We appreciate a bit more knowing that God intervenes with us, because we put it to the financial test of His intervention. Demonstration makes faith a reality, not just a concept.

The second reason we are asked to give, is the change that occurs within us when we do. We begin to share God’s secret that the only real wealth in this world, are its people. Giving a dollar to a homeless man despite how he may use it, teaches you charity without judgment. Before long, you begin to realize the pain of the homeless man more acutely and begin to want to do more for him. That is the awakening of Christ within you. It is not natural to sacrifice your own wants, needs, and security to meet the needs of others; especially when they do not seem “deserving” of your help. Yet this is precisely what our Savior does for each of us, and we are ALL undeserving. Giving to meet needs can become an all-consuming passion, and at the same time be the most rewarding fulfilling experience of your life. This change can ONLY occur when you actually follow through and participate in systemic giving.

All the rationalizations, all the excuses, all the valid reasons in the world NOT to give, do nothing but perpetuate your own selfishness. Giving breaks the hold. Giving resets the attitude. Giving is the beginning of a new consciousness the world will not understand. Sometimes, our self-motivation and instincts for self-preservation are so highly developed we are not now willing to give. If this is our lot, we must take our stubbornness to Calvary and ask God to melt our hearts so that we can give. He will answer this prayer. Sometimes our instincts are only to give as a business investment, sure in the knowledge that we cannot out give God. If this is our lot, we must take our greed to Calvary, and let Christ replace our thirst for gain, with a thirst for serving others. Christ is able to give us the proper mindset to see the wisdom of giving. Are we then willing to ask for it?

Remember the next time you write out a tithe check, or give a poor person something of yourself – it is the changes in you that are the first priority of God in what you do. Your benevolence then goes to a place where it is needed, and God watches over how your money is spent and used. This is of less concern to us, as we are not asked to watch how the money is spent, just to give freely. It is in this giving that we become a new person. It is in this giving that the world becomes changed as well. Giving is intended to free us from the bonds of our selfishness. It is the only reason why God still asks us to give him of our money. Giving; is His gift to change us for the better.

What Else is Important ...

When a baby is born to new parent the first question that usually comes to mind is … now what? For nine months the eager couple has waited in anticipation, undergoing changes in their bodies and minds. They have dealt with strange food cravings, disciplined breathing exercises, weight gain, and uncertainty about how a wife’s body morph’s over time to accommodate the new family member. But now, it is finally born. The baby has entered the world; so again, now what?

Christians who are born again go through a very similar process. We are introduced to the gospel of Christ, the idea that an all-powerful omniscient creator God has an interest in freeing us from the pain of evil we have been slaves to. He dies in our place, and is resurrected to conquer our death. His life of perfection is traded for our life of failure. And we are given the reward He is entitled to while He takes on our punishment. We marvel at this picture definition of love showered on us as individuals. We are drawn to the foot of the cross and in humility accept His strength for our weakness, and in so doing, find all things truly are possible because of God. It is liberating. It is exhilarating. It is freedom. And like the new born baby who enters the world … now what?

Are there other truths that are important in our lives past the submission of our will to Christ? Do these teachings or truths lead us to a better understanding of the character of our God? Do they affect our salvation, or influence it in some way or another? Or have we learned all that is truly important, and none of the rest of it really matters? Yes ,,, and no. We have indeed learned all the is TRULY important in that the process of saving us from evil and redeeming us to our loving Father God is by far the most important thing we need to know. Through our submission to Christ, He leads us to His truth, in His time, in His way – so no, we are not done learning yet, there is more for us to know, just nothing more important than the basis of what we learn in “how” to be saved. For if we do not submit our will to Christ first; He is unable to lead us. When we lead, we do a lousy job, so it is most important to submit first in order that we can be taught.

So what are some of the truths that Christ will lead you to His time and in His way? There is no one right answer. There are many. And some will be more important to you for your personal growth in your relationship with Christ than would matter to me in mine. Salvation is highly individualized. For instance, there are some who desperately need to learn the lesson of tithing. This practice God setup from as far back as man can remember. The patriarch Abraham gave ten percent of his increase to a priest of the Lord whose name was Melchizedek. Keep in mind that the children of Israel did not exist when this took place, so Melchizedek was not an Israelite let alone a Levite. He was likely a Canaanite who still chose to serve the living God in ministry. And Abraham did not record exactly how he was given the instructions for tithing. Malachi was the most prolific writer on the subject and he would not enter the scene for almost 2000 years. Our best guess then, is that God directed the practice from Adam by word of mouth to Noah, and then to the succeeding generations, until Moses formally recorded it on scrolls.

So we know tithing is a very old practice, but this does not address “why” it was setup. Obviously it was NOT just to support the priesthood as a formal Levite tribe dedicated to the service of God in His temple did not exist during the first instance of the gift. While the funds did support priests, God did not set it up to make His servants rich. Nor did He set it up to make His obedient followers poor. You see it just does not make sense to pay tithe from a financial perspective. Often if a person truly gives God ten percent of their earnings (whether before or after tax), on paper they become insolvent. They are budgetarily unable to pay required bills and still pay tithe. One could argue that this is due to Americans over extending themselves in debts they should not acquire, but even the frugal can face hard choices when it comes to paying tithe. God does not need the money, for the scripture says … “the cattle on a thousand hills are mine.” So since He owns everything anyway what is the point of us “suffering” in order to follow His directives?

The answer and the lesson is faith. It takes faith, or trust, to value the directions or word of God more than logic or common sense. It does not make financial sense to pay tithe. But those that do ALWAYS seem to meet their bills and find a way to manage their money. They never quite know how. For it is not a logical practice, yet it does not cause the hardships one would expect to endure over it. Faith over what appear to be facts teaches us that our God is greater than our imaginations, greater than our logic, greater than our reality. For us to give what He asks teaches us to prioritize money properly. Yes we need it to survive, but no it is NOT our god. We freely return to God what is already His and we are liberated in the process. We are set free from the bondage of the pursuit of wealth that can never be achieved. We find rest in His assurances that everything will be OK, it will all work out, even though it does not seem clear right now. When we see the effects of our faithful giving result in a ministry that brings another soul to Christ, another repentant sinner who now stands under the foot of the cross as our new brother in the faith; we can hardly restrain ourselves from wanting to give even more to the cause. We become like Oscar Schindler at the end of the war who now finds no value in his jewelry and wealth, only in how many Jews he might have saved through the sale of them.

You see just a simple practice like tithing can take on deep and profound meaning in our lives if we let Him lead, and examine truth for more than just a mere physical obedience. While all of us need these truths, some of us need them now, more than others do. The naturally charitable who give of themselves all the time still need this truth, but perhaps not as critically as the one who has never spent a dime on anyone but himself. The truth may apply to both, but may be needed by the latter more than the former.

Does tithing then affect our salvation? No. Does it influence it? Perhaps. The truths of tithing are revealed to us to begin the process of changing our character from the self-absorbed to the service obsessed. While we rebel against the idea of changing who we are, we prevent God from freeing us from the pain our selfishness inevitably brings to our lives. While we selfishly cling to the illusion of control of our funds, we remain in bondage to the pursuit of acquiring them. We are never made free from the stress of survival. We worry incessantly over having enough, and never know the freedom of giving what we cannot afford to give. Can God still save the person who cannot bring themselves to pay tithe? Yes. But that person lives a life of pain and forgiveness, rather than one of freedom and joy. The end result may be the same; that God forgives his erring servants their greed, but the journey is RADICALLY different here on earth. Those that embrace the truths of tithing become deeply blessed, and freed from much self-inflicted pain. There is no substitute for this, only choices that lead to freedom or misery along the way.

We are not saved or lost based on our tithe and offerings. We are not condemned by our theft of them from God any more than we are condemned by the remainder of our character deficiencies. We can still claim forgiveness even for the sins we know we commit. But clinging to sin is like clinging to cancer. We poison ourselves with our selfishness instead of freeing ourselves through submission of our will to Christ. Change is not a natural phenomenon, but is a reality when we submit to Christ. Christ can take our heart of stone and break it on His rock, the Cornerstone of our faith. He can shatter our heart of stone into a million pieces, and then make for us a heart of flesh once again. He can restore our ability to feel each other’s burdens and delights. He can help us take care of each other. He can free us from selfishness and liberate us into His service to others. And in so doing, our journey home to heaven becomes one filled with joy instead of sorrow. Our lives become something wonderful as we embrace the kingdom of God in the here and now.

I cannot possibly tell you all the truths that Christ so desperately wants to reveal to you in your life, and in your journey back to Him. I do not know them all. No one could. But I know your process is meant for you, your journey is real, and we will spend all of our lives – not just in this world, but in the world to come – learning at the feet of Jesus that which He would have us to know. Learning is an infinite process that begins now. No matter how far we get, we have miles to go. And no matter where we are, we are richly blessed for being led to this point. For our part then, we must remain open, humble and willing to be led. We must focus on the message not the messenger. We must embrace truth, even the kind that causes us to change our thinking, motives, and behaviors by submitting our will to Christ. And in this everything will matter, and our lives will carry meaning we have not even dreamed of to date.