Leftovers For God Part 3: Finances
Scriptures: Matthew 6:19-21; Exodus 23:19a; Acts 4:32, 34-35; 5:4
Introduction
Several weeks ago I preached the first two parts of this series titled "Leftovers For God." As you may recall, in the first messages I focused on your time and your talents. This morning I will conclude this series by focusing on how we give God our left over finances. As a reminder, our foundational Scripture is found in Matthew 6:19-21 which says "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Where your heart is there will your treasures be also. Whatever it is that you truly believe in, what you truly love and consider important, that is where your heart will be and where your time; talents and resources will be spent. This morning I want you to consider your finances and how you choose to utilize them and if you truly, based on how you utilize your money, are giving God of your first fruits or of your leftovers.
I. First Fruits
Let me explain what I mean by first fruits by looking at a couple of Old Testament scriptures.
"You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God……" Exodus 23:19a (NASB)
"From the first of your dough you shall lift up a cake as an offering; as the offering of the threshing floor so you shall lift it up. From the first of your dough you shall give to the Lord an offering throughout your generations.
(Num. 15:20-21)
In the Old Testament, in acknowledgement of the fact that the land and all of its products were the gift of God to Israel, and in thankfulness for His bounty, all of the first fruits were offered to Him. These were offered in their natural state (fruits, grapes, cereals) or after preparation (musk, oil, flour or dough). After they gave their first fruits, the Israelites were at liberty to use the rest. This was their practice and it was carried forth for many generations. Whatever they received from their labor down to that of making dough, they gave an offering to God of the first fruit, not of what was left over.
In other words they God His first and then they decided how to use the rest.
Two things are addressed in this practice, acknowledgement and thanksgiving. The Israelites understood that everything they received, from their fruit to the dough from which they made their bread was from God. In their giving to God from their first fruits (fruit meaning anything they received) they were acknowledging that God was their source. Because they understood that God was their source, they did not mind giving back to Him what He had provided for them, especially since He would continue to provide more. Consider the child who grows up with not having much. That child when they begin to receive has the tendency to keep everything for themselves. They would give up little since they did not know if they would ever need later what they would give up now. There are people who grew up during the depression era who to this day keep everything they get because during the depression era people were accustomed to doing without anything. The Israelites understood that God was their source, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Whatever they gave back to Him would be minimal compared to what He was providing to them.
The second thing that stands out in their practice of giving to God of their first fruits was their thankfulness. They were truly thankful for what they received, so much so that the first thing they did was give an offering to the one who made it possible for them to have what they have. Also, their thankfulness was very sincere. Have you ever watched the Oscars when someone goes up on stage to receive their reward? What do they do? They normally start of by saying "Thank you" to the academy for choosing them. Next they go through a whole list of people who made it possible for them to win the award. The list would go from their family members, the directors, producers and co-workers to the writers and janitors. The giving of thanks was to ensure two things: first, that people understood that they knew that they did not get to where they were by themselves and secondly, it would ensure that they would get future jobs from those they worked with and for. If a person got on stage and made it only about themselves and their skill, they would have a hard time ever winning the award again or getting the opportunity to work with good people. The Israelites were thankful to God for what He was providing in all areas of their lives everyday. When they gave to God of their first fruits they were assured that the remaining fruit would be blessed and plentiful for what they needed. Although they could do with it what they pleased, they knew they were walking in God’s blessings.
There are many Churches that spend a lot of time trying to get their people to pay tithes or give regularly. Some Churches actually mandate that people bring in their pay stubs or W2s so they can see who is paying their tithes and who are not. I know ministers who will not counsel people unless they are paying their tithes. I have known others that believed that every problem a person faced could be traced back to whether or not they paid their tithes, as if you are protected against all things if you give God ten percent of what you earn. I believe that this may not be the best way in which to motivate people to give and let me explain why. What does it say about my relationship to my family if the courts must make me do right by them? What does it say about me as an individual if someone must force me to do the right thing? The same applies to each of us as individuals as we consider what we will give to the work of God. First you have to believe that it is the right thing to do and secondly you have to give it a place of importance in your long list of things you obligate your finances for. If I have to threaten you in order to make you give to God then that tells me where your heart is as it pertains to your relationship with God. I should not have to promise you many blessings in order for you to give to God for your gifts to God should not be based on what you may receive in return. Although I take my job seriously in telling you what I believe to be Scriptural and right as it relates to your finances and God, I draw the line at forcing anyone to give more. I will not beg for money or try to make anyone feel guilty for what they are or are not doing. That is a decision that you must make based on your own personal relationship with God – you must decide. The whole point about us giving God our leftovers is about attitude, our attitude and beliefs towards God. Do you believe that God is your source? When you pay $50 to go to the movies but you only give God $5 that tells God where He stands in importance to you. It is not uncommon for a family of 4 to go out to dinner and spend $75-$100 for a nice dinner yet we will give God $1 and be thinking we should have given Him $.50. I have seen people walk around and put a blank envelope in the offering tray just so others would believe they were supporting the Church with their finances. Do not kid yourselves, for Galatians 6:7 tells us "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." Whether you are giving to God or not, you are still sowing seeds. If you are giving to God that is a seed sown; likewise if you are not giving to God that too is a seed being sown. Both seeds will grow and produce fruit, the question is will you enjoy the fruit that your seeds are and will continue to produce. You cannot plant onions and expect sweet potatoes to grow. Whatever seeds you re planting are the fruits you will receive. Turn with me to the book of Acts so that I can make it clear what our attitudes should be about giving.
II. Rising Above Giving God Our Leftover Finances
Let me remind you of the attitude of the New Testament believers who were just starting out as a Church, similar to how we and other Churches of a young age are. Look at Acts 4:32, 34-35:
"And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sale, and lay them at the apostles’ feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need." Acts 4:32, 34-35 (NASB)
This was the attitude of the early Church members. To ensure that all of the needs were met within the local congregation, they did not give "10%", they gave all that they could give. There attitude was "What I have you have, what you have I have." That is not the attitude that exists within the Church body today. But these people were so excited about their relationship in Christ that they wanted to ensure that there were enough resources available so that everyone would have what they needed. They were not giving of their leftovers, they were giving the best that they had. Remember the Scripture we often recite from 2 Corinthians 9:6-7? It says:
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver…" (NASB)
In these verses Paul tells us what our attitude should be when we give, we should be happy to give and we should do so without the feeling of being forced. God wants you to give whatever you choose to give because in your choice you tell Him how important He is to you. Remember the Scripture we read in Acts the 4th chapter? If you continue reading through the 5th chapter, you read the account of a married couple named Ananias and Sapphira. They were new Christians who joined the bandwagon of selling possessions and donating the proceeds to the Church so that everyone could be blessed. However, although they chose to sell some land and donate the proceeds, within their heart, they did not want to give all of the money to the Church. Instead of being upfront and honest about it, they made a pact between themselves to lie and keep part of the money for themselves. They figured that no one would know, but the Holy Spirit did and the lie was exposed. Listen to what Peter said to him in Acts 5:4 after he confronted Ananias about his lie:
"While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God." Acts 5:4 (NASB)
If you read the rest of the story, you know that he was struck down dead for lying to God and the same happened to his wife. But if you read closely to what Peter said to them you’ll find that they did not have to give all of the money they had made from the sale of their land, they could have kept some from themselves. All they had to do was be honest about it up front. When you consider this story, you can see why Paul made it clear in 2 Corinthians that whatever you decide to give you should do it from your heart, giving what you have purposed in your heart to do. This is what God blesses, what you give from your heart.
If you are giving money to God that you would rather keep, then you should keep it because your heart is not in the gift. But as it pertains to your gifts, whatever you choose to give God, are you giving Him from your first fruit or from your leftovers? Let me explain the difference. When you get paid you know what you want to give God; a tithe, an offering or both, so you take that out first. This is giving to God of your first fruit. You are giving Him what you want Him to have first. Not based on a percentage of what you have left over after you have spent the rest. If you spend all that you want to spend (paying bills, treating yourself and others) and then looking at what you have left to decide what to give to God, then you are giving God your leftovers.
Do you have to give God your first fruit? No. Do you have to give God ten percent? No. Will God send you to hell if you do not give Him 10%? No. At this point, it is not a question of the amount, but a question of the heart. In the early Church they did not limit themselves to 10% and said that was enough, they gave all that they had so that everyone had enough. If you want to focus on tithing, then that should be the starting point of your giving. Some of us have more to give than others and that is okay, but again, it is about your heart. If you spend all of your money on clothes, entertainment and credit cards bills and then tell God "I’ll catch you next time" and expect God to be happy about that, you are sadly mistaken. God will not be happy about that because He is able to see your heart and know the real reason why you chose not to give to Him, because deep down you did not want to. Again, what you give to God is about your heart. Whatever you give to any Church, it is about your heart. You are not giving the money to the Pastor or church leaders you are giving it to God. If you do not trust your leadership and that is why you do not give, then you need to find a place where you can trust the leadership so that you are free to give as God leads you.
We eat out several times a week and we give God a few dollars on Sunday. We take multiple vacations a year, but we give to God every now and then when we can afford to. We live in big houses and have several cars, but we cannot afford to give to God regularly. When I take that vacation in my big new car, I am not obligated to give if I am not there. So on the Sunday I am gone I can use my tithes and offerings for other things, things for me. If this is your belief, you are giving God your leftovers. But more importantly, if this is what is in your heart, then you need to be asking yourself other questions, like what is the true relationship you have with God. If you had a lot of debt when you got saved and you are now tied down to paying things off and you cannot give regularly but you are doing the best you can right now, God understands. But if you continue to make more debt based on knowing that you will have more money to utilize if you do not tithe or give an offering, then that is different.
This is about your heart and what is in it. Whatever you decide to give God of your talent, time and finances, are you giving Him your best or what you have left over? Are you saving your best for Him, or utilizing your best for everyone else and what you have left over is what you will use for God. Think about it.
May God bless and keep you.
