Our Attitude Toward Money Depends on Who We Think Owns It

Attitudes toward money can be curious. We all would like to have more of it. Many of us envy those with more than we have, especially the so-called “uber-rich.” Some people complain it’s unequally distributed, and something should be done about that. And yet, if someone asks about our money – how much we earn, how much we have saved, or what our net worth may be – they’ve trod on taboo territory.

 

We can talk about money so long as we don’t encroach on someone else’s financial turf. The green-eyed monster of jealousy for what others possess can suddenly turn into the green rage of, “My money is none of your business!” In church, whenever the pastor introduces the subject of money in a sermon, many of us reflexively reach for our wallets. “It’s mine!” we think defensively.

 

It seems to be a universal tendency, regardless of whether one is near the top of the economic strata or the bottom. A frequently cited story recounts a news reporter’s interview with a fabulously wealthy industrialist. At one point the reporter asks him, “How much is enough?” To which the rich man replies, holding his thumb and index finger slightly apart, “Just a little bit more.”

 

To be honest, I’ve been among those inclined to safeguard my wallet – figuratively if not literally. After all, I spent many long hours earning my money. Shouldn’t I be the one to decide how to use it?

 

I was convicted about this recently while writing an article about a highly successful and wealthy professional man who died a couple years ago. As I interviewed family members and friends about his legacy, I learned he was extremely generous with his time, talents, and yes, with his financial resources.

 

In fact, after the man’s passing, his daughter found a sheet of paper in his wallet. On it he had written two Bible passages he had carried for years. They highlighted what the Scriptures teach about money. Both were from the Old Testament, but seemed as fresh and relevant as the eggs Henrietta Hen laid today.

 

One of them was Deuteronomy 8:17-18, which says, “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

 

The other was 1 Chronicles 29:11-12, as paraphrased in the Living Bible. The passage declares, “Yours is the mighty power and glory and victory and majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as being in control of everything. Riches and honor come from You alone, and You are the Ruler of all mankind; Your hand controls power and might, and it is at Your discretion that men are made great and given strength.”

 

These verses concern more than our wallets and bank accounts, but they affirm a simple truth: God owns it all. Everything. One hundred percent. He just graciously allows us, as stewards, to manage resources He entrusts to us. 

 

This is why debates over the tithe in essence are moot. We often hear folks questioning whether the Old Testament teachings about the tithe apply to us since we’re living under grace, rather than law. Even if we concede the validity of tithing in principle, many of us then ask, “Do we have to literally tithe 10 percent?” And if so, “Do we tithe on our gross income – or the net?” Giving, no matter the amount or percentage, is essentially returning to God what He already owns.

 

I don’t have the spiritual gift of giving, which I believe means God continually giving some people unique opportunities to distribute His money. He shovels it in as fast as they can shovel it out. But over the years I’ve learned giving is about perspective.

 

Suppose some wealthy person comes to you and says, “I want you to manage some of my finances.” Whether you know anything about that or not is beside the point. What matters is what he or she says next: “Here’s the arrangement – all I expect is 10 percent back. You can keep the other 90 percent, every penny, to do with as you see fit.” Wow! Talk about a good deal!

 

To make this proposal more tangible, suppose the rich individual entrusted you with a million dollars and only required that you do your best to bring about a good return. He or she gets $100,000 plus whatever gains you can generate, and you get to keep the remaining $900,000 plus investment proceeds on that. If you know of anyone interested in making that kind of deal, tell them I’m available.

 

The good news is this: We already can know someone like that. His name is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. I’m not talking about the so-called “health and wealth gospel.” Nowhere does the Bible say, “God wants you to be rich.” At least not in a material sense. But Jesus did affirm, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10). If we demonstrate faithfulness and diligence in using what God entrusts to us, don’t be surprised if He entrusts us with more.

 

In fact, this is the message in the last book of the Old Testament. God offers the promise, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this…and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it” (Malachi 3:10).

 

In the four Gospels, Jesus spoke as much – or more – about money and material possessions than any other topic. He explained why: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). As we see so often in the Scriptures, God is as much concerned with our motives as He is with our outward actions.

So, whether we tithe or not, gross or net, that’s a matter solely between us and the Lord. But recognizing that all our material resources, whether much or little, truly belong to Him – and that we’re only stewards of what He’s given to us – will revolutionize our attitudes toward money. 

Let’s Make a Deal: Manage Someone’s Money, and Keep 90 Percent

How good is your imagination? How about this: Imagine being a financial planner (unless you already are one) and acquiring a wealthy new client who proposes an unusual investment arrangement. In return for your diligent management of his finances, all you would need to do is return 10 percent. The remaining 90 percent? You get to keep it.

 

Even if you’re not a financial planner, that sounds like a pretty good deal. Having responsibility for someone else’s resources and being permitted to keep all but 10 percent. If you could find an individual willing to do that, you might be tempted to change professions, right? 

 

Of course, that’s only in a fantasy world. Or is it? Because in a very real sense, that’s the arrangement God has set up for His children. He asks us to give a portion of whatever we earn for His work, and we can keep the remainder.

 In the Bible’s Old Testament, we’re taught the concept of the tithe, which was defined as giving 10 percent of one’s earnings right off the top. In Proverbs 3:9, for example, it says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.” And the oft-quoted Malachi 3:10 instructs, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.” When pastors preach about giving – or financial stewardship – they often refer to these passages. And as they do so, we typically reach protectively toward our wallets.

 

The New Testament doesn’t teach tithing as a hard and fast rule, but it is mentioned. The only time Jesus was recorded to have mentioned the tithe, he was addressing legalistic religious leaders: “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone” (Luke 11:42). He doesn’t absolve us of the responsibility to give; He simply reminds us to do so with the right attitude.

 

This whole subject of giving makes many of us uncomfortable. “Nobody’s going to tell me what to do with my money!” we tell ourselves. I’ve even heard people say, “God doesn’t need our money!” He does, after all, “[own] the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). Except, as the Scriptures assert, it’s not really “our money.” 

 

Who gave us the health we have to go to work each day? Who gave us the capacities, even the opportunities, for earning a living wage? If you’ve developed certain skills over time, where did your natural ability come from, your passion for what you do? I’m a professional writer, and I’ve worked hard through the years to refine my ability to communicate through the written word. But where did my innate interest in writing come from? 

 

Whenever we feel defensive about giving, emulating the miser who insists, “It’s mine, all mine!”, we need to remind ourselves of the basics, which are expressed clearly in 1 Chronicles 29:11-13: 

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”

 

I encountered this passage for the first time years ago, and since then I’ve been using it as a reminder whenever I start feeling too possessive about my “stuff.” Even the verse from Malachi, the Old Testament’s last book, offers motivation for our giving. After reading the directive to give, we’re informed God has made an unusual promise. “’Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘ and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it.’”

 

Perhaps, in the midst of this “season of giving,” it’s a good time for a refresher. We fret over getting the “right” gifts for friends and family. Sometimes this leads to great stress, shifting our focus off the real spirit of Christmas. And when charitable causes bombard us with appeals for year-end giving, we can feel frustrated, even overwhelmed. If our hearts are right, however, that doesn’t need to be the case.

 

Two New Testament passages have helped me a lot in this regard. In Luke 6:38, Jesus spoke of the generosity of God: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 

 

For me that means, if we’re stingy in our own giving, we shouldn’t expect God to be lavish in His giving to us. But on the other hand, our generosity will never approach the Lord’s generosity. I’ve heard many people say, not only from conviction but also from experience, “You can’t out-give God.”

 

The other passage is 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, which declares, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for the Lord loves a cheerful giver.” Some translate that last phrase as “a hilarious giver.” Have you ever given hilariously?

 

During the Christmas season, we think of the Christ Child, God incarnate. Deity invading the physical world, to serve as an example, teacher, miracle worker, atoning sacrifice, and redeemer. He offers the gift of a new, eternal life to any and all who will receive it. Without question He’s a cheerful, even hilarious giver. If we’re to “follow in His steps,” as 1 Peter 2:21 says, can we be any less?

Giving – and the Federal Budget

If pastors ever want to ensure low attendance some Sunday, all they have to do is announce the week preceding that they’ll be preaching on tithing. Messages about money attract congregants like vinegar attracts honeybees. “All they want is money,” is a common complaint uttered by some about the contemporary church.

We don’t like being told how to handle our money, whether by the clergy, parents, friends, or sometimes, even our spouse. After all, it’s “my money,” isn’t it? I have every right to do with it as I choose, don’t I?

Whose money is it, anyway?

I don’t intend to explore the concept of tithing, but one principle has helped me over the years in not maintaining such a tight grip on my wallet. As a friend explained, from a biblical perspective it’s not “our” money. We are not “owners” of our possessions, including our cash and bank accounts, but stewards – or managers.

In His so-called Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus told of a wealthy man who, before leaving on a journey, entrusted talents (some money) to his servants. He asked them to manage the money in an appropriate way during his absence, and upon his return, they would give an account of what they had done with it.

Two of the servants invested the talents wisely, doubling the amounts that had been entrusted to them. Both were commended for their stewardship and then informed they would be given even greater responsibilities: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21.23).

The third servant, however, did nothing with the money entrusted to him, choosing instead to hide it until the rich owner returned. His explanation? “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground” (Matthew 25:24).

None of these servants owned the money in their possession, but still were expected to put it to good, productive use. In a similar way, we might work hard to earn our paychecks, but ultimately the money is not ours, but God’s. Our skills, abilities and gifts come from Him. He simply asks us to be wise in how we manage or use our financial resources. And if He asks us to give a portion of that directly to help in advancing His eternal kingdom, is that too much to ask?

This principle reminds me of how “our money” – the taxes we pay to the Federal government – are being used. We often hear, from both Democrats and Republicans, about the “government” funding various projects, ranging from education to highways. Our elected officials, from the President to members of Congress to those who serve at the local government level, seem to view themselves as owners of tax revenues, authorized to use the funds as they choose.

But lately there’s been a strong pushback, taxpayers complaining that in reality the government – Federal, state and local – has no money of its own. They note that in a real sense, government leaders are basically managers – stewards – asked to use the funds entrusted to them with wisdom and frugality.

Government seems to have stepped into the role of the wealthy man in the Bible, described by one of his servants as “a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed.”

This isn’t advocating non-payment of taxes. In fact, I believe all U.S. citizens have a responsibility to pay their fair share to support functions of government, ranging from law enforcement and emergency responders who come in times of need to road crews that pave our streets and fill in potholes. If God has prospered us financially, we have an obligation to help in supporting not only His work, but also the public works from which we all benefit.

But wouldn’t it be nice if our elected officials took their own stewardship more soberly? That rather than spending tax monies like drunken sailors, heedless of budgets and growing deficits, they would realize they have merely been entrusted with tax revenues – resources provided by American taxpayers? That they have the responsibility for using them with great care and discretion, rather than acting as if they’d been given a blank check for unconscionable, reckless spending?