Give Until It Feels Good

Also giving to the church is an indicator of where our priorities lie. Probably the best signal of our priorities is what we are willing to invest in. Investing first in the work of God is a clear sign that we consider God to be most important. Jesus is the one who said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The biblical standard for giving is the tithe. A tithe is ten percent. Leviticus 27:30 says, “A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart for him as holy.” Now you might say to me, “Well, that is the Old Testament. Haven’t we gotten away from all of the Old Testament rules and regulations?”

But go to the gospels and you discover that Jesus held the tithe as normative for believers. He complained in the 23rd chapter of Matthew that the Pharisees were tithing but neglecting justice, mercy, and faith. Then he said that those things should be practiced without neglecting the tithe (Matthew 23:23-24).

Now, you may be saying, “Wait a minute. I’m just getting by on my paycheck. I can barely pay my bills and keep food on the table.” It’s easier for those making a good income to give to the church than it is for some others who are not making that much.

A few minutes ago, we read the story in the gospel of Mark about the widow’s mite. This is how it happened. At that time, there were 13 trumpet-shaped receptacles that stood against an outside wall of the Temple. Their function was to gather the gifts of faithful worshipers. As Jesus and his disciples watched one day, they saw rich person after rich person come by and drop their large offerings in. They clattered and clanged down those trumpets so that everyone in ear shot could hear and try to imaging the great sums that were being contributed.

Then a poor widow came by. The Message says that she dropped in two small coins – a measly two cents. The New Revised Standard Version says that she dropped in two small copper coins which are worth a penny. This was the smallest coin in existence at that time. I have read this offering described in various ways: one-eighth of a cent, one-four-hundredth of a shekel, or one-one-hundred-twenty-eighth of a denarius. The literal meaning is “a tiny thing.” She had two of them. She didn’t hold one back and give the other, but dropped both of them down into the offering.

Charles McCabe was elected a bishop in the Methodist Church back in 1896. When he got to his assignment in Texas, he began trying to raise a million dollars for some mission projects. That’s a lot of money, but back at the beginning of the 20th century, it was really A LOT of money. He received numerous letters from fellow Methodists who thought that he had gone off the deep end.

One day, after reading several negative letters, he opened an envelope and out fell a nickel. The letter was from a little boy who wrote, “I’m so glad that you’re going to get a million dollars for missions. I’m going to help you get it. Here’s a nickel toward it. It’s all I’ve got now, but when you want more, call on me.”