“Give to Caesar what is Ceasar’s”
Whose world is this anyway?
“… and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’
‘Caesar’s,’ they replied.
Then he said to them, ‘So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’
When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.”
— Matthew 22:20–22 NIV
Previously I’ve tithed and given beyond the tithe from my credit cards because it’s been convenient.
Then I read Robert Morris’s book “The Blessed Life” again and had a revelation: I need to give from my TRUE first fruits. The first 10%. It can NOT be from a credit card because that’s just indirect.
I need to give God directly what is His.
Since that shift not even a month ago I’ve noticed dramatic shifts.
I’ve been a good steward and have shown that I can be trusted with what I already have.
God sees the heart.
My giving has changed dramatically over the years.
I’ve always tithed but not like this…
Here’s a recent example/testimony of something I had on my heart to share.
“Giving is an action, generosity is a matter of heart.” — Chip Ingrammedium.com
“There is no greater flex for your soul than giving anonymously.” — Ed Lattimore
My response to his tweet was,
“100%.
NOBODY knows how much I give or in what ways.
That’s between me and God.”
But sometimes, God leads me to share so here I am.
It’s tough for me to do so because I don’t want to be misunderstood.
I give for the sake of giving. I give to God and I give because I have joy in it and I know that I can impact others through giving the resources I’m entrusted with.
When you start a company, you have 100% of the equity. When a farmer plants the item for harvest, they have 100% of the…medium.com
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” — Proverbs 3:9–10 NIV
It’s a gray area.
Many things are direct throughout the Bible. But tithing is not. It was an Old Testament law but that is no longer prevalent because of the New Testament.
Jesus references tithing at various times but people continue to debate — does tithing mean giving to the church?
I think that’s a question to take up with God.
For me, it’s entirely about giving to the church.
I know that God is solely entrusting me with HIS resources and it’s up to me to be a good steward. He gives me 100% and asks for only 10%? He didn’t have to give me anything. I will JOYFULLY give 10% to the church.
Always.
The more that I read the Bible, the more important that I realize it to be to give to God first.
Before anything else.
I’m not perfect and I certainly don’t do everything perfectly all the time, but I strive to honor God in all ways.
I’ve been reading a chapter of Proverbs, a chapter of the Old Testament, and a chapter of the New Testament.medium.com
We are ALL created in the image of God. None of us are greater than another.
Remember that.