God is not concerned with how much money you give.
You heard me right. I know you’ve probably heard from a lot of pastors who say—either overtly or through implication—that God wants you to give him a certain amount of your money. They might even say that God needs a certain amount of your money. And I understand why they say things like that: There can be certain benchmarks or percentages that are helpful as you learn to give.
But two people can give the exact same amount and still be in fundamentally different places before God. In fact, someone might be giving much more than everyone he knows, and still not be giving in a way that pleases God.
Why?
Because God isn’t interested in a dollar amount. He’s interested in what your giving says about his priority in your heart. That’s it.
Jesus talked about money all the time. But not because he needed it. He talked about money all the time because he knew that what we do with our money is the best barometer of how much we delight and trust in God. It’s not a problem that can be fixed by giving a little here and there out of obligation, as we ask, “Here—does this make me a good Christian now? Am I doing enough?” It’s one fixed by the reorientation of our hearts to their first love.
When you put God second, or third, or anything but first, then whatever you put in front of him ends up being cursed, so to speak. You can’t find enjoyment in it. All your earning, all your collecting, he says, is like trying to hold money in a bag with holes (cf. Haggai 1).
Several years ago, I went skiing with a few of our pastors, and one of them decided to try snowboarding for the first time, which meant he fell. A lot. He hadn’t brought any snow gear, so he was wearing jeans—which means he ended the first day cold and wet.
The next day, we found him some snow pants on the clearance rack of the ski shop. Problem solved. Except that later that morning, his wallet went missing, causing him to discover a large hole in the pocket of his pants (hence, the clearance rack). We retraced his steps for hours. We may as well have looked for a week, though: There was no way we’d find it on the side of a mountain.
By the end of the day, when we had all given up, he was changing out of his ski pants when he found the wallet, stuck in the bottom leg of the discounted pants. The day was saved. (The snow pants, however, were unceremoniously discarded.)
There’s nothing worse than putting something valuable into something with holes in it. None of us would do that willingly. But when it comes to our money and the kingdom of God, that’s essentially what most of us do: We stuff our “treasure” into earthly things—a new car, a new house, a savings account—hoping they will hold it. But if God isn’t first, we might as well be dumping all of that onto the side of a snow-covered mountain.
That’s what you’re doing, God says, when you pursue your own kingdoms without putting him first. Some of us need to consider that God might be frustrating some of our best financial efforts because he’s trying to get our attention. Not all financial hardship falls in this category, of course: Many people are just struggling because finances are tough, especially these days. But the book of Haggai shows us that sometimes, when we prioritize our own kingdoms over God’s—when we let greed win—he pokes holes in our seemingly sturdy baskets.
If you’re wondering if that might be you, start by asking God: “Are you trying to get my attention? Is this coming from you?” God isn’t trying to be coy. If he wants to get your attention, and you ask him, he’ll let you know. Then, if he points to something, obey him.
I’ve heard it said, “Money will buy a bed, but not rest; education, but not wisdom; companions, but not friends; a house, but not a home; amusements, but not happiness; conveniences, but not peace; insurance, but not security.” If you don’t have much money, you might think, Well, why don’t you just give me enough money and let me test it out for myself? But I’ll let you know from dozens of conversations I’ve had with people in my church: After a certain threshold of basic needs, there simply isn’t any correlation between a person’s wealth and their happiness.
I can’t tell you how many wealthy people I’ve sat with who, despite all their money, simply couldn’t find happiness. It’s a puzzle to them. But they tell me: “All the money in the world couldn’t keep my relationship together.” Or, “I can buy whatever I want—but I feel completely empty.” The problem is not that they don’t have enough—as if $1M is too little and true happiness starts with $2M. No, the problem is that they are drinking from the wrong well. It’s like the Fortune 500 CEO I heard comment that he had spent his whole life climbing the ladder of success, only to realize, too late, that the ladder was leaning against the wrong building.
Listen: God doesn’t begrudge you your money. Paul, in 1 Timothy, says that God “gives us richly all things to enjoy” (6:17 NKJV). He created the beauties of nature and all the things we enjoy, and he loves to see us appreciating and using those things. But to truly enjoy the gifts God gives us, we have to put him first.
And for that, I simply can’t give you a strict number. But the Holy Spirit can. And if you ask him, he will.
C.S. Lewis once paraphrased Matthew 6:33, saying that when we put “first” things first, God will throw in “second” things as well. But put second things first and you’ll lose not only first things, but eventually the second ones also.
God doesn’t need money; he can commandeer money any time he wants. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Shoot, he owns the hills too! What God wants isn’t your wallet; what God wants is your heart. And when he has your heart, all of your life, including your giving, will reflect that.
