Whose Is It, Anyway?

Money. It’s a word that is usually preceded by a defining pronoun. “It’s my money.” “It’s your money.” “It’s her money.” And so on. It’s always somebody’s money.

Of course, we talk about our money, most of the time. We earn our money. We save our money. We spend our money. We invest our money. And sometimes, we give our money.

What you do with your money is your business—unless, you want to give me some of your money. There are always lots of pronouns at work when we talk about money.

What’s mine is mine, I guess, to do with what I please. That’s why the pronoun is important: it’s mine. Mine is an adaptation of the ancient word me. Mine is all about me. (That other word, mine—as in an excavation, a coal mine—is rooted in the Celtic mywn, meaning ore).

When it comes to giving our money away, we usually start with the premise that it’s ours. The question is framed: how much of my money should I give? It’s mine, after all—you know, mine = me.

I have needs. I have wants. I have plans. I have dreams. My needs. My wants. My plans. My dreams. And, what’s the matter with that? Hey, I’ve worked hard. I earned it.

But, what if we started with a different premise? What if the money we touch is not ours, after all? What if it’s all borrowed? The word borrow is from the Old English borgian = to lend (as in the even more ancient lan = on loan).

What if everything we have is on loan from God? Then we would be not owners, but borrowers. What if we acknowledged that we’re all debtors with a capital “D,” borrowing our days, our talents, and our money from God, who created it all and owns it all?

Then, questions about giving, for instance, would not be, “What amount of my money shall I give to God?” but, instead, “What amount of His money should I keep for myself?” It’s His, not mine. All of it is borrowed; some of it may be used to meet my needs; the rest needs to be spent for Him.

Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-7. In this text, the Macedonian believers (the ancient Romans called much of modern Greece and Bulgaria Macedonia) are commended for their generosity, proven true by financial gifts to the church. They were generous borrowers; they did not see themselves as owners, but as managers of Heaven’s assets, on loan.

Check these points out: (1) If you wait until you think you have enough money to give, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever start giving. The Macedonians gave generously, even though they faced many “troubles” and were “very poor” (verse 2). (2) New Testament giving patterns exceed Old Testament requirements. The tithe (10%) is an Old Testament platform; the New Testament embraces the Lord’s 100% ownership of all that we have. The Macedonians gave “not only what they could afford, but far more” (verse 3). More than they could afford? Well, that’s what it says. (3) Giving that pleases God is not just surrendering our money—it’s about attitude. The Macedonians gave of “their own free will” (verse 3). They were glad to give and found joy in the release of things, not the keeping of them. (4) Giving to God’s work is a privilege. The Macedonians “begged” “again and again” for the chance to share what God had loaned to them (verse 4). (5) Giving can not only bless others, but inspire them, too. The Macedonians “did even more than we had hoped,” Paul wrote (verse 5) “just as God wanted them to do.” Whew. When you can inspire the Apostle Paul, well, you can inspire. (6) The Macedonians entrusted their offerings to the custody of recognized church leaders, like Titus (verse 6). They knew they had to trust somebody with God’s money; they decided to trust those they believed God had raised up to lead them. (7) Wholeness—holiness—requires “this gracious act of giving” (verse 7). All of the other virtues evident in the Body of Christ (e.g. “faith, gift-ed speakers, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love”) are incomplete unless we spend what God loans us for His purposes.

Like the New Testament Church, the Madison Park Church depends on our willingness to give. Not because we designed it so, but because God arranged it this way. He loans us everything; He intends for us to keep some to meet our needs, but to first honor Him with the balance.

“You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia (modern Turkey). On the first day of the week, you should put aside a portion of the money you have earned...” to give (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).

Money. It’s not mine. It’s not yours. It’s not ours. It’s His. Honor Him with it today; He’ll loan you what you need for tomorrow. Thanks for being generous borrowers!