Mine. Mine. Mine.

“It’s mine.”

Can you picture a five-year-old saying that? What about a 75-year-old? I’m pretty sure that I’ve heard those words come from mouths both young and old.

It’s human nature to be possessive of the possessions and people in our lives. It doesn’t usually come to the surface until someone tries to take some of what we perceive to be ours.

We know that we owe the government taxes; we know that we need to pay for groceries, and that we can’t just take whatever we want; we pay for services like haircutting, car washing, and lawn mowing. We’re fine with those costs, we factor them into the budget.

But do we factor the church into our budget? Should we? When they ask for our money, don’t many of us think, deep in our secret sinful selves, “It’s mine!”

I especially feel this way when the preacher is browbeating and guilting me into giving. When the preacher tells me that I have to give, that I am required to give. That’s when my sin nature takes over and screams, “You can’t make me!”

I don’t find anywhere in the New Testament that tells me, “You must give 10 percent of all your earnings to the church.” I know that the Old Covenant required that the Jews give ten percent (Numbers 18:20-32), but we are free of the Old Covenant.

Where does that leave us?

We are called to generosity. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his listeners “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matt. 5:42). Paul adds in 1 Tim 6:17-19 that “those who are rich in this present world [should] not be arrogant or put their hope in wealth… [they must] be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.”

Neither Jesus nor Paul tells us to give… We are just told to give. That’s so much broader.

Is it bad to follow the Old Covenant teaching of 10 percent? Certainly not! But it’s not about the percentage, it’s about being a wise steward of the resources God has given us. We should give what and when we can, above and beyond our means. Not restricted to 10 percent, and not legalistic about it. We should be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. When he prompts us to give, we should do so, knowing that we are laying a firm foundation for the coming age.

And that will be something we will be proud to claim as “Mine!”