How Much Does It Take?

Every year about this time, Forbes magazine releases a list of the 400 richest people in America. Perhaps you have seen it. This was a special year, because the Forbes list is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

It was a special year for another reason. For the first time, 82 billionaires didn’t make the cut. That’s right. 82. Last year, they would have made it. This year, it took at least 1.3 billion dollars to make the “Forbes 400.” I feel sorry for them. I think.

I noticed something else. Forbes explained why some rich people fell off the list. They gave lots of money away. The founder of Domino’s Pizza fell off in 1999. His current net worth is $600 million after giving away $600 million. Another person fell off the list in 2001 after giving away $650 million. There were others. Forbes called them “Selfless.” I call them wise, but only partly so. After all, how much money does it take to live really well?

According to a story from the Bible (Mark 12:41-44), Jesus sat in the Temple and watched people put money into the treasury. Many who were rich put in large amounts. Then one poor widow came by and put in two little coins, the smallest currency available. Jesus noticed. He called his disciples together and said to them, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

I’m embarrassed every time I read that story. When it comes to money, most of us are hypocrites and thieves. We pretend to give selflessly to God, but we spend most of our money on personal desires. As a Pastor, I was astounded at how easily I could anger people by asking them to tithe. That’s only ten percent of our wealth. Actually, we ought to do better than that.

The way to do better is to start admitting that everything we have belongs to God. Our bodies belong to God. The air we breathe belongs to God. The talents we have come from him. The wealth we earn is produced in a world that belongs to the Creator. He gives everything. He wants us to do the same.

In my view, this is the missing piece in the ongoing conflict between Creationists and Evolutionists. If there is a Creator, then the world belongs to Him—including my pocket book. We should check the giving records of Creationists and find out how serious they really are.

We might be surprised.