“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23b, NIV).

I recently faced a theological question, or at least a question about how to put theology into practice. I’m still working full-time but have reached the stage in life where I am required to withdraw money from my investments as a minimal distribution each year. My wife and I have always tithed our gross income as a baseline for our giving. So, the question arises, since that invested money has already been tithed: Do I tithe it all over again? I had no idea how to honor the Lord with this decision, so I called six trusted people and asked them.

I won’t reveal the decision I made, but two theological truths stuck with me after good counsel and prayer:

1. Don’t be legalistic.
2. You can’t outgive God.

What’s more, I again realized the real question for me should not be, “How much should I give?” but, “How much should I keep?” That’s the truth behind the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41-44.

I was reminded of a second big question from the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-23 is, “Am I holding on to anything that keeps me from fully following Jesus?”

Then I remembered God’s faithfulness to the Sidonian widow who gave her last supper to the prophet of God (1 Kings 17). That story shouts to me: “Do I trust Him with the lives of those I love?”

And then I look at ultimate goals for my life. When the Assyrian army had overrun the Kingdom of Judah, and only Jerusalem remained, the commander of Sennacherib’s army offered the Jerusalem people grain, new wine, bread, vineyards and olive trees, but they would receive them in a distant land. They could have everything they could possibly want to enjoy life, but they could not have their home (1 Kings 18:31-32). Home for me is the presence of God and the center of His will. Do I want all the world can offer, if I cannot have home?

If I can answer these big questions in ways that honor God, the simple ones like tithing investments are not so difficult to answer.

Dear Father,

Let me trust you and keep my hands open to let go when you ask.

Amen