Tithe...10%...I know this can be a controversial issue. Do we really have to give 10% of our income to the church? The answer is no, of course not, because the Lord gave us free will to choose what we will do with 'our' money. So you don't have to do anything. And for most of my life I chose not to give the Lord 10% of 'my' income, and I went bankrupt.
That's right, I believed the lie that I could not afford to give 10%, that just seemed like sooo much. I mean really, we couldn't make ends meet the way it was. Every time I'd look at the bills and the amount coming in and see there was just no way to get it all paid, I got stressed out and felt so helpless, sometimes I would just cry.
Then one day in the midst of our struggle's my father, who always seemed to have plenty of money, told me I needed to start giving. He talked to me about tithing, giving back to the Lord 10% and how much it made a difference in his finances. I have a lot of respect for my father, he's honest, hard working, God fearing, trustworthy; I had to listen.
So I did. I have to admit, I couldn't give 10% right away, that was too big of a leap for me, we started with 5%. We still struggled with our finances but no more than usual. Then a year later when we needed a car we couldn't afford, my father gave us a car he bought for the exact amount we'd given up to that point. I know some skeptics would say he would have done that anyway. Maybe, maybe not. I can't help but see significance in the fact that the amount we were given was the exact amount we gave. The result was that we realized we could afford to give and we could afford to give more, so we started giving 10% of my net income.
We still went bankrupt, a natural consequence of poor financial choices, a very humbling experience for me. That time brought me closer to God and strengthened my faith. As the bank was foreclosing on our house, I put my trust in God to provide us a place to live, and He did.
I started to understand the way money operates in God's kingdom, here on earth.
Number 1. None of this is ours, it all belongs to God. When we tithe we are returning to God a small amount compared to what He gives us. He gets 10%, we get 90%. Who's getting the better deal?
Number 2. It's not logical. The mind tells us if we give to the church we will have less. However, we will actually have more because the Lord will bless us with more so we can give more to His kingdom, for His purposes.
Number 3. Tithing requires trust and faith. We must trust God and have faith that He will provide for us.
Oh there is so much more I could go on and on and on...and I will. Something that strikes me about the Lords words in Malachi 3:10, He says, "Try me now in this". Basically He is saying put Me to the test and I will prove to you what I am saying is the truth.
Early this year our pastor's gave us a book called "The Blessed Life, Unlocking the Rewards of Generous Living" by Robert Morris. An amazing book, I highly recommend it. I learned that my tithing was not exactly biblical. We are to give our first fruits, that is 10% of our gross income, and we are to bring it into the Lord's house. Perhaps I should have noticed that by reading Malachi 3:10, but I did not.
The Lord said, "Try me", and I said, "Ok Lord, I'm going to test you because we're living paycheck to paycheck and returning to you 10% of my gross income will take away what seems like another large chunk out of our monthly income." But I did it and I did it according to His word in 2 Co 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. (NKJV)
And my husband, Chad, agreed to give 10% of his gross income. By logical thinking our monthly income decreased even more. But we are to live by faith, not by sight (2 Co 5:7) and so we committed to being faithful to give back to the Lord with cheerful hearts.
This past winter was one of the coldest I can remember, the bills were high and our furnace broke down. We needed to buy a new one even though we didn't have the money to pay for it. During one of the most expensive times we gave more than ever before and the Lord came through for us. I can't explain how we had the money to get by this past winter and spring, it seemed impossible but we always had enough; our bills were always paid.
Then last month our car broke down as you know if you read my other posts and we didn't have the money to get it fixed until an anonymous donor deposited a thousand dollars into our checking account. Imagine my surprise when I got online and saw the amount in my bank account was $1000 more than it should have been. I called the bank of course because I thought there had been an error but they reassured me the money was ours. Oh Lord, You are so good! Thank You for always providing for my every need, thank You for always being faithful to answer my prayers. Thank you too, to the anonymous donor for listening to God and obeying His call for you to give.
And that brings me to...
Number 4. We must obey God. Period.
If I had not obeyed God's word and returned to Him what belongs to Him, if I would not have asked in faith, trusting Him to answer, He would not have placed it on the heart of another faithful servant to give to me. If I did not have faith, if I did not trust Him, if I had not 'tried Him' in this, He would not have opened the windows of heaven and poured out this blessing. Thank You Lord!
And it's not just the money to fix the car, Chad's computer repair business has increased tremendously, especially this month. A coincidence? I think not!
And one of the hardest things...
Number 5. Be patient.
Our blessings did not come pouring in immediately, if they did we wouldn't need to have faith.
That's right, I believed the lie that I could not afford to give 10%, that just seemed like sooo much. I mean really, we couldn't make ends meet the way it was. Every time I'd look at the bills and the amount coming in and see there was just no way to get it all paid, I got stressed out and felt so helpless, sometimes I would just cry.
Then one day in the midst of our struggle's my father, who always seemed to have plenty of money, told me I needed to start giving. He talked to me about tithing, giving back to the Lord 10% and how much it made a difference in his finances. I have a lot of respect for my father, he's honest, hard working, God fearing, trustworthy; I had to listen.
So I did. I have to admit, I couldn't give 10% right away, that was too big of a leap for me, we started with 5%. We still struggled with our finances but no more than usual. Then a year later when we needed a car we couldn't afford, my father gave us a car he bought for the exact amount we'd given up to that point. I know some skeptics would say he would have done that anyway. Maybe, maybe not. I can't help but see significance in the fact that the amount we were given was the exact amount we gave. The result was that we realized we could afford to give and we could afford to give more, so we started giving 10% of my net income.
We still went bankrupt, a natural consequence of poor financial choices, a very humbling experience for me. That time brought me closer to God and strengthened my faith. As the bank was foreclosing on our house, I put my trust in God to provide us a place to live, and He did.
I started to understand the way money operates in God's kingdom, here on earth.
Number 1. None of this is ours, it all belongs to God. When we tithe we are returning to God a small amount compared to what He gives us. He gets 10%, we get 90%. Who's getting the better deal?
Number 2. It's not logical. The mind tells us if we give to the church we will have less. However, we will actually have more because the Lord will bless us with more so we can give more to His kingdom, for His purposes.
Number 3. Tithing requires trust and faith. We must trust God and have faith that He will provide for us.
Oh there is so much more I could go on and on and on...and I will. Something that strikes me about the Lords words in Malachi 3:10, He says, "Try me now in this". Basically He is saying put Me to the test and I will prove to you what I am saying is the truth.
Early this year our pastor's gave us a book called "The Blessed Life, Unlocking the Rewards of Generous Living" by Robert Morris. An amazing book, I highly recommend it. I learned that my tithing was not exactly biblical. We are to give our first fruits, that is 10% of our gross income, and we are to bring it into the Lord's house. Perhaps I should have noticed that by reading Malachi 3:10, but I did not.
The Lord said, "Try me", and I said, "Ok Lord, I'm going to test you because we're living paycheck to paycheck and returning to you 10% of my gross income will take away what seems like another large chunk out of our monthly income." But I did it and I did it according to His word in 2 Co 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. (NKJV)
And my husband, Chad, agreed to give 10% of his gross income. By logical thinking our monthly income decreased even more. But we are to live by faith, not by sight (2 Co 5:7) and so we committed to being faithful to give back to the Lord with cheerful hearts.
This past winter was one of the coldest I can remember, the bills were high and our furnace broke down. We needed to buy a new one even though we didn't have the money to pay for it. During one of the most expensive times we gave more than ever before and the Lord came through for us. I can't explain how we had the money to get by this past winter and spring, it seemed impossible but we always had enough; our bills were always paid.
Then last month our car broke down as you know if you read my other posts and we didn't have the money to get it fixed until an anonymous donor deposited a thousand dollars into our checking account. Imagine my surprise when I got online and saw the amount in my bank account was $1000 more than it should have been. I called the bank of course because I thought there had been an error but they reassured me the money was ours. Oh Lord, You are so good! Thank You for always providing for my every need, thank You for always being faithful to answer my prayers. Thank you too, to the anonymous donor for listening to God and obeying His call for you to give.
And that brings me to...
Number 4. We must obey God. Period.
If I had not obeyed God's word and returned to Him what belongs to Him, if I would not have asked in faith, trusting Him to answer, He would not have placed it on the heart of another faithful servant to give to me. If I did not have faith, if I did not trust Him, if I had not 'tried Him' in this, He would not have opened the windows of heaven and poured out this blessing. Thank You Lord!
And it's not just the money to fix the car, Chad's computer repair business has increased tremendously, especially this month. A coincidence? I think not!
And one of the hardest things...
Number 5. Be patient.
Our blessings did not come pouring in immediately, if they did we wouldn't need to have faith.
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| Winnebago River Fertile, IA |
P.S. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you will go bankrupt if you do not tithe, but be careful what you treasure.
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be.
In my heart I treasured the comforts of financial security and when I didn't have it my peace crumbled. It wasn't until I started to treasure God's word and walk in His will that my peace no longer crumbled when my finances look bleak. 
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