To Tithe or Not To Tithe

My Pastor has been heading up a series on God’s provision called Prosper. Even he has said in the message that, any discussion regarding financial provision can be polarizing. People get worked up and offended faster about money than almost anything else. This is all I ask of you. Read what I am sharing with you. Read the scriptures for yourself. Pray. I am not trying to force feed you anything, I am just sharing my story. God is faithful as we are faithful to Him.

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Over the last several months, we slipped into a category of being “tithish”, in other words if the bills were too great and the paycheck would not cover it – the tithe check set in my wallet. Now understand me…I KNOW BETTER. This was complete lack of faith and disobedience on my part.

Reasoning It Out

I have a lot of conversations with myself…like a whole lot of them. Maybe it is the symptom of being a writer, that I talk to myself far too much. Before starting ministry school, I was talking to myself about everything that it meant to take this step. Not just class obligations and practicum. It means really, honestly, full on striving to have my walk and talk match up. Stepping into ministry, pursuing the ministry because I believe I am called...it means others will look to my example. That is a HUGE responsibility that I do not take lightly. The first thing on my heart…tithe and offering. So the online payment is set back up and tithing has resumed. I will not be a thief from God again.

Yes, I said thief. When we fail to give God that 10 percent, we are stealing from God. It sounds harsh – I get that, but that is exactly what it is. It is disobedience to God and breaks a few of the Ten Commandments we sometimes allow to collect dust. (Thou shalt not steal, Put no other Gods before me). You know the statement about money being the root of all evil…read it again. In 1 Timothy 6:10 it does not say money is the root of evil, the LOVE of money is the root of evil. Money is a tool, where we place it in our priorities is what makes it evil or not. When we withhold our tithe, we are putting money before God.

The Test in Testimony

We had unexpected and unwelcomed surprises this week. My employer sponsored health insurance doubled…DOUBLED. Our electric bill was almost double the usual. Did I mention a spike in the water bill too? There was a moment of “oh crap” thinking. There was also that temptation to hold that tithe back. I immediately paid our tithe as scheduled. Funny thing…I’m not worried about paying the bills at all. (Can we say God’s peace?)

Tithe is not the only area we are expected to be generous in. Giving ourselves, our time. Giving financially above our tithe is also EXPECTED. My husband and I both have been engaged in a variety of things that involve our time. More than that, we have been pushing ourselves to reach out to people. In some small ways, we have blessed others. Well, small to us. Buying someone lunch, giving to the food bank, or surprising someone with a little item they really desired. (I say small to us, because I remember how much those little things meant when we were really struggling.) These little acts of generosity are not generated from a checklist of what to do to secure a blessing. They are overflow from our hearts. We have been praying to love others more. Praying to receive God’s love better, so we can show love to others.

God is FAITHFUL!

This is a lot about what we are giving to God or others, but the Word of God does promise blessings if we are obedient. (Deuteronomy 28). We tend to take a lot of stuff in the Bible as guarantees, promises that God will do this or that. God WILL. God WANTS to, but we have to hold up our end. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek God’s kingdom first, and the other things are added to us. It does not tell us God will wave a magic wand to make our dreams come true. The Bible tells us over and over that if we seek God first and if we are obedient to God…we are taken care of. It does not say you will win the Power Ball. It does not say you will never face difficult times. It DOES say God is with you, His Holy Spirit comforts you. It speaks of his yoke being a lighter, easier yoke. When we are obedient, we see God’s promises fulfilled. Because God is faithful.

Manifestation of Blessing

My husband’s check was more than it was supposed to be. We received a small unexpected refund from a doctor I have not seen in almost two years. Today, we were surprised by a gift card in the mail. This is within 24 hours of being faithful and resisting the temptation to not submit my tithe.

Temptation is something we will all encounter. Falling into temptation leads us to sin, not being tempted. Jesus was tempted and he is a man without sin. I was tempted to withhold from God, but I resisted in Jesus name and sent the tithe. God is faithful…are you?

Challenge

I get it. In the natural, writing out a check for 10% of your income is scary. Hitting the give button on the website or texting that donation is overwhelming when you have never tithed. That is the natural talking. We do not operate in the natural.

So I am going to pose to you the questions I posed to myself:

• Do you believe the Bible or not?
• Do you see God's faithfulness in other areas of your life?
• Do you want to be obedient to God?
• Are you comfortable stealing from God?
• Can God place the same confidence/dependence in you that you place in Him?

Based on your answers, you will know if you are writing a tithe check this week. Another thing, give with joy. If you are writing out the tithe check with a chip on your shoulder, do not expect a blessing. Send in your tithe with joy and expectation. Expect that you will see growth as a result of your gift. Expect to see the Kingdom grow because of your gift. (Ministry takes money, let’s not be naïve about it.) Expect to see lives changed, souls saved, and your community impacted.

Here is the challenge. You tell me you have faith that God will provide…are you acting on that faith? If not, it is just words because faith without works (action) is dead.

Write out the tithe check.

Put it in the offering bucket with a spirit of joy and thanksgiving.

Watch God work.