Dan Edelen wrote a blog post the other day on A Dozen Sayings of Jesus That Will Change the World–if Christians Ever Believe Them. I was personally convicted by the post because I saw my failures in many (all?) of them. The second saying that Dan mentioned was from Matthew 6:24-34. It’s the passage that most Christians are probably familiar with, the one that mentions that God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the flowers. The main thrust of the passage is do you rely on your worldly possessions or God’s perfect provision?
This post came within a week of my wife and I making the commitment that we will start tithing. Since we just got through filing our taxes, we had received the financial statement from our church on our offerings for 2008: they were abysmal. It was probably the least amount we’ve given, ever.
We are a single-income family. My wife got laid off in 2005 and I never really wanted her to go back to work anyway. Then, when she got pregnant with our son, I definitely did not want her to go back to work. By then, we got used to living off a single income, even it meant that since 2006, I have not been able to contribute to any of my employers’ 401ks. Yes, God has provided for us: the bills get paid, the mortgage is current, and there is food on the table. As far as I’m concerned, God has blessed us. No, we’re not blessed by the standards of some popular TV preachers–I can just hear the portion of that sermon that is floating around on YouTube: “…not just a getting-by life…but a life in total victory!”–but like the birds of the air and the flowers in the field, my family is being fed and clothed. Still, we are just one paycheck away from financial disaster, which is only exacerbated by our current economy. And, as I mentioned, we’ve stopped saving for our retirement.
And so, with a portion of a recent sermon being on the tithe, we have committed to it. I would be encouraged if there are any out there who have committed to tithing and the results they experienced. Anyone care to share?
For a little background:
“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we r0bbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it may not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. –Malachi 3:8-11.
At first, very black and white and damning: I’ve been robbing God! No, God doesn’t need my money (it’s all His whether I admit that or not), but by withholding the tithe, I’m robbing Him! Also important to note, it’s the only time God actually says “test Me now in this.” That’s huge.
I used to come up with various objections, and I post them here in case you may come up with them yourself:
- We’re not under the Old Testament Law. The problem with that is on two occasions, there was a tithe given to God even before the Law. Both Abraham and Jacob/Israel gave a tithe to God. See Genesis 14:18-20 and Genesis 28:22.
- Pastors should not be paid. The extravagance of some on TV notwithstanding, there are two verses that fully state that they should: 1 Corinthians 9:14 and Galatians 6:6.
- I can’t afford to give. Certainly this is what we’re experiencing right now, or so we think. Reference Luke 6:38 and 1 Corinthians 16:2.
- I give what’s leftover. This has been us for a long time and I think, this is the worst of all of them. I think Proverbs 3:9 explains this best.
So, of my readership or visitors, what have you experienced with tithing?
May He Increase!
Megan (1)
I can’t pin down how it all works, as is often the case with God, but I know that I feel and experience His provision and protection in a greater way when I am consistently giving to the church. I really appreciate you sharing your family’s story. I know myself that tithing can be very difficult. May God bless you guys as you trust Him in this way.
It was nice for Aaron and I to meet you on Sunday; thanks for introducing yourself!
Thanks for the encouragement, Amanda. We are definitely trusting in God right now for His provision.
I guess the caution I’m feeling is that I want to lean on God’s Word and promises, but I certainly don’t want to use this as manipulation. God is not my heavenly butler, but I know He will supply all our needs (read: not wants).
Great to meet you both in person as well. Didn’t realize how tall AMR was! :-)
Under grace God wants us to give as you are able. I do not believe we are under the tithe system today. There are many humble believers with very little income for whom a tenth would be too much to give. There are others whom God has blessed in such a wonderful way that they could easily give as much as the governmet will allow for deductions. There are those who have an income such that they could give that to the Lord, but we find very few who are giving like that. The tithe is certainly a yardstick by which you could measure yourself, but I don’t think that it is legal or binding at all.
Hello Ike,
I hear what you’re saying. Perhaps another verse I should have included in the post is from Mark.
Thanks for stopping by.
Joe,
I had a few moments to come by and read today and I noticed this post. You have done a great job of anticipating the normal objections to tithing and I would agree that tithing isn’t what God requires of us. It is what we do out of love for Him. I am planning on posting my next Bible verse challenge or whatever it is on Romans 10:4, because so many Christians use that verse to say that Christ has put an end to the law. Christ never did that. He upheld the law and even firmed up the heart of it in places like the Sermon on the Mount. The law wasn’t given to Israel to “save them,” it was given to Israel to teach them how to live a life that honors God for His grace to us.
We have a great story about tithing, but it would be a long one to share in full. The short version is that I was always a terrible giver, but through some study and reading I felt the conviction to take up the Lord’s perspective and start tithing. This was several years ago and I was working as an independent contractor, so I didn’t have any taxes withheld from my checks and I was paying a subcontractor out of my checks to boot. I started taking 10% out of the checks when I got them and gave them to our church. It was five months into the year before I even stopped to think about those questions like, should I tithe on the gross or net and such. I was literally giving the first tenth of everything that came in. When I realized that I was even tithing on my subcontractor’s income before I payed him, I almost cut back to just my income. Then, I realized and recounted the blessings that God had given us over the months that we had been faithful to give. I never looked back. God has taken care of us in times of plenty and the lean times as well. We have never been in lack or in need, and we haven’t always gotten everything we wanted either. God will take care of everyone of His kids.
Jeff,
Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to drop by and write such a great comment and witness. It’s very encouraging to me.
Your second sentence reminds me of Hosea 6:6: “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice.” God is always concerned with our heart condition as opposed to our actions. As Jesus said,
I think that’s where the tithe comes in because it causes you to trust in God’s provision not on your ability to earn income.
My family is experiencing this right now first hand. It’s extremely hard for someone like me with my personality to just give it all into God’s hands. Sometimes it’s easier than others, but this is definitely one of the biggest leaps of faith I’ve taken in a very long time.
Jeff, thank you for your support of me and this blog. It means a lot to me to have you as a brother in Christ.
Joe.
As a Spirit led Christian, there have been times I have given more than a tenth, sometimes less. i wish we would stop looking st this in only a financial way. What if we gave a tenth of our TIME to the Lord. Less addicts, less juvenile delinquents,, well you get it. what a world. Writing a check is easy, give of your life.
This has been my concern as well. But I do have to tell you, right now, writing that check is not easy for our family. But, why is that? Is it because up until now we’ve been spending in other areas that don’t bear fruit?
I do believe this starts in the home. After all, if you have children, you have a tremendous impact on our world. I’ve said it several times to family members: do you realize that if you have children, you have the ability to affect entire generations, good or bad? If you do a lousy job parenting, do you realize what sort of negative impact you can have on a community? The reverse is true. Just look at the parents of Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, etc. What an impact they made on future generations by raising up the child they did.