“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him.”
Psalm 24:1 (NLT)
Have you ever wondered, “Why do I have to tithe, does God really need my money? I can’t afford my bills so how can I afford to tithe?” I have… The answer is no, no I don’t HAVE to tithe and no, God does NOT NEED my money. For one, everything we have comes from Him. Every material thing we have, we have only by His allowance. As Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” The Psalm did not say everything except my income, or except my house, or except __________ (fill in with your most prized material possession). Everything means everything, so no, God does not need my tithe. If God has no need, and I don’t have to tithe, why then should I still tithe?
I think God could have designed it so that we always receive only 90% of our income, somehow automatically retaining 10%. So why set it up such that we have to exercise a choice to tithe? Surely, the tithe has a use, but I believe God will meet those needs even if no one tithed or the tithe was insufficient. I think the tithe is more personal to the person doing the tithing than the one receiving the benefit of the tithe.
Over 10 years ago, my husband and I were in substantial debt. Our six-figure income was more than decent, but our bills were more overwhelming. To say we were stressed by our finances is an understatement. Then in early 2011, I lost my job. The panic of supporting our family on a single income drove us to seek help in getting our finances under control. We started to budget, attack our debt, cut back expenses, save etc. All of that is absolutely essential to getting out of debt and developing healthy habits around money. However, there is one thing that I believe was foundational to turning our finances around – and keeping it on a healthy path today. That thing was our commitment to tithe obediently and consistently. There is a “blessing current” that is charged and activated by our choice to be obedient in our giving.
For us, we have chosen to not set our tithe on an automatic standing order, but instead we manually give our tithe as the first thing we do from each paycheck. This practice allows us to be conscious about God’s faithful blessing, and for which we are grateful. The act of tithing has become a form of worship for us as we affirm our dependence on God. It keeps us in a place of clarity about God’s role as Provider. If I trust God is indeed my Provider, and I trust His word that He will reward my giving, then the act of tithing is about putting my faith into action. When I do not tithe, in effect the circuit of that blessing current is broken and broken circuits don’t work.
I believe God instructed us to tithe not because He wants or needs our money, but rather so that we play a role in activating His blessings for us. The invitation to tithe is really an invitation to obey God and in doing so, positions me to receive even more from God. It also helps me to correct my perspective that all I have is not “mine” but a gift from God. This shift in perspective alone helps to alleviate so much stress and worry and redirects my energy to focus on being a good steward of what God blesses me with.
Wherever you are in your financial journey, I invite you to consider making tithing a way you worship God and obey Him. If you are thinking “but I cannot afford to right now,” then take it from me (who also thought that way), you cannot afford not to. He will return your gift in multiples!
Do you need help getting your finances in order? Reach out to us at contact@jesuslifts.com.
