The Benefits of Tithing

Recently we heard a man give this testimony about learning to give. 

I was telling a friend about my financial woes.  He asked me if I tithed.  I laugh at this now, but my answer was, “I can’t afford it.”
Then he said to me, “Well, it doesn’t sound like your method is working very well.  Maybe you should try God’s method and start tithing.” 
After I started to give, I realized that God not only blessed my giving by stretching my finances to meet my needs, but I was able to give far more than the tithe because God began to give me extra money so that I could give it to missions.

In another church there was a flyer in the bulletin about the differences between tithers and non-tithers.  While I had always believed in my heart that tithers seem to do better financially, I had never read of anyone trying to prove it.  I don’t know how broad the survey was, but the survey done by State of the Plate told a statistical story that reinforced my beliefs.  Part of their findings can be found on their website:  www.stateoftheplate.info.
Here are some of the things that the study discovered.

• Tithers make up only 5-20% of most congregations, but they give 50–80% of the church’s monies.
• Eighty percent of tithers have no credit card debt, 74% have no car payments, and 48% own their own homes.  As Brian Kluth, founder of the study says, “The weird thing is, a tither looks at that and says to himself, 'Well I'm better off because I give.' A non-tither looks at that and says, 'Oh, they give because they're better off.'"
• Most tithers (77%) give more than 10% of their income. 
• Almost all (96%) tithers attend church every week.  Perhaps this is an evidence of Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34:  “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  People give to what they treasure and they treasure what they give to.

As I read the study, I began to wonder.

• If everyone tithed, what would the church be able to accomplish?
• If every young person learned to tithe, would they be less likely to leave the church when they became adults?
• If every Christian throughout history had tithed, would the work of evangelizing the world have been accomplished by now?

Of course, I do not know the answers to those questions, but the statistics from State of the Plate do make you wonder.

What If?

Thoughts on giving.

I sat thoughtfully after the service and considered my own giving.  I thought I was doing well since I was giving more than the 10% that was expected in my circles.  Yet today the preacher had shifted my thinking.  It wasn’t that 10% belonged to the Lord and the rest belonged to me, but it ALL belonged to Him.  I was only the caretaker, the investor of His funds.  Even if He was being generous with the “salary” I received for taking care of His investments, was I spending more on myself than He would expect?

That experience took place a long time ago.  Since that time, I have tried to be sure that the money I spent from my salary (in whatever job I had at the time) was necessary.  Just because I had the money was not a reason to spend it.  After all, God might have a better use for it.  I have grown in my giving to a larger percentage than I once thought possible.  But still, I still need to check my habits and make sure that I have not fallen into the worldly mindset that says this money is ours.

One Sunday night I was so pleased to see several children come to the special offering for us with dollar bills in their hands.  It pleased me in so many ways.  I am pleased that their parents are teaching them to give.  I am pleased that they considered us worthy to take their gifts and use them well.  I am pleased that God is teaching them to invest in eternal things.

So once again I began to think.  What if? 

• What if some of us took the view of LeTourneau who decided he would live on only what was necessary?  He kept extending his giving rather than his expenses.  The Lord blessed him and by the time he died, his giving had increased from 10% to 90%.
• What if every adult in the church decided to increase their monthly giving to missions by $5.00 and every child by $1.00?  In some churches, that could mean that several missionaries could be added and current missionaries receive a raise.
• What if we asked for money to be given to missions instead of exchanging Christmas presents?  Did you know that most missionaries see a reduction in income in December because of increased expenses?  Wouldn’t it be nice if they saw an increase instead?
• What if we taught our children to keep their wardrobes down to what they need by setting an example for them ourselves?
• What if we asked the question every time we bought something, “Do I need this more than the Lord needs me to send the money to one of His projects?”
• What if every time we said “no” to that specialty coffee or meal out, we took the money it would have cost us and gave it to the Lord?

In the past, I have heard some creative examples of coming up with more money.  One woman decided to reduce her visits to the beauty salon so she could give that money to missions.  A family trying to make ends meet planted an extra large garden and took an additional row of their garden to give to the Lord. 

I could add more examples and ask more what ifs.  But the real question is, Does my checkbook look like Jesus owns it and I’m just the treasurer?  Or does it look like it’s mine and Jesus gets what I decide?