3 Ways Tithing and Giving has Changed My Life
For many people, money is their most prized possession. Money is something that is held tightly or saved for later use. To some it is even a tool that is spent on things and adventures for today. Truth is money is a resource that allows each and every one of us to live our daily lives in the manner in which we do, such as the clothes and shoes we wear and the food we eat each day. If we’re fortunate enough, it also enables us to have a place that we call home to lay our head. In addition to these things, it allows us to experience entertainment such as movies and sporting events to name a few. Money is the resource that allows us to do all of these things, so I totally understand the emotional attachment to it. I was there.
In my childhood, I was practically raised in the church due to my dad being a pastor. A word that is familiar to many people who grew up in the church and even those who didn’t, is tithe. Tithing is giving to God 10% of your income. Despite growing up in the church, I struggled with tithing the majority of my life. I gave here and there out of the dollars or change I just happened to have on any given Sunday. It wasn’t planned or budgeted. It was practically leftovers and crumbs. It wasn’t until a few years ago that my then girlfriend now wife (Hallelujah) met me at a frozen yogurt place that my attitude towards tithing shifted. After we sat down with our personalized froyo that consisted of some variation of sherbet, ice cream and gummies (mmm praise the Lord), she hit me with the line that scares most guys, “We need to talk.” My heart dropped, and began beating a million times per minute. She then stated that she is struggling with tithing. With a screeching voice, I blurted out MEE TOOO! Her sharing that and me admitting I was struggling with the same things was a turning point in our lives. That conversation was one of the most liberating conversations I’ve ever had. From that moment we vowed to tithe consistently and haven’t looked back since. In that moment, we experienced freedom in our vulnerability.
Over the next few minutes, I just want to share with you 3 ways tithing has changed my life.
Tithing and giving has helped me become more selfless. Tithing has made me more selfless not just financially, but in other areas as well. Before tithing, every dollar I had was my money. I went from controlling my dollars to stewarding God’s money. Part of stewarding God’s money is giving. Generosity has been one of the lowest scores on the spiritual gift tests that I took in my life. I think if I took that same test today, it would be different. Because my wife and I have postured our heart and finances at the feet of God, not only do we budget out our tithes, we have a budget for giving that we use to be a blessing to others. Being generous to other people has enabled me to not only be mindful of the needs that I have, but also ways that I can help meet the needs and serve others. Generosity has given me a sense of fulfillment.
Tithing and giving has allowed me see God’s power in and through my finances. Each year, my wife and I decide what our theme phrase for the upcoming year will be. This theme is always driven by our values. The past 3 years our theme has been “Exceedingly and Abundantly.” Ephesians 3:20 says Now to Him who is able to exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Every year we want to give more(percentage of income) than what we did the previous year. I will be the first that say that this doesn’t come without sacrifice. There have been times where we ask “God are you sure you want us to give this much?” What if we sit this one out?” But each and every time we have not only seen God move in our lives(not just financially), we’ve witnessed Him move in the lives of others. It’s weird that we’ve given more of our income each year but yet have been able to save more each year as well. The only thing that I can attribute to that is God is a lot better at math than we are.
Tithing and giving has helped me trust in and experience God in a deeper way. This one here goes well beyond where any dollar amount can go. There have been so many times over the past year alone where my wife and I have been in situations where our faith in God has been tested. For me the time that sticks out the most was on Christmas Day in 2018. Last year on Christmas, I rushed my wife to the ER due to her having extreme sickle cell pain. She was born with sickle cell anemia. The pain went throughout her body and completely zapped all energy. While driving to the hospital, I really thought that I was about to lose my wife. As I was sitting in the room while she was laying there in the hospital bed, I slowly began to get peace about the outcome as I thought about all the times I’ve seen God’s power move in our lives and how He remained faithful to us. A song artist once wrote “I’ve seen you move, you move the mountains, and I believe I see you do it again.” As we’re approaching the Holiday season almost a year later, we’ve haven’t been to the ER since, my wife is healthy, no sickle cell pain. God has been more than a provider, He’s been a healer, He’s been a mountain mover, He’s been a compass, and I believe He’s not done. I believe He’s still working.
My wife and I tithe to our local church, give to other nonprofit organizations monthly, as well as budget out dollars so that we can be a blessing to other people. Tithing and giving has completely changed my life. It has given my marriage a foundation built on Christ, not my own selfish desires. Giving has enabled me to see the world through the lenses of servitude instead of the eyes of selfishness. It has helped me see God move time and time again in my life and the lives of others. I’m aware that there are some of you that aren’t tithing or giving or probably not doing it consistently and that’s ok. I’ve been there. I encourage you to start somewhere and continue to increase it over time. Remember, God is a lot better at math than we are.