Tithing- Let's discuss it

[shelly3girls]

I think that it is a shame that this has turned into a debate. No matter if it is "net" or "gross" whatever you give and tithe is between you and God. I will now put on my flame suit, but I feel that any non-Christians reading this thread will really get a bad impression about Christians and our criticisms of each other. I get back to "equal sacrifice, not equal giving." It is really no one else's business what we tithe or give, just God's and He knows what sacrifice each one of us is making. I wish we could just support each other as Christians in our desire to contribute to the good work of God's Hand.

I think about whether or not paying for Christian school is part of giving. I haven't really decided what I think and have not approached our pastor to ask his opinion. One Christian said to me that maybe it should be considered part of your giving since it is part of God's works. What better testament to God than to want to have your children in a Christian school learning to be a disciple. We do not consider it part of our tithe but do consider the money we donate to the school since it is run by our church.

 

[DMRick]

The way that some here make it sound is that they give so much that they must either make mega-salaries or they live in a hut.......

I hope people aren't taking it that way. Tithing came to the same percentage, back when my hubby was an apprentice, while we were both employed, and while we are now retired. Obviously, it was much more, when we were both employed. I know when my kids were small, and getting $1.00 for an allowance, that .10 that came out first, before savings, toys, and candy, was a large amount to them, and when they grew up and got the old McDonalds jobs, that tithe was just as big to them as when it was a dime. So it's not about how much anyone gives, but the tithe. And if you (you anyone, not you, you!) are giving it grudgingly, (GOD "LOVES" A CHEERFUL GIVER (2 Co 9:7) ) perhaps there is no point to giving it. I may just be speaking for myself, but for those who give, I believe we believe the tithe belongs to God. I would not feel right spending what I believe belongs to Him.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

the youth group fundraiser or the new building fund, knowing that I have a "stash" of cash I'm trying to save for a vacation.

No need to worry--I don't.

I contribute some--but I'm not Rockefeller....and when the kids are raising money for a mission trip or whatever---I'm not going to sacrifice my vacation when their parents aren't sacrificing theirs.

It's all relative--do what makes you feel good in terms of donating--when you have satisified that..you should not feel guilty that you've done your fair share and then are now using savings to go on a trip.

[note--not meaning to use fair share in the sense that it is about to get flamed ]

Oh--and I agree with DVCgirl in her reply to you!

 

[DMRick]

It's almost like there's a "keep up with the Joneses" element to all of this. We give 10%, oh but *we* give 10% of our gross income, not net....oh but *we* tithe *and* we give.

But the good thing is, you don't have to keep up with the Joneses. Everyones tithe would be different based on your own harvest. You don't have to worry about what anyone else is giving for their tithe. God judges us on what we know, and if you "know" you are suppose to give 10% of the gross, and you do, then you are doing what you are suppose to. If you know you are supposed to give 10% of the gross and you don't, well, that's also between you and God. If you "know" you are suppose to give 10% of the net, well then, that's what you know, and that's betwen you and God also.

There is a difference between tithing and giving, so I think that is why people mention that. Not to say, well I'm better than the next person, but to explain, when someone mentions giving, that the tithe is His..the giving is what you want to give, extra above the tithe. And no one has to respond here, and no one has to read here. I think it's great so that so many are even interested, even non Christians.

 

[dvcgirl]

I think that it is a shame that this has turned into a debate. No matter if it is "net" or "gross" whatever you give and tithe is between you and God. I will now put on my flame suit, but I feel that any non-Christians reading this thread will really get a bad impression about Christians and our criticisms of each other. I get back to "equal sacrifice, not equal giving." It is really no one else's business what we tithe or give, just God's and He knows what sacrifice each one of us is making. I wish we could just support each other as Christians in our desire to contribute to the good work of God's Hand.

I think about whether or not paying for Christian school is part of giving. I haven't really decided what I think and have not approached our pastor to ask his opinion. One Christian said to me that maybe it should be considered part of your giving since it is part of God's works. What better testament to God than to want to have your children in a Christian school learning to be a disciple. We do not consider it part of our tithe but do consider the money we donate to the school since it is run by our church.

I don't think this has been a bad or an ugly discussion. I'm one of the ones asking lots of questions and everyone has been cool with their responses. I'll admit that I've learned a lot about tithing, but I'm also a little confused about tithing...lol!

I think that the important thing to pull out of this entire thread is that there are a whole lot of people here who are *giving* to help others. Call it whatever you want, whether it's tithing to your church, giving to your favorite charity or a family member. Whether it's 5% or 20%, pre or post taxation, with or without benefits. Nothing *bad* can come out of that. I know many who are here have been in threads where we discuss living beneath our means. And now we're discussing giving. Two very good things IMHO.

I may not have the exact same priorities as some in this thread, meaning that I may give to family before charity, but I respect anyone who is giving money to help others. And so, I don't think all of you Christians have made yourselves look badly. Maybe you're arguing over semantics, but there's no harm there. I think many are reading this thread and thinking maybe they should be giving a little here and there too.

 

[sk!mom]

I think that the important thing to pull out of this entire thread is that there are a whole lot of people here who are *giving* to help others. Call it whatever you want, whether it's tithing to your church, giving to your favorite charity or a family member. Whether it's 5% or 20%, pre or post taxation, with or without benefits. Nothing *bad* can come out of that. I know many who are here have been in threads where we discuss living beneath our means. And now we're discussing giving. Two very good things IMHO.

Well said! You said exactly what I think: It is important to give to help those who are less fortunate than you. All the rest are personal decisions.

 

[Local_Girl]

I just found this thread tonight and have read through most of it...and I've found it very interesting and enlightening! Thank you to all who have posted.

To answer the OP's questions at the beginning of this thread, we tithe 10% (of our gross income). We believe, as many have already mentioned, that that 10% belongs to God...that He has given us everything, asks us to give 10% back, and we are expected to live on the remaining 90% of our personal income. Any other giving of money (other church offerings or various other charitable contributions) or time is not considered tithing...it is given in addition to the 10% tithe.

Personally, I feel that paying tithing is more about faith than it is finances. We have certainly struggled with paying tithing, for example, when it seems as though if we pay our tithe we won't have enough money to buy food that week...It has been our experience that when we have paid it anyway, things have always worked out. When we chose not to pay it, we seemed to struggle more. I can't say that any specific blessing is directly tied to paying a full tithe, but I can tell you that our family believes we have been blessed in many ways through paying tithing.

 

[disneymom3]

Personally, I feel that paying tithing is more about faith than it is finances. We have certainly struggled with paying tithing, for example, when it seems as though if we pay our tithe we won't have enough money to buy food that week...It has been our experience that when we have paid it anyway, things have always worked out. When we chose not to pay it, we seemed to struggle more. I can't say that any specific blessing is directly tied to paying a full tithe, but I can tell you that our family believes we have been blessed in many ways through paying tithing.

I agree with you to a degree but I also agree with the poster who talked about equal sacrifice. When DH was unemployed, we were giving $10 a week. Now, were we making only $100 a week. No, but at the same time we didn't have enough money to pay our bills or feed our children and we still gave. We gave what we had committed to in our pledge to our church. And yes, during that time when we honored our committment, all seemed to work out better financially. Was it "true tithing" according to some no, but it was true sacrificial giving and I think that honors God as well.

 

[DMRick]

I understand what you are saying..of course as parents we want to make sure our children are fed. I also want to share a story of when my husband's company went on strike. Because he was an apprentice, he couldn't get the strike benefits, as the company expected him to work. He couldn't get through the thousands striking for almost 4 weeks (and really didn't want to as he'd have to be working with these guys later). The strike was actually 12 weeks long, but after 4 weeks, they voted to let the apprentices in. We were out of money, he didn't qualify for unemployment or even welfare (since he technically, if he didn't mind four flat tires could have gotten into work). Hubby had a small weekend part time job that brought in a small amount of money and a day was able to be added to that. We prayed much about this, and just didn't know what we would do. What little money came in we tithed. Imagine our surprise when he called the mortgage company to ask for a 60 day stop of payment (they allowed that back then..you just paid the interest), to find out that someone (no idea how, since you sent your payment in with a coupon each month) had paid our mortgage payment for the next two months (I suspected our neighbor, as she worked at the bank that held our mortgage). This was over Thanksgiving, and 4 days before Thanksgiving, we had a basket with a turkey, food, and money on our front porch (we always suspected this was from the man who did our income taxes), when we went out in the morning. Our church held a "pounding" for us, the next week, and some gave (I assume over their own tithes) cash, as well as pounds of food to help us out, others had us over for dinner. Was all well? Well, no, it took a bit to get back up on our feet, but we definately felt blessed, and rich, not only with enough to feed our child, but in friendship. The person who mentioned the step of faith..I surely do agree, that sometimes that is just what it is.
But in any case, people are human, they do the best they can, and it's all between you and God, not any of us.

I agree with you to a degree but I also agree with the poster who talked about equal sacrifice. When DH was unemployed, we were giving $10 a week. Now, were we making only $100 a week. No, but at the same time we didn't have enough money to pay our bills or feed our children and we still gave. We gave what we had committed to in our pledge to our church. And yes, during that time when we honored our committment, all seemed to work out better financially. Was it "true tithing" according to some no, but it was true sacrificial giving and I think that honors God as well.

 

[muffy0110]

May I ask this-do you still sacrifice animals when you sin? If not, then why
do you follow other laws of the Old Law Covenant. Once Jesus died there
was no longer a need for the law ( Gal. 3:19)? He gave us two laws to
follow Love God first and with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your
nieghbor as yourself. Jesus told the Pharisees "on these two commandments
the whole law hangs"-Matt 22:39. The Bible says God loves a cheerful
giver ( not a cheerful giver of 10%). How about the widow who put in
two coins of little value-all she had. No one ran back to her and said "wait
you only need to give 10%". Also if God is love do you think he would demand
10% of poor people who could not afford to take care of their family. 1 Tim
5:8 tells us if anyone does not provide for his own household he is worse than
a man without faith-it does not say first give 10% then provide.

 

[TNKBELL]

Forgive me for having a bad memory, but does anyone remember that story in the Bible about a poor women giving one coin and Pharisees scoffing at her meager offering, and it was said that her one coin was worth more than all the gold and jewels the rich men gave because she had so little and yet gave what she had.
I think a good point has been made that tithing is between us and God and we can pray about which is the best way to tithe for our individual situations. I do believe that we will all be blessed!

 

[disneymom3]

DMRick--I didn't have a very long post about all of the amazing blessings we received during that time of hardship. It was a very long period--about a year and a half--and the things that would show up on our doorstep or land in our laps were truly amazing. I do feel that we were blessed during that time and I know that God was looking out for us. For instance, I was going out the door to go shopping for groceries one day. We had no money and I really hadn't figured out how I was going to buy food, but I had some cans of peas which I could serve, but really my children wouldn't eat and not much else in the house. The phone rang. It was the church secretary and she said that when she came in that morning there was an envelope on her desk with DHs name on it and she was leaving early so maybe we should come get it. So, I stopped at the church on my way to the store. In the envelope was a $100 gift card to Target and $100 in cash. Unbelieveable. We live near a Super Target and I was able to buy food afterall. Many many other provisions were made for us, but as I said, we weren't giving 10% and I just can't see that God would abandon us because we weren't living up to a certain percentage. Now, I have heard that many people are blessed beyond their expectations, and we are working toward giving more and working our way up in our total, but I am very uncomfortable like others on this thread about saying that God will only fully bless you if you give your 10%. (Not saying you are saying that personally.)

 

[Local_Girl]

disneymom3--

Sorry...I didn't mean to imply that God would abandon anyone for not paying tithing! I certainly don't believe that. But I do believe, and my church advocates this, that we are asked to pay a 10% tithe, and that we will be blessed for doing it. Doesn't mean those who don't pay tithing won't receive any blessings...just that those who do will be blessed for their obedience to that principle. I also agree with others who have said it is between each individual and God.

 

[muffy0110]

That's fine but it is not what the Bible says.

 

[DMRick]

Now, I have heard that many people are blessed beyond their expectations, and we are working toward giving more and working our way up in our total, but I am very uncomfortable like others on this thread about saying that God will only fully bless you if you give your 10%. (Not saying you are saying that personally.)

I'm glad you are not saying that personally, since I never said or implied that you would only get God's blessings if you tithed. I did share a story where we continued to tithe during a hard time, and still our family got through it. I was talking more about the faith another person had mentioned. For me, it's easy to follow Christ when the going is easy, and much harder when the going is hard.

 

[muffy0110]

Did you not feed your family or put clothes on your kids back. Because in
other 3rd world countries, people will go w/o feeding their kids in order to
tithe

 

[DMRick]

Muffy, tithing is not a "law" of our church, as in the old testament. It is a free will offering. It's not the way to heaven. I'm not understanding..are you saying tithing is not mentioned in the NT? Actually, in the new testament, "all" belongs to God doesn't it? Matthew 23:23, as well as Luke 11:42 is a couple places (among others) where tithing is mentioned in the New Testament.
But any giving, or tithing, is between each person and God. Tithing is not the way to heaven.

May I ask this-do you still sacrifice animals when you sin? If not, then why
do you follow other laws of the Old Law Covenant. Once Jesus died there
was no longer a need for the law ( Gal. 3:19)? He gave us two laws to
follow Love God first and with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your
nieghbor as yourself. Jesus told the Pharisees "on these two commandments
the whole law hangs"-Matt 22:39. The Bible says God loves a cheerful
giver ( not a cheerful giver of 10%). How about the widow who put in
two coins of little value-all she had. No one ran back to her and said "wait
you only need to give 10%". Also if God is love do you think he would demand
10% of poor people who could not afford to take care of their family. 1 Tim
5:8 tells us if anyone does not provide for his own household he is worse than
a man without faith-it does not say first give 10% then provide.

 

[DMRick]

Did you not feed your family or put clothes on your kids back. Because in
other 3rd world countries, people will go w/o feeding their kids in order to
tithe

I'm not sure who you are addressing. My family has never gone hungry or not had clothes. We have given in faith, when times have been tough, but I can't answer if kids in 3rd world countries have gone hungry because their family gave to God instead. Are you upset about this, because it has happened to someone you know?

If you prefer not to tithe, then that is between you and God..no one here is saying that you have to, or bad things will happen. You don't want to tithe? Then don't. Do what you believe is right. Will I argue with you about this? Nope. My belief is strong, and this is what I believe God wants for us.

 

[Local_Girl]

I agree with DMRick...

Our family believes that we should tithe. We have always had enough food and clothing for our needs. If you do not believe that you should tithe, it's between you and God, as is, really, anything else that you choose to do or not do.

 

[Duet]

I just found this thread tonight and have read through most of it...and I've found it very interesting and enlightening! Thank you to all who have posted.

To answer the OP's questions at the beginning of this thread, we tithe 10% (of our gross income). We believe, as many have already mentioned, that that 10% belongs to God...that He has given us everything, asks us to give 10% back, and we are expected to live on the remaining 90% of our personal income. Any other giving of money (other church offerings or various other charitable contributions) or time is not considered tithing...it is given in addition to the 10% tithe.

Personally, I feel that paying tithing is more about faith than it is finances. We have certainly struggled with paying tithing, for example, when it seems as though if we pay our tithe we won't have enough money to buy food that week...It has been our experience that when we have paid it anyway, things have always worked out. When we chose not to pay it, we seemed to struggle more. I can't say that any specific blessing is directly tied to paying a full tithe, but I can tell you that our family believes we have been blessed in many ways through paying tithing.