A sweet young friend asked me this week what my opinion was on tithing. I thought I would share my answer to her with all of you.
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"Hi there! Funny you should ask that question, because I think my views on this topic have actually changed just this year. My whole life I've held a rather staunch opinion on not paying your 10% being a sin. I looked at it like an ordinance required of us, I suppose. I learned that from multiple sources. But, about 6 months ago Nick and I listened to this short video from the ministry No Greater Joy:
http://youtu.be/xpdiHbbm8og
We highly respect this ministry and have gained so much from their books, tapes and newsletters. But, this was the first time I had EVER heard tithes explained this way.... And it made total sense to me.
If I could sum up what God has been continuously teaching me the last several years: it's that my thinking tends to be very legalistic- very Old Testament. Now some people view a "New Testament" mindset as all that grace and love and liberty giving you some sort of license to sin. (They obviously have not read all of Romans!! :)
To me, the New Testament is just the opposite. It doesn't destroy the old law, it fulfills it. It requires even more- because it requires your heart. No longer is it sufficient to perform these physical tasks and "keep all the rules". God wants every inch of our heart and our will. He wants our thoughts pure, our motives pure... He wants us to desire the best for our brother, and He wants us to give everything! If we are really invested in Gods kingdom, and want souls to be saved, and want to help the poor and needy and this is truly our hearts cry... We are gonna want to give SO much more than 10%.
Nick and I were paying our tithes, and when we heard this video, we decided we needed to start putting most of our funds toward paying off our debts- we decided that was the best stewardship of our money right now and would free us up tremendously for giving in the future. Our goal right now is to stop being a "servant to the lender" (as Proverbs puts it) and get debt free.
We still give special offerings and sponsor a little boy through Compassion monthly- but, we realize now that God is not going to be angry at us or punish us for not paying 10% every month. He sees our heart whether we are paying or not, and for once I think our heart is right on the subject.
We grudgingly gave for years. That isn't what God wants. He wants you so consumed with Him that giving is as natural and enjoyable as breathing."
*Dont forget to click the link above and watch the (entire) video. You aren't allowed to comment if you don't :D
1 comment:
I heard a man say one time, he had a lot of medical debts he had to pay off, but he kept a record of when he couldn't tithe and later when he became debt free; he paid his tithing debt. I thought that was really neat that he was so convicted to pay his tithes that he kept a record of it. I wish I could say the same but I can't. I have bought things that I just wanted at times when I should have been giving that money to support God's work.
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