Since I became a born-again believer in 1999, I have thought a lot about the subject of giving and tithing. I know this can be a controversial subject for many people. Actually, not to beat around the bush, but some people can get down right angry and offended about it. It seems like when the subject of money comes up, and how one might have to part with a portion of it regularly, even the most devout Christian can get a little squirmy sometimes. The truth is we all have to fight selfish tendencies and feelings, and we will always have to fight those tendencies as long as we live on this earth.
If you have ever been a part of any evangelical or non-denominational church or if you have ever even attended one service at those type of churches the odds are pretty high that you have heard about the prophet Malachi. He seems to get pretty popular right after the songs are sung and right before the main message begins. There are several verses in the book that Malachi wrote that are probably pretty familiar to you:
"8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts" (Malachi 3:8-11).
There's a lot in there and I've heard a lot of teachings on it over the years, some good and some not so good. For the moment I want to focus on one part of these verses because the Lord really used this topic to show me His goodness and I wasn't really serving Him or even really born-again yet at the time! (The interesting thing about the Word of God is that the principles work because it is the Truth, whether you follow them on purpose or not). So, focusing on verses 10 and 11, I will tell you my story.
When I was a senior in college, I was attending the campus Catholic church semi-regularly. Really I was attending it when it was convenient or when I wasn't being lazy, but some point during that year I began to attend it fairly consistently for some reason. Over the years I had heard some readings, gospel passages, and homilies about stewardship and giving. I had never really done the giving thing except every once in a while even though I had a steady job on campus the whole time I was attending the school.
One day I remember getting in my car after one mass and a thought just popped into my head, "I think I should start tithing from my income." I was vaguely familiar with the term but I knew that it had to do with ten percent. God can be pretty stealthy when He wants to be and He got me to think it was my thought real quick. So I started to give ten percent of every check (on the net).
I didn't really give it much thought after that, it just became something I did and I went on with my life. Well, a funny thing happened pretty soon after that day that would really change my life. One day we had a work meeting for all the cafeteria workers at my dorm and they surprised all of us with a raise. This was an unusual practice for them. We had received regular raises over the previous three plus years that I had worked there, but never outside of the set time. Everyone was pleasantly stunned at the news.
For me, it went beyond that though. Somehow, I knew, I knew that I knew that I knew, that I had just received that raise (that everyone had just received their raises) because I had made the decision to give. The crazy thing is, these verses in Malachi were not that familiar to me. Or at least I don't think they were that familiar to me. It has been seventeen years ago so my memory is a little fuzzy on that part. Anyway, the point is that I had just (inadvertently) put God to the test and He had just met the challenge!
I was blown away! Here I was, not really serving Him in any other area, my life not right with Him, but in this one area I had conformed to the Word and it had proved true. It would actually take another several months for me to surrender my life completely to Him but I have never forgotten that lesson. I have since heard those verses many times over the years as I have attended those evangelical, non-denominational type churches, but the best teaching I ever received on it was my own experience with the Lord.
My family and I continue to give today and the Lord has always come through for us. I won't say that we've always had an abundance for everything we wanted nor will I say that I've always made the best financial decisions but we've either had what we needed outright or we had the wisdom and grace to get it or find it. God has been faithful in this area and I am continually amazed at His goodness to us.
I think I should stop for now, but next time I would like to share some about Paul's practical advice for giving in the New Testament and more of our story along with some practical tips that have helped me and my family. Thanks for listening. Talk at ya later!
Phillip