Tithing – giving 10% of your income or earnings away to others seems like a no-brainer to me. It always amazes me how there are people out there who seem to spend their lives trying to find ways or excuses or verses from the Bible as reasons not to give money away to widows and orphans or anyone who needs it – to neighbours and such like.
But really – why would God ever not require, or want us not to do this? What part of being a Christian would anyone think meant not giving of one’s income to others. I don’t need the Bible to tell me this – it’s simply the right thing to do. Even my non-Christian friends give money away to charities and are more generous than most of my Christian friends who are living so much on grace – they forgot what the most important love of all is (according to Jesus) CHARITY – yes giving stuff away – time and money!
This is not about is being ‘religious’ – this is about just being generous – it’s about goodness – doing what’s right in the community. People write books and essays on why we shouldn’t give money away as tithes. Sure we all know their are false prosperity teachers we should avoid like the plague (Hillsong and others are money making rackets in my opinion – you are free to convince me otherwise but 3 plate calls in one meeting is taking the biscuit). God has given us everything and asks for just 10% back for his suffering servants (not to line church elders pockets of course which in many cases it does).
The fact is – 10% makes no difference to a persons lifestyle be they poor or rich. 10% of a small amount of money is a tiny amount and not going to send someone already struggling to their grave. If you have 10 cents and now you have 9 – what’s changed? Equally 10% of a million pounds is still nothing in comparison to what you had in the first place. So 10% is a fantastic figure as everyone can afford to give away 10% even if they have almost nothing! That’s why God said 10% – He’s not stupid. As I said, I don’t need to Bible to tell me giving 10% is right – when I know instinctively know by the spirit of God. So let’s start being generous with not only our money – but I would argue that more precious thing that nobody wants to give – their time!
Do I always want to give away my hard-earned money? Now that’s another question, that I believe lies at the heart of the debate and is the real reason people will look under every rock and stone to find an excuse not to – rather than read the plain and simple Bible command to give – not to be blessed but to bless others as we have been blessed.
