via TJC
“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.” Mal 3:10. (ESV)
Early in my Christian experience I learned that when tithing that God’s blessing upon the nine-tenths, helps it to go much further than the ten-tenths would be without His blessing. I also learned to give cheerfully and not under compulsion.
Whatever your own thoughts about tithing … are you willing to trust God, even in very trying circumstances?
For me, trusting everything to God went from theory to practical when I was laid off from the Automotive industry. At the start, God asked if I would be willing to trust Him, by continuing tithing (and mortgage payments) while living off unemployment and savings. He said that I could test Him in this, while He would be testing my faith. I said, “yes”.
You can imagine that unemployment payments are not much, especially after covering the mortgage by myself (and compounded by an unplanned $10,000 expense for an emergency appendectomy). Each day I was very diligent to seek new work. Throughout this time, God would ask do I (still) trust Him?, and I say, “Yes”, and point to that week’s tithe check. This situation of meager income continued for 3 months, then 6 months, 9 months, a year … eventually it was 1.5 years before finding work in a new industry and location. Certainly much, much longer than anticipated. I have no good explanation for surviving financially beyond the miraculous.
Today, do you enjoy a steady paycheck? Though steady paychecks are a comfort, I learned, by trial, that when wholly trusting/following God (here, by continuing to tithe) He is faithful to meet my needs, no matter the income stream He choses.
“I Never Would Have Been Able To Tithe The First Million Dollars I Ever Made If I Had Not Tithed My First Salary, Which Was $1.50 Per Week.” —John D. Rockefeller
Daily Battle Order:
Tithing is an area where God says that we can test Him. But, tithing is really a heart-test. It means giving first to God before seeing if you will have enough. When tithing, we are saying to God, “I am putting You first in my life, and trust You to take care of the rest.” Tithing is primary evidence of putting God first. Are you willing to test God?
The men of the North and the South encountered many surprising challenges at the First Battle of Manassas, come and join us on June 11th at our Manassas Battlefield training in Manassas, Virginia to learn how they faced those challenges and trust God.