Increase your income by tithing
By glblguy
This is a guest post by James Rouse who blogs at Capital Couples Finance where he writes about finances, relationships, and life in general. If you like what you read below, please head over and subscribe to his RSS feed.
The last year has been absolutely incredible in so many ways, not the least of which is my annual household income has increased by more than 30%. I haven’t found a get rich scheme. I haven’t sold anything substantial. I didn’t just graduate from college. I have begun tithing to my church and it has dramatically changed my life. Tithing can literally increase your income.
A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed this was possible. I haven’t even been baptized for a year. But, folks, it’s happened–it’s happening–and I really want to share it with you, not just for your spiritual health, but for your financial health as well.
A Reluctant Tither
I did not want to tithe to my church. My wife and I have a ton of debt. Our income was relatively low. We got by, but every month was a struggle and we tended to spend more than we earned. It was hard for me to accept that we needed to give 10% of our income to our church. How could we afford it? We were barely getting by!
We learned about biblical finances in January of this year through a sermon series given at our church and within a small group Bible study we participated in. After going through both and having studied the subject on my own, I didn’t really believe the Bible required that Christians give a true tithe to their churches. I believed it was an Old Testament requirement and that Christians did need to give, but it was up to each individual to set an amount.
My wife (who is a great Christian influence on me and a wonderful woman) wanted to tithe, so I compromised with her. We’d start giving 10% of our net income. Why should we have to tithe on the money that is taken from us involuntarily in taxes, I thought. Again, we could barely afford any giving in the first place!
Coming Around
But I finally gave in, and it was the best financial and spiritual decision my wife and I ever made. Why? Because God keeps his promises. Here’s the relevant promise, which is often called “The Challenge.” It’s the only place in the Bible where God says we can test him:
“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
”But you ask,‘How do we rob you?’
”In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty,“and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (Mal 3: 8-10 NIV)
How God Blessed Us This Year
My Job – At the beginning of this year, I was in a horrible job. In fact, it was the worst job I’d ever had. My prospects were virtually none. My boss was mean. Nobody liked working for her and everyone was trying to leave. Within one month of beginning tithing, someone I met (just this year at my church!) pointed me towards getting a job in the federal government, something I’d never considered before. To make a long story short, I got a job, make more money, have a great boss that values me, and have tremendous potential for advancement.
My Wife’s Job – She was working part-time for a non-profit (read: no money) and had a crappy boss as well. She had been trying to get a job for a while and had been interviewing without success. The same person at our church personally delivered my wife’s resume to someone in her office. Yada, yada, yada…she had a new job with the federal government within two months. Her income almost doubled and she’s only working about 10 more hours a week.
Showing Us New Ways to Make Money – My wife and I have recently begun looking for alternative ways to bring in money. I’ve started blogging. She’s looking into forming a non-profit. Our whole outlook has changed.
Helping Us Save Money – We’ve also changed the way we’re spending, saving, and shopping. We’ve radically reduced our expenses on our cable, insurance, groceries, etc. We’ve stopped paying more than we need to in so many ways, it’s been like another increase in our income.
Giving – We’ve given so much this year and I’m not trying to brag, I promise. I won’t get into exact figures, but we’ve given quite a bit and we still have more money than we’ve ever had before. I can’t express to you how good it feels to be giving money to our church, to be able to support something that has been such a blessing to my wife and I. It’s wonderful.
Disclaimer
I’m not telling you that Christians should tithe because of what we get out of it. That misses the whole point. The point is that God keeps his promises and that we need to have giving hearts. No matter what our financial situation is, we need to make room for giving because it blesses us in so many ways, some of which we may never understand. As I said earlier, it is the best financial and spiritual decision my wife and I ever made. I’m so glad we took that step of faith.
Photo by: Mr. Kris
August 16th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Excellent post! What more can be said? Thank you for such an encouraging read.
August 16th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Thank you for sharing your story! There was a time, in college, when I stopped paying my tithing as I should have. It wasn’t exactly a crisis of faith, but I was thinking of other things I could do with the money. Funny thing was that I was always scrambling to make ends. When I asked my parents for money one month, my mother gently asked me, “Have you been paying your tithing?” (Funny how a mother always knows.) Anyway, I took stock and decided to “prove the Lord.” I started paying my tithing again, and was amazed. I have been able to meet my needs every month since then, plus grow my wealth. I haven’t always had all that I want, but I always have what I need.
August 16th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Excellent post! In Malachi, where tithing is mentioned indepth, it is the only place in the Word where GOD actually challenges us to to put Him to the test. Everywhere else in the Scripture we are commanded not to test the LORD our GOD.
I came to follow Christ 30 years ago; I am now 41. I have tithed for most of the years I have had an income and I am TELLING you, tithing works! Jehovah Jireh has made a promise and He has done it for me and He will do it for you. The LORD WILL rebuke the devourer for your sake. The Almighty One will cause the enemy of your soul to pass over your spirit, soul and body. He will put a hedge of protection around that which is yours. He will enlarge your tent and give to you in abundance. I am a witness.
May our LORD continue to rain down blessings upon you, your family, your seed and their seed for generations to come for your obedience to Him and may ALLLLLLLL you do forever prosper! Amen! So be it! It is done.
August 16th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Thank you so much for this post. I really enjoyed it. I have increased my tithing recently and your post assured me I was heading in the right direction. Would love to read more on this topic!
August 18th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Excellent post on a difficult topic. Tithing seems counter intuitive but my husband and I have found God’s blessing flows as we honor Him.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Don’t forget about your “tither’s rights” that you only get by being a tither. God says He’ll rebuke the devourer for us if we are tithers. A personal example for me of this working was when my car got stolen. I prayed and told God that since His Word says He’ll rebuke the devourer for me since I’m a tither and a giver, that I wanted Him to get Satan’s dirty paws off my stuff and get my car back for me. About 2 hours later, I drove my son to work and while I was waiting at a traffic light to drive home, my stolen car drove past me! I hung a U-turn and followed my car into the drive through line at Mcdonald’s. I pulled in front of my car while the 18 year old gang banger and his girlfriend were ordering at the drive through, got out, and told them to get out of my car NOW, and then called the police to help me in the recovery of my stolen vehicle. God is sooooo good and faithful and keeps His Word. Thank you Jesus!
August 20th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Shelley, I was with you up until ‘gang banger.’ Was that even necessary? I’m sure Jesus wouldn’t go around calling people ‘gang bangers.’ Just a thought.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:56 am
It’s funny, I’ve got a similar story to some degree. We started tithing to our church more regularly earlier this year. Right around the same time I started blogging as well. I only recently realized that the month I started tithing is the same month that I started making a little bit of money on my blog. And when i searched deeper I realized the amount we were tithing was almost exactly the amount I made on the blog.
Again, I don’t think there is a 1 to 1 correlation with tithing and monetry enrichment – but i do think God will bless you whether it is in your finances, or other areas.
August 22nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Great post! I am glad you wrote it because people need to hear it. Every single time we have been doubting whether or not it was worth it, God has shown himself strong!! He watches over His word to perform it!!
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 am
Beth, To clarify why I used that terminology, the guy that was driving my stolen car was an 18 year old drug dealer from Chicago with fake ID who’d rented my car from a local crack smoker, who was the actual car thief. I’m from a smaller town, and gang members will secure a house for out of town drug dealers to stay at and sell crack out of. It was a much shorter way for me to let the reader know what the man was involved in, without going into all this detail. That was why I described him as such. By the way, Jesus wasn’t always warm and fuzzy in His descriptions, like when He called the Pharisees a brood of vipers.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:01 am
It seems that tithing is a heart issue not a percentage or hard rule. When we are open to allowing God to change our hearts and having faith our actions and our situations change too. You can give 20% out of your abundance out of requirement just your normal planning and it fails to engage your heart and faith. Yet for others 2% out of there small income is a larger step of heart and faith. Just my thoughts.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I really appreciate your post!
I know it sounds contradictory but tithing pays off. I remember my own situation over 20 years ago. I was broke and owed “everybody” money. The day after payday would come and I was just as broke as the day before payday. There simply was not enough money to go around.
It was during this time that I came to the Lord in a dramatic way. I got a hold of this teaching and began to put it to practice. Several weeks after I started, I got more than $5,000 back from the IRS!! Over the course of the next few months, I was able to finish my degree and I got promoted. During a particularly blessed one-month period, I got TWO raises! I kept faithful to a payment plan and, after about 8 years, I paid my bills off.
I’ve learned that when you surrender your finances to the Living God, He can work the miraculous on your behalf.
I KNOW that tithing works from the negative side as well. During a temporary period of several weeks, I was without a home church. I did not tithe. I thought this was a legitimate way to save money. However, my car broke down during that time and there was definitely the sense that the “devourer was not rebuked for my sake” (Malachi 3:11). I couldn’t WAIT to join a church and begin tithing again. It works!
I agree with Happy Rock that tithing is a heart issue. Frankly, if your heart isn’t in it, keep the money in your pocket. II Corinthians 9:7 confirms this. The very next verse, however, confirms that cheerul giving is an avenue by which God’s grace can abound.
Tithing need not be limited to 10%. However, tithing should be AT LEAST 10% as, by definition, “tithe” means the tenth part in Hebrew.
March 7th, 2012 at 9:38 am
I couldnt agree more with this article!! Tithing changed my life, I was totally against tithing before, I thought, the church doesnt need my money, the preacher and his kids druve lexus and live in a nice house and I live in a dump and drive a clunker!! WRONG. Then I got a job at the church when I lost jobs due to the house melt down and one of the rules to work there was you had to tithe. After the first or second time i was addicted to it. I cant imagine my life without it it now. Jesus told the rich man to sell all this things, so we should be greatful that the God of creation didnt ask that of us. Its 10%, $10.00 of 100.00, here you go Lord, have it, keep the lights on in church, the heat the air, the upkeep the rent the preacher can be a full time preahcer and not to mention missions, go and preach the good news off my 10%!! It gave me purpose when I had none. Also, though the economic melt down had hurt us badly, we are living in the nicest place weve ever lived, ive got a paid off car that is very nice, my kids are healthy and alive and my husband has grown in leaps and bounds closer to the lord my God. Its not a money thing, its a heart thing, what is the most important thing to you.Are you willing to give what God said give so the kingdom of the Lord can advance? Now I thank God for allowing me to be part of His awesome plan to set the captive free and heal the broken hearted. Jesus said it is good to tithe, and now everyone a soul gets saved in your church, you know that you can count that to your ever lasting account for helping a soul out of darkness and despair and hopelessness into the arms of the lord who is waiting with open arms. Thank you Lord. It does work in the negative too, dont tithe and see how often you get sick and have to pay a Dr. or how often your car needs more work and extra expenses just show up. God is a jealous God…. Be Blessed, what a wonderful article. I wish everyone in the world was a tithe paying christian, then we could all share and pay for medicine. The next time an unbeliever says “if theres a God, why are kids starving?” id say, becasue you dont do your part!
August 26th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Great. Another person pushing God as a holy vending machine. Put in money, get stuff back.
April 10th, 2013 at 7:39 am
LOL Tithing is not even biblical.
Abraham gave 10% of “everything” from the spoils of war. So anyone using this example advocates war and obtaining spoils and giving 10%.
The Old Testament tithe was more than 10% of FOOD for the Levites. It was never money. Money and Gold were seperate donations for the building of the temple. This includes the famous Malachi five 10% or be cursed verses FOOD.
Again the New Testament talks about tithing of food including Jesus himself. The giving is too the Levites. Of course all Church staff and leaders are Levites!
Tithing does not “work” I know many people who tithed themselves into poverty and the church did nothing. For those who say it worked it is God looking after you despite you obeying old testament laws (incorrectly) and nothing to do with “putting god first”
As one blogger correctly said it is a heart issue give all you can give without compulsion. We cannot serve God and Money but we are under Grace not OT laws.
April 13th, 2013 at 1:34 pm
I’m only 16 and my parents won’t allow me to get a job, instead, I get an allowance. I just want to say that daddy LORD is incredibly faithful. I see my allowance as my income and each time I give to GOD, HE has always surprised me. For example, I felt that I really needed some new clothes and shoes, out of the blue, my parents bought me new clothes. My allowance doesn’t seem to run out when I tithe and daddy LORD always seems to surprise me with extra money I don’t expect. I just want to say that GOD is solo good and HE just seems to love blessing and surprising HIS children. Also, when I’ve given to my heavenly daddy, I’ve actually noticed blessings in things other than materially; such as, my peace of mind and my health. GOD is sooooo Good :)
April 27th, 2014 at 11:53 am
I migrated to a European country where English was not the official language so I was worried about my prospects of getting a job but after starting to tithe even though I was jobless, two companies that were looking for customer service representatives have made two job offers to me and I am to start working in one of them next week. My brothers and sisters, tithing works. Obey the Lords command and he will reward you abundantly
November 16th, 2014 at 8:31 pm
Anna,these are only result testimonies. You don’t really know the original intent of their giving. And Jesus did say we should tithe. And he was not talking about food and booty. I have thought the same as you, but I refuse to not tithe just because I think I can’t afford it. Maybe it’s time to get our foot in the door and stop playing comfort games like the spiritualists.