Testing the Tithe

Why not try the tithe?

That was my encouragement this past weekend as we move into Lent, which started .  Lent is the 40 day period leading up to Easter.  For hundreds of years the church has used this as a time of spiritual preparation for celebrate Easter.  Many people "give up" something, like meat on Fridays, coffee, chocolate or reruns of the Bachelor.  I want to encourage you to do that if it is meaningful to your faith, while also encouraging you to "take up" something.  For the next six weeks why not "try the tithe?"

Tithing is the biblical practice of giving 10% of what you make to God.  If this is new to you, here is how you start.  Take 10% of what you take home after taxes and place that in the offering each week at a gift to God.  If you bring home roughly 600 dollars a week, a tithe is 60 dollars.  If you make 2,200 dollars a week, a tithe is 220 dollars.  If you make 10,000 dollars a week, please contact me personally.  If you try the tithe for the next six weeks several things will happen.  

First, you will feel the stretch and likely a dose of fear early on.  Just like the first few steps of a jog or a workout you will wonder "should I even try this?"  And the enemy will try to convince you the numbers won't add up.  This is natural.  

But second, you will start to see God at work.  God has a habit of taking full responsibility of the lives that are fully entrusted to him.  Generosity is the toughest arena of life for many of us to trust God.  Tackle this one and you will be amazed at the work of God - you will get to see God's work in your day to day life in the most obvious ways.  

Third, after a little bit of seeing God at work in your life and finances, you will want to do more - very few people who tithe JUST tithe.  That is the secret of the Christian model of generosity.  Nothing feels or lives God's power better than out-giving where you once were - and no one believes it until they experience it!