“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 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 there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
Malachi 3:8-12 (NIV)
I once heard a minister say, "You can't beat God giving!" I have to say, I have definitely come to see this proven in my own life. But, do I give because I expect God to give me more in return? No!
To me, giving or paying my tithes is an acknowledgement of God's provision in my life. It is an act of saying, "God you are my source and my provider!" It is a matter of giving God what is due to Him.
Actually, when we really look at it, everything that I am and that I have belongs to God. He is my creator, the one who has blessed me with the ability to do the things that I am able to do. He has blessed me with strength in my body, with the activity and use of my limbs. He has blessed me with the intellect to comprehend and communicate. He has invested gifts and talents in me, allowing me to do things that I would not otherwise be able to do. Of course, I could go on.
Anyway, about 5 years ago, my wife and I were faced with a very trying situation. We had made some bad decisions regarding our employment and finances, which caused a ripple effect, leaving us in the midst of a standoff with our mortgage company. We were on the verge of losing our home.
My wife and I, frustrated with our previous jobs, left them without another one in sight. I know, a very foolish decision on our part. As it turned out, we both ended up unemployed for about 3 months. During this period of time, we began to fall behind on our bills. We managed to get by for a while, robbing Peter to pay Paul, but it eventually all caught up with us.
We had gotten so far behind on our mortgage payments, that the mortgage company initiated foreclosure proceedings against us and would no longer accept payments. In order to prevent them from moving forward, we had to negotiate an acceptable repayment plan that would bring us current.
This process required us to list our income and expenses. What we had, once everything was listed, was a shortage of about $1,000 a month. As it turned out, this shortage was about the same amount as our tithe, which we had also included in our budget.
Once submitted, as you might imagine, our plan was rejected. This was due to the fact that our expenses exceeded our income and did not prove that we were able to afford to pay our mortgage, let alone get caught up on the past due balance.
We had saved our mortgage payments, borrowed from our retirement plans and received contributions from family and friends to assist. However, none of this would make a difference if the mortgage company would not agree to accept our repayment plan.
I recall the day that I had to call to speak with the gentleman that was responsible for our account. I felt rather intimidated and nervous, as this conversation would basically be the deciding point regarding whether my family and I would lose our home.
The decision came down to one issue...whether we would remove our tithe from our monthly budget or not. As the representative for the mortgage company explained, this would be the only way they were willing to work with us. However, with firm conviction, I let him know that I was confident that we could make the payments going forward, but that we could not stop paying our tithes.
He reiterated again, that this would be the only way that he could give his approval for a repayment plan that would prevent them from proceeding with the foreclosure. I expressed, once more, my sincere desire to work with them, but let him know that I could not withhold my tithe.
After realizing that this was not a point of negotiation, the gentleman asked me to hold. As I remained on hold for several minutes, it seemed like an eternity. Finally, he returned, letting me know that he was able to obtain the necessary approval to work with us. Hallelujah!!! Glory be to God!
Over the next several months, we were, in fact, able to bring our mortgage payments current. God has since blessed us to refinance our mortgage for less than our original interest rate and made provision for us make our payments every month, without falling behind again. God is faithful...all the time!
Though, I am often tempted to look at what I have in my hand as a limitation, God reminds me that it is only a seed for an abundant harvest that He desires to bring forth. So, I ask you today...is your faith in the seed you hold in your hand or in the one who made the seed and causes every harvest to come forth in its season?
This is just one of many stories that I could share of God's favor, provision, faithfulness and blessing. Over the years He has blessed us in ways that I never thought possible. But, I pray that this testimony will, in some small way, bless, encourage and inspire you.
To me, giving or paying my tithes is an acknowledgement of God's provision in my life. It is an act of saying, "God you are my source and my provider!" It is a matter of giving God what is due to Him.
Actually, when we really look at it, everything that I am and that I have belongs to God. He is my creator, the one who has blessed me with the ability to do the things that I am able to do. He has blessed me with strength in my body, with the activity and use of my limbs. He has blessed me with the intellect to comprehend and communicate. He has invested gifts and talents in me, allowing me to do things that I would not otherwise be able to do. Of course, I could go on.
Anyway, about 5 years ago, my wife and I were faced with a very trying situation. We had made some bad decisions regarding our employment and finances, which caused a ripple effect, leaving us in the midst of a standoff with our mortgage company. We were on the verge of losing our home.
My wife and I, frustrated with our previous jobs, left them without another one in sight. I know, a very foolish decision on our part. As it turned out, we both ended up unemployed for about 3 months. During this period of time, we began to fall behind on our bills. We managed to get by for a while, robbing Peter to pay Paul, but it eventually all caught up with us.
We had gotten so far behind on our mortgage payments, that the mortgage company initiated foreclosure proceedings against us and would no longer accept payments. In order to prevent them from moving forward, we had to negotiate an acceptable repayment plan that would bring us current.
This process required us to list our income and expenses. What we had, once everything was listed, was a shortage of about $1,000 a month. As it turned out, this shortage was about the same amount as our tithe, which we had also included in our budget.
Once submitted, as you might imagine, our plan was rejected. This was due to the fact that our expenses exceeded our income and did not prove that we were able to afford to pay our mortgage, let alone get caught up on the past due balance.
We had saved our mortgage payments, borrowed from our retirement plans and received contributions from family and friends to assist. However, none of this would make a difference if the mortgage company would not agree to accept our repayment plan.
I recall the day that I had to call to speak with the gentleman that was responsible for our account. I felt rather intimidated and nervous, as this conversation would basically be the deciding point regarding whether my family and I would lose our home.
The decision came down to one issue...whether we would remove our tithe from our monthly budget or not. As the representative for the mortgage company explained, this would be the only way they were willing to work with us. However, with firm conviction, I let him know that I was confident that we could make the payments going forward, but that we could not stop paying our tithes.
He reiterated again, that this would be the only way that he could give his approval for a repayment plan that would prevent them from proceeding with the foreclosure. I expressed, once more, my sincere desire to work with them, but let him know that I could not withhold my tithe.
After realizing that this was not a point of negotiation, the gentleman asked me to hold. As I remained on hold for several minutes, it seemed like an eternity. Finally, he returned, letting me know that he was able to obtain the necessary approval to work with us. Hallelujah!!! Glory be to God!
Over the next several months, we were, in fact, able to bring our mortgage payments current. God has since blessed us to refinance our mortgage for less than our original interest rate and made provision for us make our payments every month, without falling behind again. God is faithful...all the time!
Though, I am often tempted to look at what I have in my hand as a limitation, God reminds me that it is only a seed for an abundant harvest that He desires to bring forth. So, I ask you today...is your faith in the seed you hold in your hand or in the one who made the seed and causes every harvest to come forth in its season?
This is just one of many stories that I could share of God's favor, provision, faithfulness and blessing. Over the years He has blessed us in ways that I never thought possible. But, I pray that this testimony will, in some small way, bless, encourage and inspire you.
Thank you. I Have been struggling with trying to tithe way longer then I should. I know this is His command and obedience is what I should do. Thanks for your testimony. I see we must walk by faith and not by sight. Without faith we can not
ReplyDeleteplease him. Besides it all belongs to Him anyway. We actually get everything from Him. He owns it all. Who keeps us breathing and our hearts beating. Without Him we can do nothing.