Christian Living

---

By the time Cindy and Ted pulled into the church parking lot Sunday morning, the tension had reached a crescendo of a deafening silence. As usual, the topic always turned to money on Sundays. Cindy wanted to tithe 10% of their income to the church each week, while Ted, panicked about the rumors of his company laying off fifty employees in the coming months established his opinion firmly that he needed the money more than God right now.

After feeling like she was greeting her friends with the tact and professionalism of Sandra Bullock in her latest movie, Cindy sat down in the sanctuary and let the words of her prayer spill over silently. “God, are we disobeying you? You see my heart and you know I want to please you. Please show me what we can do to be obedient in giving to the church.” Barely finishing her prayer, Ted sat down beside her and the music began.

They obediently stood with the congregation and began singing songs of praise to the Lord and Cindy’s heart instantly lightened. She gave a sidelong glance at Ted and hoped he felt the same. Too soon the music stopped and a hush fell over the congregation as the pastor opened his Bible to speak.

Ted squeezed Cindy’s hand as the pastor began talking about tithing. “Tithing”, the pastor explained, “is actually an Old Testament concept. It was a requirement of the Israelites to give 10% to the temple of everything they earned or grew. The New Testament does not state that Christians are required to submit to a legalistic tithing system, but it does include the importance and the benefits of giving. We should give what we are able; for some that will be 10%; for others it will be more; and for those who are struggling financially, it will be less. As James 1:5 reads, ‘if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him.’ I encourage you to seek the Lord on how much of a tithe your household should give to our church. Your offering should be with motives that are pure and your attitude should be one of worship to God and service to the body of Christ.”

The next verse came into focus on the screen and the pastor’s deep voice thundered, “As 2 Corinthians 9:7 states, ‘Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’ I know our economy is difficult right now and people are hesitant to part with their hard-earned money, but I assure you, your money is safe in the Lord’s hands and you can make no better investment then one that is eternal! I encourage you to seek the Lord’s wisdom and He will guide you on this issue. And one last important reminder I’d like to leave you with is this. I see a loving congregation who not only donates their hard-earned money to the Lord’s house, but your time and talents as well. You cannot discount these last two items since you are a valuable member of God’s family and tithing your time and talent to further God’s kingdom is something we cannot put a dollar sign to.”

The pastor closed his message and as Cindy pulled out her notebook to copy down the Bible verses that the pastor referenced, she was so thankful she didn’t allow their disagreement to keep her from church this morning! Her mind began to race with relief as she recalled the ministries that she and Ted were a part of as well. Ted squeezed her hand and she knew they would have a long talk on their way home that morning. For the first time she didn’t feel dread as the collection plate made its way around the sanctuary. As she was going to put her envelope into the plate, she noticed Ted place something into the plate at the same time. With a look of surprise, she grinned at her husband. Yes, God would give them wisdom on tithing and it looked like Ted had asked and received an answer already!

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE