I have to ask myself what is of importance to me. What/Who has ownership over my life? Where is my heart? Is the kingdom of Jesus Christ above all things or are my bills above all things? I have seen God time and time again prove that he will see us through if we trust in him. This goes beyond tithing. In all areas of my life He is sufficient for me. Are we called to tithe in the NT? I do not think we are called directly. However, we are called to uphold the kingdom of God and I believe this goes beyond living a Godly life. This means supporting the local church so it can reach the lost for Christ. In a world where money is required for a church building to stand, I believe we are required to support our church and not just take from it. How much should we tithe? That I believe is between a person and God. While I do stand behind 10%, this doesn't mean this is all that Christians give or that this is only what is taught in the church. Most tithers I know offer above and beyond their tithe. EDITED: Opps! Changed If to Is.
I'd like to return to the point I made earlier about going into personal bankruptcy because of following a strict approach to tithing. Isn't that downright irresponsible and, effectively, stealing from others who have to pay higher bank charges etc. as a result? Yes, I hear the statement often that we cannot out-give God, but the statistics are there to see: Utah has the highest bankruptcy rates for a reason.
Yes, I agree. But is that because they're giving to God out of a pure heart, or because the church dictates what they are to give and they feel they have no choice in that? Will God honor giving that is done out of fear of man, rather than in faith of Him? A tithe is 10%. It is written into the budget. If 10% of their income is causing a person to go bankrupt, it's probably because they've spent the other 90% unwisely, outside of their means.
I would like to say I am skeptical about the reasoning behind Utah's high bankruptcy rate. Of course, I am becoming skeptical about a lot of things that people put out there as statistics, facts, and/or reasons. I am sure there are hundreds of thousands of people in Utah. I am also sure that some of the one filing bankruptcy are not Mormons. So unless someone shows me proof with numbers of every single one of the bankrupt homes and what religion they follow, I will not believe that the reason is a church mandate.
Well said Jackie. My thoughts exactly. If giving 10% is causing someone to go bankrupt than they have a budgeting/ spending problem...not a tithing problem.
Personally, I believe high bankruptcy rates are due to people living outside of their means and not within the means of God's provisions. I wonder how many of those bankruptcies would have taken place if people lived within the will of God and not within the will of their hearts desires. God IS sufficient and his provisions are sufficient because his will is sufficient. If we live outside of his will financially, then of course we are going to struggle financially. I hear very often people complaining about their bills. Yet they can't get rid of the cell phone. They can't get rid of the cable. They have to have the new car. They have to have the best the world can offer. Yet they forfeit the best God has to offer. ... and yes, I know our economy is in a major slump and people need the new car to get to work and our kids have to have the cell phone for safety purposes and we need our medication, etc... Still, I believe we are in a financial slump for living outside of our means. Basically, GREED! The problem isn't that God doesn't provide. The problem is that people outspend God and do very little prayer regarding how they should spend their money.
It's like if I were to go out on my own and buy a $300,000 based on Carl's current income, we WILL go bankrupt. No amount of tithing in the world will overcome a stupid choice like that. Unless we felt very strongly that God was telling us to go out and buy it, and that He would provide.... But we can't say, "I'm tithing, so I can spend the rest on whatever I want, and God will take care of it." That's just plain arrogant and self-centered.
I 100% agree! I will admit that I live in Utah currently I have to say after living here for 1 year I am sooooooo uncomfortable with the people here. Whether the people are mormon or not who are going bankrupt I don't know, but I can tell you just from living here that they are ALL living way outside their means. It is all about show and keeping up with the Jones' regardless of what it costs. Every single mother here gets surgery to look like barbie and it sickens me that they think they have to do that to fit it. During the year we have been here we have been mocked and judged and mistreated because we don't fit in. The reason we don't fit in, is because we don't have the newest nicest car and the biggest house and a brand new boat and ATV's etc. I was shocked that one of the biggest things we have been mocked for is having 6 kids. I thought mormons had big families and I was hoping that moving to Utah people would be ok with us having 6 kids. Aparantly we won't be judged by them if our 6 kids are perfect and always clean and neatly dressed and pressed and we have to have all the "extra" toys and gadgets. It isn't a problem with tithing here, it's a problem of not budgeting and living outside their means. Now, that being said, I don't think mormons are bad people, I think the mormons that live in Utah are...I don't know, but they behave differently and do things that I have never sen other mormons I know do. Maybe it's a utah mormon thing to have to fit in and be perfect or something. I have never seen this kind of behavior in the ones I know outside of Utah.
The Bible clearly teaches principles of good stewardship. Men, in particular, are told to take care of their families (which includes setting aside for the day he grows too old to work), and that if they won't work, they shouldn't eat either. It also clearly tells us (Mt. 6 is a great example) that God will provide for those who are doing their best to follow him. He knows what we need even before we ask. He doesn't guarantee us a shiny new car to show off at work, but He'll make sure we have a way to provide for our families. I think we fall into a trap of "how much of my money can I afford to part with?" when actually we should be asking "how much of God's money should I return to God to further His purpose on earth in teaching others His will?". Nothing on this earth belongs to us. Nothing. He truly does "have the whole world in His hands." Attitude is much more important than dollar amount.
I didn't read through this entire post's replies, so sorry if someone already mentioned it, but both the Greek and Hebrew translation for "tithe" means Tenth. Hope that helps!
I highly recommend the book By Nasir K Siddiki "Kingdom Principles of Financial Increase". He explains a lot about tithing being OT covenant and NT covenant. In our family and our house we tithe and give offering. Sure there have been times in our lives that we struggled to just pay our tithes knowing that a big bill was due. We had to stand on our faith in God as our provider. He has always come through. Sometimes it wasn't a monetary blessing but we were blessed none the less. I pray that each of search the scriptures for our own understanding on this subject and are able to hear the voice of God and do what he ask from each of us.
