Giving Principles
Filed under: Blogging, Christianity, Money, Practicals of Life
As you may know, Stephanie and I have really taken an aggressive approach lately with our finances. I’ve talked about a few of things we’ve done on this blog such as: Attacking Debt and having a financial plan as well as my recent post on Creating a Zero-based Budget.
As I was doing some reading from the Bible, there were some major principles that stuck out to me that have shaped our view of money and of giving it away. There are many people with needs in the world, but one of the greatest needs of all is to know that God is really there and that He really does care about you and works through people like us to show that He cares. One really great way to do this is in our giving. It doesn’t always have to be monetary, but on an ongoing basis I believe that writing giving into your budget (above and beyond tithes) is financial wisdom, tons of fun and has the side benefit of God’s blessing.
Giving teaches us to be unselfish
We Americans are some of the most selfish people in the world. When we give it teaches us to not hold onto things and only think of ourselves, but helping out other people and the world around us. Giving moves us one step closer to selflessness. And if you don’t think you are very selfish, go ahead and get married; then you will know how selfish you are. I love that giving helps me to get rid of my selfishness (still got a ways to go) because that helps me to get closer and closer to being more Christlike.
There are many ways people go about giving, but in every situation here are some principles from 2 Corinthians 9 that we should take to heart and have at the front of our minds when we create next months budget sheet.
Principle #1: Sowing and Reaping
“He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” 2 Cor. 9:6
This is a great principle and uses the illustration of sowing and reaping. When we sow a seed that is great (proportionate to what we have), it is not gone never to be seen again, we will reap a great harvest from that seed. I don’t see this as a “prosperity message”, but this harvest that we reap could be financially, spiritually or physically.
Also remember that the measure of a bountiful gift that we sow is in proportion or to what we have. So looking at that in percentages, it means the greater percentage of your income that you are giving, the greater harvest you will be reaping.
Make a goal from month to month to increase the percentage of your income that you are able to give above the 10% tithe.
Lets say you are giving 10% of your income for tithes. Start out by giving 1% or 2% if your situation is really tight, or start at 5% or 10% if you are able. Then do this on a consistent basis each month asking God to help you increase your giving by 1%. If you did this for 2 years and increase giving 1% every month, you would be giving away at minimum 34% of your income EVERY MONTH!!!.
Ask God to increase your ability to give and water the seed that you are able to give each month. God will answer your prayers and soon you will be giving more than you ever thought you would be able to give.
Principle #2: God loves a cheerful giver
“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Cor. 9:7
Giving is something that will be different for each person, and each one of us will start in different places. Do not let someone else’s goal or ability to give be the bar you are looking at or judging yourself by. Seek God for yourself each month and ask where He would have you give and how much. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Bless a friend
- Bless a bunch of friends
- Find a need in your community and fill it
- Find a need outside of your community and fill it
- Talk to your pastor, he probably knows some of the needs within your church.
- Secretly give someone an envelope full of cash and tell NO ONE that you did it
One of the biggest thing to remember while doing this is that giving is FUN. Do it cheerfully. Have fun giving your money away. Also know that the more you do it, the more fun it is and the more fun you will have. Never let it be a gift out of necessity. Giving is too fun to do it with a clenched fist.
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June 18th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Adam,
I preferred to send you a private email but that option is not available on your website.
I certainly don’t question the intent of your message but it contains a very popular error. It seems to me that you think or assume that all Israelites were required to tithe since you seem to imply that giving starts above the ‘tithe’ or 10%. If that is what you believe then please consider what the Bible actually taught the Israelites to do rather than what the popular idea of ‘tithing’ has become. Here are some facts about Biblical tithing most of which are not ever spoken about.
None of the ‘tithing’ that occurs now has any connection to the definition of tithing contained in the Bible. (other than to mention 10%)

In a nutshell, the were four tithes. 1)The Levitical tithe required those who raised crops (not everyone and not all professions - just those who raised crops) to give 10% of that to the Levites. This tithe only occurred 6 years out of the 7 year cycle. It also required those that raised 10 or more animals to give each tenth animal that passed under the rod to the Levites. If a person raised less than 10 animals, they were NOT required to tithe.
2) From what was given to them, the Levites in turn had to give the very best to the priests.
3) The festival tithe required that those who raised crops or animals to set aside 10% for the annual festivals. It was for the people to have a party and consume the food joyfully and alcoholic beverages (strong drink) if they wanted.
4) The Poor tithe occurred only in the 3rd and 6th years of the seven year cycle. This was set aside for the poor. The ppor were not required to tithe.

All tithes were always food and NEVER money.

you can study the detail on this at http://www.inyourbible.com, where, if you have a high speed internet connection, you can view or download a series of 10 - 30 minute lessons titled “The Truth About Tithing”.

Abrams Tithe’ is clearly is NOT the precedent setting example that we have been told. For starters, Abram did not give his own money.

We should be generous but the poor widow is NOT our example. She was being plundered by church leaders. 

There is no single formula for Christians to be able to judge for themselves whether they are generous or not. Each person needs to hear from God for themselves and enjoy - as you have pointed out - what they can give.
George
June 18th, 2007 at 11:18 am
@ George: Thank you George for commenting, and welcome to the site!
I believe that each person should manage their finances and their giving as they see fit. Every Christian should look and research for themselves in the scriptures what they see God says about tithing and giving and not just believe what a pastor or leader says from the pulpit. We should each take on this faith as our own, and thus be stewards of the word.
That being said this is what I believe about tithing. I believe that all of the money we receive is God’s and that we are to be managers of it. We are not to get too attached or hold on to anything, but He has given it to us to steward for His purposes.
I do not believe the Bible says that we will go to Hell if we do not tithe. I believe the tithe is a scriptural mandate (Gen. 29:22; Deut. 14:22; 26:12; Lev. 27:30; Neh. 10:38; Mal. 3:8-10; Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42; Luke 18:11-12) and was not instituted for God’s benefit (because He already has all the money He needs, he doesn’t need our money).
Tithing was created for our benefit. I believe tithing teaches us how to consistently keep God first in our lives and shows us how to be unselfish people. When we are unselfish people, we make better husbands, wives, friends, relatives, employees, and employers. I believe that God is teaching us how to prosper over time. In the book of Malachi, God promises that if you do not rob Him of your tithes, He will rebuke your devourers and protect you.
I believe whether poor or rich, if you cannot live off of 90% of your income, you cannot live off of 100%. Jesus didn’t beat people up about tithing, so I don’t think anyone should condemn anyone for not tithing, so I do not mean to do that here. But rather I want to encourage all of you to keep tithing and giving. Be generous and live well beneath your means. Read the Bible for yourself and if you tithe, do it out of love for God, not guilt.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:22 am
I’m interested in seeing follow-ups to George’s post.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Interesting… The idea the the 10% tithe as we know it today is not taught and/or required by the Bible is definitely something I haven’t encountered before.
But regardless of that, I would say that the principles of sowing and reaping and of being a cheerful giver are still great principles to think about. I also think that increasing the amount you are giving gradually over time is a great, practical way to challenge yourself in this area.
And I agree with Adam, giving is fun!
June 18th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
@George
I think you raised some really interesting points and you obviously have done some research on this topic. However, I do see some flaws in your argument.
You argued that money was not the thing that was required to tithe, but crops and animals were. I would say we need to look at this in context. Back then, money was not the primary source of increase. In fact… did they even have money? I don’t know.
Animals and crops is what their wealth was based off of and off of that wealth they were asked to tithe. Our modern day cultures wealth is based off of money, not animals, so I believe that is where we are called to tithe.
Also, you stated that if a person raised less than 10 animals they were not required to tithe. You seemed to imply that lower wealth/income negated your from the requirement to tithe.
I would disagree because I think there was a different reason for God implement this rule. Now I obviously can’t speak for God, but I would guess that God put this measure into place for purely practical reasons. To tithe on 9 animals would mean to cut one in half…(I guess that would mean only having one animal you would just need to cut its tail off?).
I appreciate you as a fellow believer and am glad we can engage in this conversation about biblical principles from differing view points. Keeps things interesting.
June 18th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Wow, this is a cool discussion. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the word tithe in the New Testament at all so I would agree that it was an Old Testament mandate. But I also believe the whole book so for me it doesn’t matter whether we should tithing money or something else. For instance I also tithe or my time and other things that God has given to me. The one thing I know is that th windows of heaven are opened over our giving. Whether someone “tithes” or not is between them and God but I know personally my cash flows better when I honor God with it first. And anything I give above that brings even more blessings.
So I guess if we get the principle of seed time and harvest down we don’t have to worry so much about what is being seeded or harvested.
June 19th, 2007 at 10:04 am
@ Nicole: My cash flows better when I tithe as well.
June 20th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Adam,
I certainly agree with several of the things you cited. I agree that ‘tithing’ or not doesn’t make the difference between heaven and hell. To that end, I agree that those who believe that they should be ‘tithing’ should continue to do it until they believe or learn otherwise.
i also agree that tithing WAS a mandate. There were over 600 laws that the Israelites were supposed to follow. Why is just that one being pushed so much? I’m not saying that you are pushing it Adam just that so many preachers insist that God is not pleased if a person doesn’t ‘tithe’.
Your comment ‘tithing was created for our benefit’. I kinda’ agree with that but not completely. When looking at the scriptures that created the 4 tithing laws I cited in my ealier post, revealed there is the purpose or principle behind each one. Tithing itself was simply one of the methods God chose to accomplish the principles the tithing laws referred to.
The prophet Malachi was speaking to the nation of Israel and specifically to the priests. The short story is that he was not talking to Christians.
Living off of 90% of income —— to me that only works for folks that are not really poor. If you ask a poor person - who hasn’t been brainwashed by the prosperity gospel folks - they are likely to tell you that they really don’t have 10% to spare. My take is that God is OK with that and he is not blessing the ‘tithers’ more than those who do not ‘tithe’.
‘Living beneath your means’ is exactly what we are encouraged to do. Personally, I wish I had really understood that part much sooner in my life!!
Stephanie - Yes, they did have money and silver back then. Everybody didn’t own a farm or raise animals. The Bible mentions other professions in essentially the same time frame as the creation of the tithing laws. Contrary to popular opinion, there was no general tithe that everybody had to give. There were plenty of other offerings that folks had to obey.
‘You seemed to imply that lower wealth/income negated your from the requirement to tithe.’ - yes, that is exactly what I am saying. Besides other things the poor received, the tithes in the 3rd and 6th year of the seven year cycle was set aside to give to the poor.
Stephanie - your comment “I would guess that God put this measure into place for purely practical reasons.” I agree that God did it for practical reasons but not the one you stated. I think it was because if you were a person that raised animals for a living and you had less than 10, then you really couldn’t spare one and God did not demand it.
Nicole - “..the windows of heaven are opened over our giving..”. That is often quoted but it must be viewed in light of the New Testament. We are told
2Pet. 1:3 (NIV) Â Â His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
and
Eph. 1:3 (NIV) Â Â Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Both scriptures tell us that God has already blessed us. So which is it? Do you earn blessings by ‘tithing’ or do you receive blessings by God’s divine power?
Nicole and Adam “My cash flows better when I tithe…” That may be but all I am saying is that it flows better because you are trusting him and not because of your ‘tithing’.
There is a FAQ at http://www.nomoretithing.org that answers 20 plus questions about tithing. There is also links to about 2 dozen books and about 3 dozen web sites on the issue.
Praise God,
George
July 14th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
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