MONEY, TITHE, & GIVING
INTENTION:
If you felt guilty
reading that title, then this is what you need to hear.
Many of us have been
abused by guilt from the “church” or our upbringing.
So, let’s be free
from that obligation, abuse, and guilt!
I.
TOPIC:
We want to look at Money, Tithe, and Giving.
Money is simply a tool. It doesn’t matter how much or how
little money you make or have—it is how you use it, and what your
heart-condition is about money. And if the Lord personally wants you to give or
to tithe or to save, then just do. This is not about some magic formula or
doctrine, but about your personal relationship with the Lord.
Money is not evil; but it can be used for good and for bad.
This is why the Lord asks us to be responsible in both His Kingdom affairs and
the worldly affairs we deal in. He understands that money is a reality of this
world and uses it for us and for others. If having alot of money was a sin,
then Solomon would be the greatest money-sinner ever.
Even Jesus Himself (and therefore His family) was well-off
financially—they were gifted much wealth after His birth (Matthew
2:11). Not only that, Jesus wore fine clothes (John
19:23), had a house (Mark
2:1), could afford to arrange a place for a large gathering and meal (Matthew
26:18), and also ate and drank well (that drink being wine) (Luke
7:34). Jesus never gave all His money away, but utilised it for His family,
friends, disciples, travels, and ministry. It was a tool for Him to do what He
needed, while also being able to enjoy some of those pleasures money can bring.
And for His disciples, Jesus never asked any (specifically
Matthew / Levi the Tax Collector) to give away or purge himself of the money he
earned doing his job. Some disciples did drop (leave) everything and follow
Jesus, but it was their choice, not a Jesus-mandate.
When our focus becomes on the money we have (wealth) or do
not have (poverty), then we are making it a god (putting it first) above the
Lord. We cannot serve two masters (the Lord and money). Thus, we must always
let Him provide and be our Financial Advisor; allowing Him to use us as vessels
to contain or distribute as He desires. When we put money first, we limit God.
When we put God first (seeking His Kingdom first), He provides for ALL our
needs.
He wants to provide for us that we become a blessing and
provider to others as Abraham was (Genesis
12:2b). Everywhere Abraham went, he left the place better off than it was
when he got there; gaining more as he went.
Let us do the same by leaving things in a better condition
than when we got there. And allow the Lord’s blessings to flow through you as
He provides for both the person giving and the person receiving. He instructs
us to ask Him for whatever; so, ask. He will give in connection with His
Kingdom responsibility. You just need to be responsible for what He gives you.
When you learn to take care of little, then don’t be surprised when He has you
take care of much.
And when you are giving, a sign that you are not giving out
of works and obligation, is when you are giving from the heart. We may have
heart-filters or heart-hardness that we need to handle as we give, but the Lord
can set you free from any of the financial / money strongholds you may be
dealing with. It’s always a heart-matter that should be free of guilt,
obligation, Law, pressure, comparison, rule, policy, requirement, or doctrine.
II.
READING: Luke
16:1-15 (NLT)
Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain
rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the
manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2 So the employer called him in and
said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are
going to be fired.’
3 “The manager thought to
himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig
ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have
plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’
5 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer
to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe
him?’ 6 The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager
told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’
7 “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next
man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager
said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’
8 “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being
so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in
dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. 9 Here’s
the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends.
Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.
10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be
faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be
honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about
worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if
you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with
things of your own?
13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and
love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and be enslaved to money.”
14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all
this and scoffed at him. 15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous
in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honours is detestable in
the sight of God.
III.
RELATED VERSES AND QUESTIONS:
A. Offerings
and sacrifices are something that have instinctively been done throughout the
course of the Bible. It is also something we see in many cultures and other
religions in a worship or appeasement of a god. Before it became a requirement
of the Law for the Israelites to do (only Israelites), it was done voluntarily
by Cain and Abel, as well as Job. What got Cain in trouble was his heart
condition behind his offering—not because it was grain versus meat. Both grain
and meat offerings are a pleasant aroma to the Lord (Leviticus
2 & 3). But even though Cain’s gift wasn’t accepted, the Lord did not
remove His Grace and Love from Cain, protecting him with a mark, and blessing
his son Enoch. Job, who lived shortly after the Flood, offered for his children
instinctively (without instruction from the Lord to do so)—that it is innately
in every human to want to give for the Lord.
Genesis
4:1-5 (NLT)
Now Adam had sexual
relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to
Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced a man!” 2 Later she gave
birth to his brother and named him Abel.
When they grew up, Abel
became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the
harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also
brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The
Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift.
This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
Hebrews
11:4-5 (NLT)
It was by faith that Abel
brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave
evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts.
Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
5 It was by faith that
Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took
him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.
Job
1:4-5 (NLT)
Job’s sons would take
turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three
sisters to celebrate with them. 5 When these celebrations ended—sometimes after
several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning
and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps
my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s
regular practice.
Job
42:7-9 (NLT)
After the Lord had
finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you
and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my
servant Job has. 8 So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job
and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you,
and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you
deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” 9
So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as
the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
Question: Why do you think these people made
offerings to the Lord before the Law mandated it?
B. Abraham
also gave without mandate to the priest, Melchizedek. This giving of 10% of the
spoils of war is defined as a tithe: meaning ten percent of something (H4643).
Abraham gave, not because it was a tithe, but because he gave from his heart to
the man of God. There was no requirement to give 10% (he could have given 4% or
40%), but he chose from his own heart that it be 10% (thus, literally a tithe).
We too also recognise that this was only done once, not again and again out of
repetition, command, or tradition. It was a one-and-done matter. Thus, when we
look at Abraham as tithing, it is not necessary for us to do the same. Likewise
for Jacob’s tithe. The Law no longer exists to be a requirement to tithe; nor
do we have to tithe based on what Abraham or Jacob did.
Genesis
14:17-20 (NLT)
After Abram returned from
his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to
meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
18 And Melchizedek, the
king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine.
19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven
and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most
High who has defeated your enemies for you.”
Then Abram gave
Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
Genesis
28:16-22 (NLT)
Then Jacob awoke from his
sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of
it!” 17 But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is
none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
18 The next morning Jacob
got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set
it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. 19 He named
that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously
called Luz.
20 Then Jacob made this
vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he
will provide me with food and clothing, 21 and if I return safely to my
father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. 22 And this memorial
pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present
to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”
Question: Why do you think Abraham and Jacob
gave 10% of what they had?
C. The Laws of Moses commanded a tithe. But we must
remember that the Law was not given to all the peoples of the earth, but to a
selected group of people: the Israelites. Everyone else (the “Uncircumcised” / Gentiles)
have never been under the Law. Furthermore, the entire world now lives
post-Cross. Christ fulfilled the Law, making it and its curses null and void
for the Israelites (or anyone). Jesus was the tithe, offering, and sacrifice
for all humanity.
Leviticus
27:30-33 (NLT)
“One-tenth of the produce
of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to
the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy. 31 If you want to buy back the
Lord’s tenth of the grain or fruit, you must pay its value, plus 20 percent. 32
Count off every tenth animal from your herds and flocks and set them apart for
the Lord as holy. 33 You may not pick and choose between good and bad animals,
and you may not substitute one for another. But if you do exchange one animal
for another, then both the original animal and its substitute will be
considered holy and cannot be bought back.”
Galatians
3:10-14 (NLT)
But those who depend on
the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures
say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that
are written in God’s Book of the Law.” 11 So it is clear that no one can be made
right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is
through faith that a righteous person has life.” 12 This way of faith is very
different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that
a person has life.”
13 But Christ has rescued
us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took
upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures,
“Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has
blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we
who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
Ephesians
2:11-19 (NLT)
Don’t forget that you
Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the
Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their
bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ.
You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not
know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world
without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ
Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to
him through the blood of Christ.
14 For Christ himself has
brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his
own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.
15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations.
He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people
from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to
God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was
put to death.
17 He brought this Good
News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews
who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy
Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
19 So now you Gentiles are
no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s
holy people. You are members of God’s family.
Question: Does being free of obligation (the
Law) change how you view money, possessions, giving, or church?
D. Jesus
criticized the Pharisees for their tithing. The Pharisees never gave out of
heart or want, but of ritual. They saw it as an accomplishment to brag about in
their plenty when so many others were struggling to just provide an offering.
Jesus even saw how the money exchangers took advantage of the poor and chased
them out of the Temple twice (John
2:13-16 and Matthew
21:12-13)!
Matthew
23:23 (NLT)
“What sorrow awaits you
teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to
tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more
important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes,
but do not neglect the more important things.
Mark
12:41-11 (NLT)
Jesus sat down near the
collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money.
Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in
two small coins.
43 Jesus called his
disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given
more than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny
part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to
live on.”
Luke
18:9-14 (NLT)
Then Jesus told this story
to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned
everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and
the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and
prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other
people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax
collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax collector
stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed.
Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I
am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home
justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those
who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Question: Was there any love in the hearts of
the Pharisees tithing? Do you find it hard to give when it involves relying on
the Lord for what you are giving away?
E. Giving
because we can and want to. This is why Abel, Abraham, Jacob, Job, and so many
others outside the Law chose to give (whether a 10% tithe or any other amount
or offering). We see this willingness to give from the heart through Paul’s
message and through the early church group in Acts. Those people in the early
church of Acts didn’t give out of obligation, nor even a tithe, but truly felt
in their hearts that all that they had belonged to the Lord, not themselves.
Thus, it was easy for them to share and give any or all they had for others.
They demonstrated a freedom from the stronghold of riches and poverty; not
relying on how much they had or didn’t have, but relying on the Lord as their
provider. A person that solely relies on riches or poverty will have much
difficulty experiencing the Righteousness, Peace, and Joy that is the Kingdom
of God (Romans
14:17).
Mark
10:23-25 (NLT)
23 Jesus looked around and
said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of
God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very
hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of
God!”
Acts
4:32-37 (NLT)
All the believers were
united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own,
so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34
There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses
would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in
need.
36 For instance, there was
Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of
Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of
Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
2
Corinthians 9:7-15 (NLT)
You must each decide in
your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to
pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will
generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need
and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say,
“They
share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be
remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who
provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will
provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of
generosity in you.
11 Yes, you will be
enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your
gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will
result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will
be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
13 As a result of your
ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all
believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And
they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God
has given to you. 15 Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!
Question: Do you feel pressured to give or to
tithe; instead of being allowed to give from your heart?
F. The
Lord is always looking out and providing for our needs. It can be easy to stray
from that trust into a reliance on “getting” to try and bring comfort and peace
to one’s life. We must always look at money as a tool that can be used by the
Lord, not as something to trust in over the Lord. So whether you have a great
deal of money, or are lacking in it, our obligation is to still trust the Lord
over the money. It’s not a sin to be wealthy or poor. So, let’s be content
regardless of how much we have or do not have—holding onto a trust that no
matter our situation (temporary in a season or over a lifetime), the Lord will
take care of me.
Matthew
6:24-34 (NLT)
“No one can serve two
masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one
and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
25 “That is why I tell you
not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or
enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than
clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in
barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to
him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about
your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t
work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as
beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers
that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care
for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about
these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we
wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly
Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,
and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34 “So don’t worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough
for today.”
Philippians
4:10-13 (NLT)
How I praise the Lord that
you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me,
but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for
I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on
almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every
situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
1
Timothy 6:6-10 (NLT)
Yet true godliness with
contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us
when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave
it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
9 But people who long to
be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful
desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is
the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered
from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Hebrews
13:5-6 (NLT)
Don’t love money; be
satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will
never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
6 So we can say with
confidence,
“The
Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
Question: Do you find it hard to trust the Lord
when it comes to finances? Can He break financial strongholds?
G. Let’s
not apply person-specific heart-conditions as a doctrine for all people when we
read about specific scenarios Jesus handled with someone (like the ‘rich young
ruler’). Just because someone has perhaps made their finances a “god”, doesn’t
mean all people do. Some may have to face the heart-condition of giving up
their riches, but it should never be that every person must. Nor must we see
riches as “proof” a person is blessed by God (has the right relationship with
God)—this is often how the Pharisees portrayed themselves as proof they were
living a “right life” with God. For this ‘rich young ruler’, Jesus addressed
both the heart-condition of the person, as well as it being that “just because
you have riches, does not mean you are right with God; nor can you ‘buy your
way into heaven’”. Thus, it truly is a very personal matter between a person’s
heart, their riches / poverty, and their relationship with the Lord. So, let
the Lord work it out with that person (or you).
Mark
10:17-31 (NLT)
As Jesus was starting out
on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked,
“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me
good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question,
you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery.
You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone.
Honor your father and mother.’”
20 “Teacher,” the man
replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
21 Looking at the man,
Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,”
he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face
fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Jesus looked around and
said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of
God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very
hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of
God!”
26 The disciples were
astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
27 Jesus looked at them
intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God.
Everything is possible with God.”
28 Then Peter began to
speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
29 “Yes,” Jesus replied,
“and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News,
30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers,
sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the
world to come that person will have eternal life. 31 But many who are the
greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important
now will be the greatest then.
Question: Do you expect as a “Christian” that
you always have to be poor (give what you have away)? Or that you can’t be rich
and enter heaven?
IV.
FURTHER THOUGHT:
A.
Malachi
3:8-9 (NLT)
“Should people cheat God?
Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever
cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You
are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me.”
Acts
5:1-4 (NLT)
But there was a certain
man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He
brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount.
With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
3 Then Peter said,
“Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit,
and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell
or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give
away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”.
Thoughts: Don’t let people tell you that you
are stealing from God by not tithing, or that if you don’t give “as you’re
supposed to” you are cursed, or that if you “lie to God”, that He has the right
to kill you. Remember, you are not under the Law nor under a curse if you don’t
give or tithe—Christ fulfilled the Law and took away all those curses.
When we read about Ananias
and Sapphira (as was discussed in Bible Lesson 004), God didn’t strike
them down; their own guilt-ladened hearts killed them. They literally “gave up
their own spirits” (Acts
5:5,10 AKJV). If they had a clear conscience, their heart wouldn’t have
failed them even though they omitted the truth of their giving in their
selfishness.
For me, one of the growth
moments in my relationship with the Lord was Him helping me let go of the
control money and things had on my life. At a point in my life, I was proud of
finishing University, getting a nice job, a new car, and a lovely flat to live and
furnish. But through all that, I did not manage my finances that well. I was
sloppy with my spending and lacking in my saving. Regardless of how much I
earned, I always seemed to live above my means. I needed to start trusting God
the Father for my life and His ability to get me out of debt.
One way He did this was
actually to get me to tithe. Yes, tithing is not a requirement, but that
doesn’t mean He can’t use it as a lesson for someone. The lesson for me was
letting go of money I never felt I had enough of to go towards ministry’s that
I felt fed from—including helping support missionaries.
Somehow, even though I was
down to my last dollars, I was never without. He took care of me even though I
gave 10% of my income. I learned that if He says give, to give—even if it’s
100% or 10%. And this in turn helped my heart align with receiving what others
came to give me through their giving or tithing (as the Lord led them).
One such time that we gave
100% was when we left the United States to go to South Africa for our mission
and ministry work. Not fully knowing what we were going to be doing, nor how we
were going to support ourselves, we put all our trust in the Lord.
The Lord placed on our
heart to give everything away that we owned (except for the clothes and few
things that would fit in our luggage). We gave clothes, furniture, kitchenware,
and more to people we knew or charities. We sold some things as a means to give
value to the person we were giving to. But even then, the money we got from the
sale, He had us donate to a family in need that also received some of our
donated goods.
Thus, without collecting
any money from our belongings, having them belong to the Lord instead, we were
provided for by the Lord through the church we had called home in the States.
We were blessed—not because we gave, but He gave out of His Heart as His
children. We relied on Him in obedience to what He instructed.
Nevertheless, I am still
learning; but always know in my core (Spirit) He is providing—even when I don’t
see how I (or our outreach and ministry) will get through the day, week, month,
year, or season I am in.
And it helps force me into
healing the financial iniquities I picked up in my upbringing. The struggle
with money and finances for me stem from a poverty background and so many
misrepresentations of money in this world—programming me to treat money in a
way that the Lord wants to break in me. This breaking is not an easy thing for
my flesh to want to do, but my default financial behaviours that “feel right”
to me are my strongholds.
Learning new and different
ways pertaining to finances is what the Lord wants me to learn to set me free.
V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & SUPPORT:
A thank you to Kelly and Joshua who are inspirational in this life-journey. And to all the family, friends, sponsors, and donors who have fed into this ministry and outreach.
If you would like to support this ministry and outreach, you may do so via our website or at:
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