It’s funny how much God talks about money in the Holy bible, and quite surprising as well. As a matter of fact, there are upwards of 2,500 references and scriptures about giving, money, and possessions in the Old and New Testaments. If you happen to be a person of math, then you may realize that God had spoken more often about money and possessions than he did about prayer and faith both combined. There is good reason why God chose to talk about money oh so much and frequently. That kind of information can be found across the web but we are going to focus today on the aspect of what we call tithing. As we all may know, no one really argues and disputes the point if Christians are to be generous and caring people. However though, many persons have chatted about whether or not we are in fact as Christians required to tithe, or be eternally sent to the Hell fire. Before we go diving deeply into the response of that crazy question, let us take a brief moment in time to answer a supporting question of this conversation as a whole.
When on earth was the last time you happened to have used to the greatly forgotten word “tithe” in a casual or personal conversation? Or maybe even in a religious conversation? Well, for the former of the two I would have to guess that it has been either a very long time or never since you have used such a word gracefully, of the later though you may have heard or used the word in the last few years if you are a frequent Church-goer. The word “tithe” itself is not often used in just everyday casual conversation very often, but this does not mean that is a less important concept to understand and to know as a good Holy God Christian. Don’t let the old feeling and sound of the word throw you into the lurks of the shadows, it’s a straightforward, easy, and simple world to understand, especially as a Christian. Tithe is simply a word meaning a tenth, a tenth of everything you own that is. Pretty simple, right? So now when you have the word tithe or tithing pass through your ear and into your brain at Church, they might be speaking of giving in general, to a non-tenth degree. Though usually though they are referring to donating a proper tithe, one that does mean giving to the tenth-degree. A tenth of your income, that is. If you feel like this is too much, well, you’re not really alone.
When you happen to hear the Church of God talk about tithing, you might get up and respond like most do (unless if you were born in a God-fearing Church-going household), you might just ask the question, “Do I HAVE to tithe?”. Another good question is, is tithing for the new testament follower as well? This is a fair question, and the answer lies honestly in your own hands and morals.
You should tithe if you are doing well and believe that the Lord has blessed you into that path. But know that if things are tight the Lord does not want you to give more than you can afford. That’s especially if it leaves you a little shorthanded on food for the family.