Do I Need To Give A Tithe Or Offering?

As Christians and members of various communities, we are instructed to give in many respects. God has enabled us to do everything that we are capable of, so we should willingly give back to His body a portion of what He provides to us.

This is an area of concern for many people that I know. For many of us, it is hard to get by on our current income, let alone on a smaller portion of that money. But let me share this: we can't afford not to give.

I was not always a giver. I used to live from paycheck to paycheck, and I struggled. The problem was not my income. I made a decent income and had no dependents, yet I was barely getting by.

I took a leap of faith in becoming a giver. It started more like a test. I wanted to try it for a couple of weeks to see if I could see a difference. But for me, it became addictive. Once I made that commitment, it was hard to stop.

Put it first

The first deduction that comes out of my check is my offering. As a result, God has been good to me. My every need has been met. Many of my wants are met as well. For example, during my daughter's first year, I made the choice to work part time so that I could spend most of my time with her. I was able to keep up with my financial obligations comfortably. I worked less than half the time that I used to, yet I was able to handle the same bills that I had while working full time.

We will still face challenges and temptations. I recently was faced with a situation where I needed to pay a bill pretty quickly. Other obligations had already exhausted my emergency fund, and I was literally tapped out. I debated giving an offering that week.

But, at church, one of our praise and worship leaders gave a testimony about the struggles she had been facing and the favor that God had showed her and her family for being faithful. She encouraged the congregation to remain faithful. I knew that her testimony was meant for me. I wrote out my check and asked God to help me out of my situation. Within the week, I had received the exact amount that I had written on the check - completely from unexpected sources.

Let God replace it

God is always ready to help us. We just have to ask Him. But we shouldn't take His money. He gives to us so that we can give to others. We are His vessels here on earth, and we have to reach out and support those who are hurting.

If we feel that the money won't stretch enough, we should trust God and ask Him to replace the money or to make it available in some other way. He has done it for many, many others before, and He will do it again!