Tithing
Written by Abi Broda, Assistant Director
Tithing to the non-Believer world can seem really weird and a wasteful use of money. Even some Believers choose not to tithe or don’t make it a priority. Living that way though is unbiblical. Job’s story is a great example in the Bible that demonstrates how everything we have and who we are is because of God. Job 1:21b says that God gives, and He takes away, but we should still bless His name.
Money is a part of what God has given us in our life. How we spend it, share it, and give it back matters to God. Scripture shares so much with us about money, but what it all stems back to is how we have our hearts postured to God.
Is your heart focused on money?
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Matthew 6:24
It is easy for money to become so important to us that we let it take rule in our hearts. The verse above is straight to the point: we cannot serve both God and money. We must have faith that all our needs will be provided (Matthew 6:31-32).
Learning good money management is so beneficial in life. We have a great Center for Financial Literacy here on Liberty University’s campus. You can set up meetings with peer advisors, learn to budget, and plan for your future. Don’t waste that opportunity!
Do you have a scarcity mindset?
Scarcity mentality refers to people seeing life as a finite pie, so that if one person takes a big piece, that leaves less for everyone else.
Association for Psychological Science
The term scarcity mindset is a phycology term. Our minds are fascinating, and learning to control our minds is possibly the greatest task we have in maturing. Living with a scarcity mindset can affect the way we think, the way we interact with others, the things we do, and the risks we take. Again, living like this is a knock against our faith in God. This is living in little faith. God says that if we have faith like a mustard seed, we can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). When we feel like we don’t want to let something go, like tithing our income, because we are scared that we will need it later, we exemplify a scarcity mindset.
Do you have a greedy heart?
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
God does not forcefully require us to tithe. He gives us this expectation but allows our giving to be an expression of our free will. When we don’t give, or give reluctantly, it does not change who God is or how he acts toward us. What it does is show us where are our heart is focused – on ourselves. Scripture teaches us that we are to honor Jesus first, care for others second, and have humility in putting our own needs last (Philippians 2:3-5).
So, how is your heart postured toward tithing?
