I Don't Have Enough to Tithe/Give

To the principle if tithing (then giving ABOVE the tithe), many say, "I don't make enough money to give like the Bible directs. Stewardship of God's treasures is a concept for those with treasures!"

Blunt response to this: "Unless you trust and obey on this concept, you never will have more."

He who is faithful in little is faithful also in much. (Luke 16)

This also means, those who bow out of the tithe now - with little - would likewise make excuses if they had much.

How can God trust you with much if you won't give when you have little? If you have $10 and won't give a lousy dollar, why would you give $1,000 when you have $10,000?

The Bible tells us that we WILL be trusted with much once we are faithful with little. For those who've not seen this for themselves, this takes a leap of faith, I know, but if you don't believe this one, what other promises of God don't you believe? Do you trust Him? Can He trust you? God's looking for people He can entrust with larger chunks of treasure.

In the end, it's not how much we have that matters ... it's WHOSE it is. It's His, not ours. The sooner we embrace this, the sooner we will loosen our grip on temporal treasures.

Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give what is your own? (Luke 16:11-12)

Trusting God (and only God) to Provide

Can you trust God to provide for your needs, or is your impulse to try to provide for yourself?

In Proverbs 30:9, we read "Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. If I'm too full, I might get independent, saying, 'God? Who needs Him?' If I'm poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God."

I find myself in the former position many times. The abundance that I have distracts me from my desperate need for God. I don't think I feel the full weight of redemption and provision, because I always have enough food, my kids are healthy, I have work, I have love from my family, I have freedom by living where I live and in the time that I live.

This comfort puts me in the category of being too full, too independent. I find myself subconsciously saying, 'God? Who needs Him?' I would never say this out loud, or even consciously think it. But many times my actions speak louder than words.

While it scares me a bit to pray this prayer, I will pray it today:

Lord, give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. I know that if I have too much, I'll feel independent, thinking that I don't need you. And I know if I'm poor, I may do things that are not pleasing to you, that dishonor you. God, right now I acknowledge that I'm scared of being without. But that is just a reflection of my failed faith in you. I am weak, but you are strong. Give me your strength God to simply depend on you and nothing else. I asked this in the precious and holy name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Test God by ... giving?

That's right. The only time in the Bible that God says it's ok to test Him is in giving of the tithe.

The tithe represents the ultimate 'heart test' for the believer.  In his book The Blessed Life, pastor Robert Morris writes, "God gives us stewardship responsibility over our lives. We demonstrate faithful stewardship - we show God that we realize we are stewards, not owners - when we give Him the tithe."

God says, "'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me on this', says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it'" (Malachi 3:10)

I will tell you from personal experience, that once our family begin to tithe obediently, things changed drastically. And once we began giving beyond the tithe amount, things changed exponentially more. I do not say this lightly, and I'm not speaking hyperbolically.

We either trust God at His promises or we do not. He instructs us clearly to tithe and then some, and promises that He will bless us for our trust and obedience.

Remember, it's not ours to begin with.  It's HIS.  We are simply stewards of what He's blessed us with.

Do you believe that? And do you show it?