Want to Take Your Spiritual Life to Another Level? Tithe.

[featured-image link=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/26406919@N00/455279239/” single-newwindow=”true”]photo by Nik McPhee[/featured-image]

I love to preach about giving.  Why?  Because it hits us directly in the gut.  Our finances are tied directly to our heart.  Jesus said, “For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Lk 12:34).

We all wrestle with money.  It makes us happy, sad, excited, mad, and depressed.  It is tied to our heart.  Case in point: you reading this right now is causing some frustration, anxiety, or joy.

Last Sunday I took the gloves off and challenged our folks to put God to the test.  We had a fun (and challenging) time.  You can see the video here.

I did not have time on Sunday to go into my story of wrecking my fianance, robbing God, and learinig to give.  Below is my story, including a cameo from our mutt Nestle, and some practical advice on getting your budget under control.

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I’d love to hear your stories on giving, challenges, blessings, etc.  Comment below.

 

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This post has 6 comments

  1. If you know how deep my trust issues run, especially in finances, you\’ll understand it took me a long time to learn to tithe, but God showed me He is completely dependable.
    > After I got a different job (lost my old one), earning about HALF what I used to, I sat down to do the math. Cutting ALL expenses to the bone, I was going to come up short $100/month.
    > But my experience with God took over and I thought (honest!), \”If I don\’t tithe, I\’m never gonna make it.\” Huh? Giving away 10% would leave even less, right? But I had learned that giving to Him FIRST is an act of TRUST, and He responds to that.
    > Even now, on paper it still doesn\’t make sense, but God has provided to the point I have extra money I can use for more ministry work.
    > You say you trust Him? Put your money where your mouth is – I dare you. In face, HE dares you! (Read Malachi [last book in the Old Testament] chapter 3, verses 10-12.) He WILL take care of you, other people will see how He loves you, and will be attracted to Him.

  2. My wife got me started on tithing. I was hesitent because I wanted to be sure MY MONEY was going to be put to good use before I gave it. Otherwise the church might take what I worked so hard to get and waste it, or so I thought. Any giving I was going to do had to have a calculated and justified reason before it ever hit the plate. Why? Because my heart was tied to my money. I claimed to give in obedience, but in reality it was only to glorify myself and supress the conviction I felt. It was one of the last things to go, but when I gave with my heart God helped me to see who he was and what he was trying to do in my life more clearly. Do give because somebody tells you. Don\’t give just to silence the conviction in your heart, God doesn\’t need or want your money. Give when you come to the place where your seeking after Christ and you are having trouble hearing from him, or are lost in your financial problems. You\’ll never get to the place where you\’ll be financially stable enough to want to give, but you can get to the place where the power money has over you is broken down to make room for God in you heart!

  3. First of all I have to say that I enjoyed your \”tithing sermon\”… I truly felt like it was straight from God\’s heart, through your heart, to mine! The fact that it\’s not about \”the money\” it\’s about our heart!!!! Loved that. Also liked the info about God\’s vault in your video.
    I\’m a single mom who has little income and am upside down as you stated in your video! Am constantly struggling with finances and money! Definitely need to sit down and do the budget thing. But I made up my mind that I was going to tithe and filled out the card that was in our handout this past week. Well this week totally unexpected – I received a [big] Christmas bonus from my boss!! I will be tithing from that! Thank you so much for your message! We are so blessed to have found MCC!!!

    1. Fantastic! Let me encourage you to take your finances by the throat. I highly recommend \”Total Money Makeover\” by Dave Ramsey. For some practical advice on getting costs down, check out my friend Cherie Lowe\’s blog at http://www.queenoffree.net. She also has a book coming out next year. We have some financial counselors at MCC that I could connect you with as well. I\’m pretty fired up about getting finances under control. Keep up the great work!

  4. Great message!! Very timely as well for our family. Even with being in ministry tithing is a struggle. My wife and I have been committed to it wholeheartedly since accepting our new position in ministry and God has provided in awesome ways for us!! Not so much that we are swimming in extra cast…but we have enough and then some. Like another sermon you preached…He makes sure that we have enough for the day! Tithing is the best way to show you complete and all-in trust in God to provide and once you start it and begin to see that He\’ll always out do you in giving…you\’ll wonder why you didn\’t start sooner!! Thanks for the encouragement Scot!! Love to be able to take part in your teachings every week via live stream!

    1. Great to hear Michael. It is amazing what he does when we loosen our grip on money.

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