To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Deuteronomy 10:14 NIV
It’s often way easier to tell someone else how to do it than it is to do it yourself. For years, my husband handled the bill paying and managed the money for our household. Through many times of financial stress, my advice to him was always the same: tithe anyway, even when you don’t think we can afford it, and trust God to provide. Easy for me to say. I wasn’t the one watching the balance in the checkbook go down while the stack of unpaid bills got higher.
I recently re-entered the workforce after several years at home. Before I got my first paycheck, I committed to give the full tithe on my pay, no matter what. Boy, was I surprised at how hard it can be. It takes a lot of faith to write out that check or give that online donation – especially when you aren’t making much to begin with. There are so many things to pay. I gained a whole new understanding of my husband’s struggle.
One night I sat at our dining room table preparing to pay bills. I added up all the income I’d earned that month as an office temp and through freelance work. I was pleased to see it was more than I thought. That meant I needed to give more. Before I submitted my tithe, I went back and forth between my desire to be faithful and my fear of not having what I needed.
Then it came to me. There’s more where that came from.
The money I received from those jobs came from God. In fact, everything I have came from him. He has promised to provide all I need and I’ve watched him do it my whole life, sometimes in miraculous ways. I don’t need to fear not having enough. If I run out, he’ll supply me with more. Since everything belongs to him, there’s always more where that came from.
Do you ever struggle with giving your tithes and offerings? If you do, just remember that the One who is your provider never runs out of anything. Go ahead and give – generously. He’ll always give you more.
Liz Collard is a writer and Christ-follower who lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband Bob. They are continually blessed by their three adult children, Matthew, Jeremy, and Mckenzie. Liz is the author of the Building a Godly Marriage series and her heart’s desire is to see families serving and glorifying God together. Contact her at liz.collard@hotmail.com.
