Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker
Shooting Your Foot
After graduating business college I began working as a secretarial receptionist in Springfield, MO. I enjoyed it, but after a couple of years, I applied for a position at a different company that paid more. I remember praying, “Lord, if You’ll allow me to get this job, I’ll pay tithes.” I landed the job and kept my word. I was young, single, and figuring out my walk with God. My promise started me out on the right foot regarding money management. At first I tithed 10% of my net income, but later realized my giving to the church should be based on my gross income. The question I asked myself was: “If I had a dollar, would I be willing to give Someone a dime?” My answer was, “Yes!”
All my life I’ve heard, “It pays to serve Jesus,” “You can’t out-give God,” “He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,” etc. I’ll add one more: “Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by thinking you can’t afford to pay tithes.” Honestly, you can’t afford not to! But don’t take my word for it. Let’s see what God’s Word says:
“Bring the full 10 percent into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way, says the Lord of Hosts. See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure” (Malachi 3:10 CSB). Who wants to pass up a blessing? This is the only reference where God says, “Give this a shot – try it and see if it doesn’t work!” Obedience is not a trial test for a month; it’s a lifetime practice. God’s arithmetic is a mystery – His budget-and-blessing system doesn’t work by using a calculator. Just put God first, pay your tithes and bills promptly, and trust that He’ll make good on those blessings without measure.
“But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your ancestors, as it is today” (Deuteronomy 8:18 NIV). God provides the strength and skill-set to enable us to work. So the least we can do is cheerfully give back what’s rightfully His.
“Even strong young lions go without and get hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10). When we love, revere, and obey God, we have the right (as His children) to ask Him for what we need. And He promises we will not lack.
A believer who’s having trouble making ends meet should give God a chance to prove Himself. Start giving a 10% tithe to your church (storehouse). Even if it looks impossible according to your calculator and checkbook, you can’t afford not to give what’s due to the Lord. You’re just shooting yourself in the foot and getting deeper in the hole. Don’t sabotage yourself!
Apostle Paul wrote to the Church of Corinth, “Let giving flow from your heart, not from a sense of religious duty. Let it spring up freely from the joy of giving – all because God loves hilarious generosity!” (2 Corinthians 9:7 TPT).
Christ followers are not cheaters nor thieves. But sometimes we don’t think things through nor consider what God has to say about Christian living and generosity. King David prayed to God: “The way You tell me to live is always right; help me understand it so I can live to the fullest” (Psalm 119:144 MSG).
The Key: Put away your shotgun, be a happy giver, and watch for God’s blessings!