Tithing, but what?

[Terence Nesbit]

I was reading a local mailer recently called the Family Flyer. In it was a
little something from someone answering questions, the web address says
www.davesays.org. Since I can't seem to get my browser to work, I thought I
would comment here.

In one answer he says, "... you're called to tithe ... one-tenth ... off the
top and before anything else...."

My response to that, of course, is "are you nuts?" If you were a farmer,
and you were to tithe, what would you pay? From your seeds? Or from the
fruit of your labour? This isn't a trick question. Cain and Able were to
give the best of what they owned, and that was what they reaped - how is
earned income any different? You can't pay tithes before you pay rent, nor
before paying a note on a car, to do so suggests greed more than anything
else (guess what, God is not greedy, nor greatly enamoured of churches, but
that is another topic). It is ten percent of what you own - that means,
even if not strongly suggests, free and clear. Of course, no one would
think that means every book you own, or pen, or even paper clip. But one
think it is not, is your just earned income without taking anything else
into account.

What about what was saved from last year? Would that be tithe-able? Based
on this assertion, no, but it is. Something is wrong with that idea.

[B.G. Kent]

Post by Terence Nesbit
I was reading a local mailer recently called the Family Flyer. In it was a
little something from someone answering questions, the web address says
www.davesays.org. Since I can't seem to get my browser to work, I thought I
would comment here.
In one answer he says, "... you're called to tithe ... one-tenth ... off the
top and before anything else...."
My response to that, of course, is "are you nuts?" If you were a farmer,
and you were to tithe, what would you pay? From your seeds? Or from the
fruit of your labour? This isn't a trick question. Cain and Able were to
give the best of what they owned, and that was what they reaped - how is
earned income any different? You can't pay tithes before you pay rent, nor
before paying a note on a car, to do so suggests greed more than anything
else (guess what, God is not greedy, nor greatly enamoured of churches, but
that is another topic). It is ten percent of what you own - that means,
even if not strongly suggests, free and clear. Of course, no one would
think that means every book you own, or pen, or even paper clip. But one
think it is not, is your just earned income without taking anything else
into account.
What about what was saved from last year? Would that be tithe-able? Based
on this assertion, no, but it is. Something is wrong with that idea.

B - I personally think that people take that too literally. The concept is
to give a bit of what you can from all the fruits of your life...whether
it be money or muscle or what have you. Giving in a heartfelt need to
share and make others also happy is treating others as you'd have them
treat you.

Bren

[Geoff Smith]

In article <eZ0tl.2135$%***@nwrddc01.gnilink.net>, ***@att.net
says...

Post by Terence Nesbit
I was reading a local mailer recently called the Family Flyer. In it was a
little something from someone answering questions, the web address says
www.davesays.org. Since I can't seem to get my browser to work, I thought I
would comment here.
In one answer he says, "... you're called to tithe ... one-tenth ... off the
top and before anything else...."
My response to that, of course, is "are you nuts?" If you were a farmer,
and you were to tithe, what would you pay? From your seeds? Or from the
fruit of your labour? This isn't a trick question. Cain and Able were to
give the best of what they owned, and that was what they reaped - how is
earned income any different? You can't pay tithes before you pay rent, nor
before paying a note on a car, to do so suggests greed more than anything
else (guess what, God is not greedy, nor greatly enamoured of churches, but
that is another topic). It is ten percent of what you own - that means,
even if not strongly suggests, free and clear. Of course, no one would
think that means every book you own, or pen, or even paper clip. But one
think it is not, is your just earned income without taking anything else
into account.
What about what was saved from last year? Would that be tithe-able? Based
on this assertion, no, but it is. Something is wrong with that idea.

Keep in mind that we are not under the law. The tithing you describe is
similar to what the Pharisees had been doing at the time of Jesus (e.g.
counting out mustard seeds to make sure they gave exactly 10%).

The principle is that EVERYTHING you receive is a gift from God. I know
it can be difficult to see things that way, but that is exactly what the
Bible teaches. And the Biblical principal is that the first tenth is to
be given back to God (yes, before spending anything else).

I realize that this is counterintuitive ("How can I give 10% first when
I have all these bills to pay, and my bank account is always empty at
the end of the month"). But tithing is an issue of faith... and it is
the ONLY one where God has actually told us that we can go ahead and
test Him on it (Malachi 3:8-10).

Now, there are many churches today that misuse those verses, claiming
that if you tithe, God promises to make you rich. That isn't true. He
promises abundant blessings, but not necessarily monetary ones.

I'll add my personal experience here. Before I became a Christian, I ran
up a rather large amount of debt (around $20k, which was about 50% of my
annual income). At one point, I decided to start tithing. I tithed
regularly, and it wasn't long before I was completely debt free (which
continues to this day, more than a decade later). I am not rich (I'm a
missionary overseas now), but am content. And the lessons I've learned
about trusting God for His provision are immeasurable.

So, should it be 10% of your income pre-tax or post-tax? That's
something that you should just go to the Lord about. An argument could
be made either way. Personally, I believed that pre-tax was correct, so
that's what I did. Most people would consider that to be ludicrous ("How
can I give 10% to God BEFORE the government takes their 30%?"). But I
know people who do it after-tax.

The most important thing to remember is that God doesn't call us to do
things to hurt us or make our lives worse. The things He calls us to are
meant to be a BLESSING to us. Again, that can be counterintuitive at
times, like in the area of tithing. But His desire is to BLESS you, not
to take away from you. God doesn't NEED your money... It is WE who need
to GIVE it.