“Thank You, Jesus, for giving me more than enough
so that I can be a blessing to others.”
Every night before I go to sleep, the above line is my prayer ritual. If I have had a long day, the words carry more special appreciation for challenging burdens overcome. Since exercising this nightly routine, I have felt abundant, not in terms of material possessions, but in the gracious acceptance that I have more than enough, in body, mind and spirit. Perhaps it is the positive joyful mindset that brings about my state of real or imagined prosperity. I therefore recommend this prayer to anyone wishing a meaningful sense of being.
I have also observed that during times when I kept a tight fist on my money (that is, not spending even for stuff that could have brought me a great deal of joy), I didn’t genuinely feel abundant. In fact, those were the days when something would usually come up (an unforseen household emergency, for instance) to necessitate unbudgeted spending. Perhaps, it was because by keeping the money with an iron hand, I was actually blocking financial progress because I wasn’t creating a flow in my life. Money has powerful energy. To be able to receive, we need to give or spend some away. Although I was constantly giving to my charities, when it came to pleasing or rewarding myself for working hard with items that money can buy, I was a total tightwad. The saying “charity begins at home” should be taken seriously!
Tithing, or the ten percent gift-giving to the Church and charitable causes, has been a recommended practice to ensure life's continuous blessings. This practice distributes ten percent of gross income for charitable giving. I painfully practiced Church tithing for about three years a very long time ago. In return I received blessings beyond my expectations. In recent years, I have updated my tithing method to not make it exclusive to the Church and charities, but to the people I know who could use financial assistance. I figured that although the financial support I extended to the Church has lessened, helping God’s less fortunate children would be tantamount to helping the Church. That's exactly what Dear Jesus would do, right?
The ability to practice selfless generosity is a blessing because it means that there is the presence of financial resource(s) at one's disposal. It could come from solid and gainful employment or a variety of money-generating sources. In other words, an overflowing abundance!. Have you noticed how the world’s rich are always giving away some of their wealth to charitable foundations and worthy causes? You see, it's quite easy to be generous when people have more than enough. Also, there must be this commonly recognized unwritten law that if one's well endowed materially, and some of the fortune is shared with deserving projects, the return will be more than a hundredth fold. It must be true because the multi-digit millionaires and billionaires are outdoing themselves in their charitable giving!
The ability to practice selfless generosity is a blessing because it means that there is the presence of financial resource(s) at one's disposal. It could come from solid and gainful employment or a variety of money-generating sources. In other words, an overflowing abundance!. Have you noticed how the world’s rich are always giving away some of their wealth to charitable foundations and worthy causes? You see, it's quite easy to be generous when people have more than enough. Also, there must be this commonly recognized unwritten law that if one's well endowed materially, and some of the fortune is shared with deserving projects, the return will be more than a hundredth fold. It must be true because the multi-digit millionaires and billionaires are outdoing themselves in their charitable giving!
Recently, I stumbled on a book that has made me question the universally accepted tithing practice. According to the author, there is nothing in the New Testament that ties the faithful to the Church's ten percent tithing requirement. Be that as it may, I don’t see anything wrong with helping the Church or the less fortunate members of society or our friends and family. If we feel abundant, the best way to show it is to share with God’s underpriviledged children. I don’t think that there should even be a law about giving to others. Generosity is a very personal thing and everyone should have the discretion to give or not. The exercise is a matter of faith and conscience.
Before reading “The Tithe That Binds” by Rory O Moore (http://religion.is-killing.us/TheTithe.pdf), I felt some guilt about lessening my Church-giving in order to extend financial assistance to others. The author has somehow validated my thinking that my giving will accomplish more if given directly to those who can benefit from my sharing. To quote some pertinent passages from Moore’s eye-opening book:
When we give directly to a brother in need, we are giving
directly to Christ Jesus. (Mat. 25:40) “And the King shall
answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye
have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have
done [it] unto me.” (Pro. 19:17) “He that hath pity upon the poor
lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay
him again.”
But according to the church law of the tithe, we are to
tithe first, then we can go ahead and give to the needy brother.
(Heb. 6:10) “For God [is] not unrighteous to forget your work and
labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye
have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” The majority of
New Testament Scriptural passages which speak of ministering
to the saints have to do with giving and sharing with the
less fortunate. “That the rich be careful to maintain good works,”
has everything to do with providing for those in need. But the
common church model perverts this teaching to support the
organization first with tithes and offerings, then, if you have
opportunity, you can remember the poor.
Since we have been liberated from the law of tithing, we
are more excited about giving than we have ever been, looking
to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, to speak to His
sheep where and what to give. We have been more blessed as
we are learning to listen to God and give where He directs. It is
true! God loves a cheerful giver, and you will love to give when
God directs your giving.
So where should a Christian give? Every Christian should
begin to ask God, not a man, “Where should I give?” Then go
to the Bible and prayerfully pay attention to where God says the
giving should go. Expect to hear from the Lord and have the
courage to depart from tradition, including the regular Sunday
collection habit. You will be amazed to hear God tell you in
specific terms to whom and how much to give. You may even
end up meeting the unspoken needs of God’s people, and be
blessed accordingly, as you rejoice in helping a brother or sister
in need!
If anyone desires a blessed future, I recommend giving from the heart. Not only is the joy to be experienced good for the soul, basking in the beautiful thought of being instrumental in uplifting souls and sending positive vibes to the Universe is spiritually healthy.
Giving is a personal choice. I hope that should anyone choose to share their blessings with the Church or deserving others, it is not coming from an expectation of reward, or what Moore calls “tithe-to-prosper,” “give-to-get,” “tithe-to-be-blessed” mentality. Give from your heart and see miracles unfold!
