Tithing Your Money

Tithing or giving away a tenth of your money seems to be, to put it lightly, a rather unconventional way to have more money. After all, in order to have more, it makes perfect logical sense not to tithe and to keep more? How does this square up?

In case you didn’t already know, the really rich tithe or do something similar. It may not be 10%, it could be more or less. Ted Turner, Bill Gates and numerous others give away millions and millions each year. They set up various foundations and trusts funds. Have you ever wondered they do they do it? You can look at it in a negative manner and say things like, well it was ill gotten gains and the money is just to clear their conscience. Well, maybe. Or they get tax breaks. Yes, under certain circumstances, people get tax exemption and that’s why they do it. I won’t go further into this as different countries have different tax and estate distribution laws.

Beyond these self focused interest, does tithing actually brings more money into your life? Let’s examine the principles behind tithing and I’ll also share my personal experience.

I’m pretty sure you have also heard of the principle of cause and effect. And you’ve heard of the phrase, “You reap what you sow”. If you sow good seeds, good things will flow back into your life. For example, if you sow anger, by being angry and/or make people angry, you will eventually reap the effect. If you sow seeds of love, by being loving and caring to others, they in turn will love and care for you back. It’s the same with money. In case you don’t know, this came from the bible in 2 Corinthians 9:6 ….he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Even Robert Kiyosaki in one of his books mentions tithing!

Before I share my experience of tithing, I want to make this very clear. Please don’t take this in the wrong way. I’m not sharing this to brag that I give away money. Merely to share what I think, and what I practice, which is that the principle of sowing and reaping works. Again you have to be wise here. Don’t tithe money or resources to people who don’t need it or use it for the wrong reasons.

Okay, I first learned about giving tithes in church way back in 1997. A tithe means a tenth and giving tithes means giving away 10% of gross. For me, it wasn’t easy to tithe. I wasn’t doing well. In fact I was just surviving and at times have to dip into my savings to pay my bills, those days. But I stuck with it, because I just became a Christian then and I believed what was promised in the bible. Moreover, in the old Testament in Malachi 3:10, it says “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD”. Well it gave me further incentive to TEST God. Now everywhere else, it says Do Not TEST the Lord your God. This is the only place to say test. Okay, I took up the challenge of tithing.

Did I get more money immediately? The answer is no. Did I get more business? Can’t say for sure. But what I can say is that over the years, my income has grown steadily and always been sufficient to meet my needs. I manage to travel a bit, gotten a much better car, gotten married and did the things most people did. Now of course, I learned, worked hard and did all the things necessary as a foundation for more income. But there were times and I’m fairly sure off is this. Opportunities did come my way. Tithing is always as a test of faith. Knowing the principles, are you willing to follow through.

One other thing is this. Every time I give, it reminds me that no matter how bad I think my current situation is, there are others who are worst off than me. It also reminds me that in the past, my goal is to be where I am currently. Just as our financial goals grow bigger, sometimes we forget where we came from and we forget to be thankful of the good that came our way. Learning to be thankful in every situation is another way to bring more wealth into your life.

I do encourage you to try tithing. Help someone else for a change. Tithe a small amount if you have not done this before. Try to focus on the needs of the others. It could be just helping out in an old folks’ home, buying some small gifts for orphans or under privilege children. Anything, but give without any expectation of receiving any benefit from the person you help. If you expect any direct returns at all from tithing, then this doesn’t work. It boils down to your heart. If tithing causes guilt, then don’t do it.

Last note. Just in case, you think I’ve nailed down tithing, every time I tithe, it is still a challenge for me. Perhaps the human heart is tied to the wallet. But tithing can be learned just like anything else, and I think it opens the windows of heavan.

The more you give, the more you receive! Happy tithing.

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