Tithing For A Beginning Giver

By Jeff Strong | Source: www.meredisciple.com

The greatest impediment to tithing is often the feeling of being overwhelmed with where to start.

Most Christians want to give faithfully to their church, but feel trapped and defeated by a combination of out-of-control spending habits, consumer credit card debt, and the resulting pressure of living paycheck-to-paycheck.

As you prepare to incorporate tithing into your budget, feel free to follow a step-by-step guide on how to tithe for those wanting to honor God with their finances. These five steps aren’t exhaustive, but for who are eager to do “the next right thing,” these steps may be helpful.

Step 1: Pray.

In the New Testament, Paul notes that the key to the Macedonian church’s generosity to others was that “they gave themselves first of all to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5). It’s important to hit the “reset” button on your financial habits by taking time to confess any misuse of the wealth God has entrusted to you. Tell him what you want: to learn to honor him in all things, including your finances.

Step 2: Start Small and Build.

While some would argue that anyone could start tithing with their next paycheck if they were serious, I didn’t fall into that camp. I simply didn’t have the faith for that large a step some years ago. Instead, I started by committing to give 2.5% regularly. On a $50,000 gross income, 2.5% works out to $25 a week. From there, work hard to bump up the percentage to 5% within 6-12 months. Keep learning about giving and pushing yourself until you are at the tithe at 10%. My experience is that God will honor you with each step you take.

Step 3: Don’t Wait for More Money.

I used to think, “I’ll tithe…when God supplies me with more money!” Wow, that was the wrong way to approach things. If I’m not faithful with the little I have now, why would God supply me with more money? Stop waiting for more money and shift your focus to using money wisely.

We all waste a sum of money on unnecessary stuff. Last week when my wife and I sat down and looked at what we were spending money on, it was pretty embarrassing how much was being squandered on impulse items: lattes, lunches out, and other $5-$25 impulse purchases. Our finances were being eaten away $5-$25 at a time (death by a thousand pin-pricks!). Committing to reigning back on these expenditures is often the best first step to freeing up the resources to tithe. Most people can easily find $50-$100 a week or month that is being wasted due to a lack of intentionality and impulse spending.

Step 4: Start a Budget.

Finding an extra $50-100 per week means that you’ll need to start budgeting and tracking how you’re using your money. This is a step a lot of people often don’t want to take (I sure didn’t). Swallow your pride and just get honest with yourself and God. [A favorite budgeting software is Every Dollar] It’s easy to use, and it coaches you on how to see and use your money (instead of having it use you). Budgeting may seem like work but the peace of mind, and sense of control it brings over your finances is worth the few minutes a week it takes to do.

Step 5: Sign-up.

Most churches has some kind of pre-authorized tithing/giving program, and if you’re serious about faithfully giving, you need to sign up for it. It will ensure an amount you determine will be deducted from your paycheck either once a month or with each paycheck. This was the most important step my family made in terms of giving. We started by setting a small amount, then we altered our giving every few months until we arrived where we are now. Having our giving come “off the top” of our paycheck eliminated giving God our “leftovers” and forced our lifestyle to work around the God’s call to tithe, instead of having God’s call to tithe work around our lifestyle.

Step 6: Don’t Give Up.

You’ll experience setbacks and failures as you try to change how you’ve been using the money that’s been entrusted to you, but that’s ok. Don’t give up. Learn from each mistake. The goal is greater faithfulness to God, not mechanical perfection. I still find myself making adjustments (large and small) with each year as it relates to my giving, spending, and saving habits. Remember, the goal isn’t simply to tithe–the goal is to become extravagant, gracious, opulent givers like our God. Tithing is just the training wheels that get us started on that journey. And that journey is exactly that, a journey. Transformative obedience in this area doesn’t happen overnight. No meaningful growth does. Perseverance is an important virtue within the life of a disciple, and especially in the area of reforming our finances to the glory of God.

 Source: www.meredisciple.com