Nobody told me

I sense that some of you are going to find this information as challenging as I did when I first studied it. Of course many of you will be totally comfortable with the message.

God has a message for us, His children, on how to handle our money and it is found in His Word, the Bible. We in the Anglican faith desire to live life more abundantly. We can if follow His instructions. On the whole I believe we do follow His word—in the Baptisms of our children, in Confirmation, in our marriages, in our worship, in our sickness, at our death... but not always in our financial matters.

Money, the getting of it, the using of it, the keeping of it, the giving of it, is one of the most challenging areas for Christians. Church finances cause more arguments in Church councils and church groups than matters of faith. There is more discomfort talking about money matters among parishioners than the fear of going to hell.

Conquering ignorance

There seems to be reluctance in most ministers to share the good news about the spiritual side of giving financially. In the Bible there are many references to money and the use of it. God's instructions are very clear on financial planning and money management for Christians. He outlines the amounts we are to give, to whom our money is to be given, the proper attitude towards giving. He makes specific covenants or promises to his people in return for their faithfulness in following His guidelines.

Now I find this hard to understand that I had been ignorant of these guidelines most of my life. I have been a church goer most of my life. Yet I never discovered God's will regarding my personal finances. Why did it take so long to discover the blessings of His promise? Nobody told me!

Getting our Priorities right

All through our school years we are expected to learn information to succeed in our careers; “Get an education so you can get a good job, so you can make good money and have a good life.” We are expected to work hard and one of the rewards will be money. The premise is, if we make enough money we will be able to able to achieve security and happiness. Therefore the corollary to this would be, the more money we make the more security and happiness we will have. But here comes the problem for a Christian. We read that we are to seek higher values than mere money. We are to raise our aspirations above people who are focused on worldly things and focus on the spiritual values. Or so it seems. Does it seem possible that only the abject poor can be holy? What a contradiction Christianity would be if this were true. I have struggled with this dilemma for many years and fortunately came to discover the answer for myself and my family.

I had heard of tithing before. It wasn't new as an idea but its application was totally foreign to me. First of all paying the bills was the priority for a young father and husband. As a businessman I knew the value of hard work and the philosophy: "take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves". I believed in God and was becoming aware of Jesus as my personal Saviour. But tithing was the furthest thing from my heart. We used to give "what we could" to the Church. We gave a little more at Christmas and Easter. I gave my time when I was asked and that was considered good stewardship.

The Bible speaks

Then it happened. I was troubled with my business and financial matters were worsening. I had a habit of "cold spearing" the Bible. This is when you open the Bible randomly, point your finger and read the message. One night after tossing and turning for hours I got up, went to the living room and started to cold spear, looking for comfort in the words of the Book. I wasn't expecting what happened. Every passage I turned to had to do with money and tithing.

When God wants your attention he causes a "God-cidence". And it all made sense. Suddenly God's plan for financial management was clear to me. Let me share it with you as it was revealed to me.

What the scriptures say

The first premise is important. All that we have is God's.

Psalm 24, Vs. 1 "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it." Everything we have, from our cars, homes, toasters and footstools is the Lord’s. We don't "own" anything. We only have the use of Lord's gifts. While we live on earth we are stewards of His wealth and are asked to manage His assets.

What is a tithe?

“Tithe” is a word meaning one tenth. In biblical days it referred to one tenth of the farm’s produce or livestock. In today's terms, since most of us work off the farm, it refers to our “produce” or our “earnings” for our labour. Genesis 14:20 "And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything." Hebrews 7 vs. 5. "Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people that is, their brothers." Tithing is obedience to God's word. Tithing is our response to inheriting and using of God’s financial gifts.

To whom should we give our tithes?

The place scriptures tells us to tithe is to our local church, to pay for priestly services, to fund ministry to the people and worship services, to provide for the upkeep of the facilities and needs of God’s people in need. “See, to the sons of Levi I give as their inheritance, all the tithes collected in Israel, in return for their services, for the ministry they render in the Tent of the Meeting.” Numbers 18:21

Matthew 25, vs 34b- 40 "(Jesus says) I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty an you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous asked him, When did we do all this? Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to Me!"

This suggests that we should give our tithes to our parish church and to the diocese to help them in their work with the poor and the needy, shelters for the homeless, and the national Church, the Primates World Relief Fund etc.

It is a specific one-tenth?

A tithe is the first fruits of all our produce. The first ten percent is to be given to the Lord; not leftovers! Not what we have leftover after we have paid the groceries, the mortgage or rent, the babysitter, the newspaper boy, bought gas for the car, or dined at our favourite restaurant. Deut. 26, vs 1-4. "When you come to the land Yahweh your God is giving you for an inheritance, when you have taken possession of it and are living in it, you must set aside the first fruits of all the produce of the soil raised by you in the land Yahweh is giving you. You must put them in a basket and go to the place where Yahweh your God chooses to give his name a home."

Ecclesiasticus 35 vs 7-13 "Honour the Lord with generosity, do not stint the first fruits you bring. Add a smiling face to all your gifts, and be cheerful as you dedicate your tithes. Give to the Most High as he has given to you, generously as your means can afford; for the Lord is a good rewarder, He will reward you seven times over."

The Lord is very clear about what He expects. He wants us to honour him with the first cheque from our labours, rather than paying the bills first. He does not want us to give back to Him only a portion of the leftovers.

The challenge

Ten percent of my money, the first 10% even—not only was the amount more than I was used to giving, but it meant that I had to attempt to make it on only 90% of our family income. Hey, we already had trouble making it on 100%! How would I ever pay the bills and accumulate enough money for my RRSP? Some of you already know the answer; I discovered it in ‘the Book’:

Matthew 6 vs 19-21 & 24. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy. Where no thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also. No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

The Answer

It boils down to TRUST. When we tithe the first fruits, not the leftovers, we have to rely on God's ability to provide, not our human ability. That is the bottom-line. Whom do I serve, God or money? Is my faith strong enough? Am I capable of this trust or am I really just a casual Christian? I hated these questions. I went to Church regularly. I volunteered my time and my wife's baking. Wasn't that good enough? His answer came again.

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you". Matthew 6, vs 33.

Did you hear it? Put God in control. Let go and let God!

The Blessing of Giving

You too will be blessed as you respond to God’s plan for your finances.

• When faced with financial challenges you will be filled with a quiet confidence.
• You will always have enough. You will meet all your obligations and have more peace.
• You will worry less about financial concerns and discover God will provide a way.
• You will discover greater satisfaction with what you have.
• You will experience a deeper, closer relationship with Jesus.
• You will be blessed. You will feel blessed.