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Dear
Chuck,
When
tithing was instituted, taxes were nowhere near what they are now.
Here in Canada in particular, our many levels of government take
half of what we earn from us. What is left is often barely enough
for us working stiffs to get by and support our families. I give to
my church, to various charities and often when I am solicited, and I
try to help out when called upon, but I know I am not tithing. Am I
living in rebellion to God?
Chuck's
Response
Thanks
for the note about tithing. Tithing is one of those Old Testament
principles that was not reinforced in the New Testament. In
the Old Covenant, people gave God 10 percent of their income. In the
New Covenant we now give tithes and offerings, and it is a heart
attitude rather than a certain percentage.
After
my wife and I were married, we began to give 11 percent of our
income to the Lord. We have so much more than the Jewish people had
... the least we could do was give more than our Jewish brothers did
under the law. We also noticed that our money went further. Things
did not break down as often. We received unexpected bonuses and
overtime. We found bargains at the Goodwill. The principle today in
this age of grace is that we give according to what God brings in
for us. Barb's and my experience was that as we became more
successful, our percentage increased. We wrote God's check first
before any operating bills. We opened a special bank account marked
"giving account" so we could get God's money out of our
family account so we wouldn't think we had more money in it than we
had.
In
this New Testament age we give out of a grateful heart for God's
grace, mercy, kindness and eternal life that His is preparing for
us. Each person has to determine how much he or she wants to give.
In a matter of speaking how much you give is how much you want to be
blessed. It's a process, and each person needs to present to God his
or her tithes and offerings out of a grateful heart. The amount is
not the most important part. It's our heart attitude. These are my
thoughts on the situation. Let me know if you want to talk further.
- Chuck
Snyder
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