Tithing

One thing I'm thankful my parents did is teach me to budget. Like, early on. I'm talking around 5 or 6 when I started getting an allowance. And I put my 10 cents in tithe, 10 cents in savings, and so on. And as the years went on and my allowance grew, I kept on putting 10 percent in tithe.

The number 10 percent is generally the target number people who tithe aim for. It's based on Abraham's offering in Genesis 14, and on Deuteronomy 14:22 where the Israelites are told to set aside a tenth of their crops as a tithe. But the tithe in Deuteronomy wasn't like a charitable donation - it was an amount set aside to eat in the presence of the Lord as an act of worship. You actually consumed this tithe. Only every three years, the tithe was used to feed the poor.

But let's not forget the other offerings discussed in Leviticus - burnt offerings, grain offerings, fellowship offerings - these were given as an act of worship to God. These were not eaten, but rather burned as an offering. They were given freely, no specified amount. On top of your 10%.

Then there were the random collections, like when they were building or repairing the Tabernacle/Temple, where people just brought what they had to build the house of the Lord. On top of their 10% and offerings.

In the New Testament, there are people who give fields or other such things in Acts to help share the wealth with the body of believers in their church.

Then there's the Jerusalem Fund, a collection taken among many of the churches Paul visited, to help the poorer churches.

And let's not forget the most compelling example of giving - the widow who gives less than the rich men, but is applauded by Jesus himself for giving out of her poverty and putting in all she had to live on. This act of faith was an amazing thing.

So really, the things we consider using tithe money for - helping our church or other churches with ministry, building funds for churches, or giving as an act of worship - these were not specified amounts. What mattered was your heart. Whether it was giving 10%, like Abraham did, or 100% like the widow, or less or somewhere in between, a gift cheerfully given is a great gift. And I believe God blesses us when we give to him in faith.

I also believe it is OK to use tithe money to fund your own missions trip. If you would give money to missionaries, why not give both money and time to missions work? If you can fund your own missions trip, you're freeing up would-be donators to give to other things.