Studying the book of Romans has shown us the struggles and tensions between living under the Law and living in salvation through grace. Under the Law, God gave instructions for ma-aser, which is the Hebrew word for tithe meaning one-tenth. The practice of tithing is to give ten percent of your income or products from the land to the Lord. Books in the Old Testament Law speak of the practice of tithing (Gen. 28:22, Lev. 27:30, Deut. 14:22). I grew up in an atmosphere that reflected tithing under the Law. I knew that my parents tithed to the penny of their earnings to give back to their church, and they taught me to do the same. I was following the Law and thinking that I gave God what He deserved.

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That made me think about this: What did I deserve? There are times when I feel like I just need a break from the demands of life. When I was a new mother, I deserved a bathroom break with no interruptions! I deserve to provide healthy meals to my family, and to pay my bills and be out of debt someday. What do you deserve? I hear many people today talk about the atmosphere of entitlement in our society today, which is regrettable. Thinking about what we deserve or are entitled to can bind us to a selfish lifestyle. I was shown an example of giving to God the ten percent that I thought He deserved, which is a great place to start, but as I grew in relationship with God, He began to use tithing as a step to change my heart to experience a life of giving and generosity.  

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How can we be people who think more about giving than we think about what we deserve? As my relationship with God grew, and I listened more, He began to change my heart from tithing to desiring something more. I learned that, because Christ fulfilled the Law, the New Testament told of a different type of giving, like “keeping with your income” (1 Cor.16:2) and “according to what one has” (2 Cor. 8:12). I started to observe that those who gave generously of their resources, time, or talents had more joy. I wanted that joy! My journey started with small steps, like sponsoring a child at a camp, and my family filled shoe boxes to send to children in need. The steps began to impact our monthly finances when we started sponsoring Compassion children. God gave us more growth steps: sponsoring families in foreign mission fields. God opened our hearts to give more, and God blessed us with resources to give more to our local church and other causes, like Hope to Alaska. I did feel the joy of generosity in my heart as an act of worship to God.

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I anticipate that joy to grow as my husband and I have stepped out in faith to see where our hearts desire to give generously will lead us (2 Cor. 9:7). It isn’t the amount that we give, because we know that all we have is from God, so we need to trust Him with 100% of what we have. God has given us a vision of how generosity can have an impact on eternity, and we know that one act of generosity can change the map of an entire life! We have seen generosity open doors for others to shine with their God-given talents.  

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How can you embrace a vision to be more generous in your time, talents, and resources? Try taking small, incremental steps that will lead you into the future of giving that God has for you. He will provide what you need and help you look beyond your circumstances. Do you remember how He cares for the sparrow? “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:31). He can provide beyond the finite options that we can imagine!  

If you attended one of the ACF Vision Nights, has God revealed a next step for you in this journey? Listen for God to guide you in rebuilding, repairing, and restoring. If you could not attend, begin praying about God’s next steps for you in this season and don’t miss out on the vision being shared at Fall Kickoff on October 12th!

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Abba, Father, I thank You for guidance to give. Thank You for resources to bless Your Kingdom and to look beyond our circumstances to be generous, knowing that nothing is impossible for You. Thank You for being a trust-building God. Please help me see fears as places where You want to build our trust and to remember how much You care for us. We want to hear Your voice to see a vision to give. We embrace the anticipation of what You are about to do! We love You, Jesus.