I pray I’m the only one, but I laughed during my wedding vows. When the pastor asked me to repeat for richer or poorer, all I could think was I’ve got the poorer part down. I have a dead-end job making $25,000 per year. I have over $60,000 in student loan debt. (9 years and three degrees will do that to you.) And I have a car payment. (Praise the Lord that 29 years later, the only debt we have is a home mortgage.) There is one thing, however, that was never to be debated when it came to our finances—Tithing. Sure, there were times when we’d take whatever money we had to the grocery store to see how much we could buy with so little we had. We were young and in love and we made a game of it on more than one occasion. It would have been quite easy, from a financial standpoint, to not give 10%; but it would not have been worth the spiritual cost. We did without many wants, but we never had a need that went unmet.
Of the forty or so parables of Jesus recorded in the Gospels, 11 of them deal with money. The 15th century church reformer, Martin Luther, once wrote that “there are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the conversion of the mind, and the conversion of the purse.” The renowned 19th century English pastor, Charles Spurgeon, stated, “With some (Christians) the last part of their nature that ever gets sanctified is their pockets.”
Many would say that tithing is a money issue; I propose to you today that it is a trust issue. Do you trust Jesus enough to surrender your heart, your mind, and your money?
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need… Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.” -Malachi 3:10, 12 (ESV)
— Mickey Ballard