Christianity Oasis
Christian Tithing Bible Study
Count Your Blessings
Tight Budget Tithing
Love Offering and Christian Tithing Bible Study
If you believe that you can't afford to tithe right now because you
can't afford it ... I've got good news for you. Now is the best time!
I have a question for you: Who's tithe meant more to Jesus when He
was watching the people in the Temple throw their money into the
treasury?
Mark 12:41-44
41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how
the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast
in much.
42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in
two mites, which make a farthing.
43 And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto
them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow
hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of
her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
Was it the people who could afford it or the poor widow's tithe that
Jesus admired? If you wait until you can afford it, what sacrifice
are you making? In fact, if you're not affected ... If you don't feel
like you've surrendered anything when you tithe ... If you don't feel
somewhat humbled, you're not giving enough ... If you believe Jesus'
Words from this story.
Tithing is sacrifice. It is giving a gift to God because He
gives you so much. How does He feel when you say ... Lord, wait until
I have more than enough, then I'll give as you have
asked. That story would have a totally different ending if instead,
the poor widow dropped a note in the treasury that said: Maybe next
time, Lord ...
Proverbs 3:9-10
9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the
firstfruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy
presses shall burst out with new wine.
Love Offerings and Christian Tithing Bible Study
Church Tithes and Offerings in the Bible Explained
Does this mean that your tithes should be the first thing you pay? If
you did, perhaps your barns would be filled with plenty and your
presses bursting with new wine, and you wouldn't be thinking that you
can't afford to do as God has asked of us.
How often should a person tithe? Search your heart on this one my
friends. What do you think God expects? One thing I can tell you is
that in the Bible, tithes are one tenth of all. If you're saying to
yourself, Man, I can't afford that much ... Congratulations friend,
you're eligible to receive the kind of recognition that a poor old
widow got from Jesus ... If you make the decision to sacrifice ...
Before you can afford it. Whether your gift is $5 or $500 ... God
promises a blessing.
I'd like to bring to your attention to the Word of God through the
prophet Malachi:
Malachi 3:10
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat
in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if
I will not open you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Well, that's all great and groovy, you might say, But where am I
supposed to get the money to tithe on a tight budget?
In our day and age, the cost of living seems to be going up faster
than our wages, so budgeting is a must for most people. One thing you
can be certain of, is that God understands how much of a sacrifice
your tithing is, and that's also why He appreciates it even more when
you have to put more effort (sacrifice) into giving your gift.
It's all about attitude!
2 Corinthians 9:7
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart [intentionally, not
forced], so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God
loveth a cheerful giver.
Love Offerings - Christian Tithing Bible Study Truth
Church Tithes and Offerings in the Bible Gift
Many people just throw their hands up in the air and give up on
tithing, figuring that what they can afford isn't enough, but your
offering, no matter the amount, shows God your willingness. I'd like
to share some of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians with you,
but first I'd like to give you a little background.
In his first letter to the people of Corinth, he asked the Christians
to save whatever they could on the first day of each week for the
collection of the Saints. This collection was a pledge of sorts,
being that Paul wouldn't be there to actually collect it for some
time. Then, Paul's visit was postponed and an entire year had passed,
so Paul wrote to announce his newly scheduled visit saying, Okay,
it's time to give what you've saved for the Saints ... Remember, we
talked about it before. Then he assures them that if they were doing
this with genuine generosity (a willing mind is what Paul called it),
any amount given was acceptable.
2 Corinthians 8:10-12
10 And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for
you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a
year ago.
11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there
was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of
that which ye have.
12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted
according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
Love Offerings / Christian Tithing Bible Study Hope
Church Tithes and Offerings in the Bible Blessing
You see, Paul knew that just like today, circumstances would arise
for the people to spend their money on other things, but if you have
an eager attitude ... If you can't wait to give to God's purpose,
because you know how the Lord feels about it ... If you can't wait to
give your effort, your sacrifice, your offering, your gift to God,
how much easier is it actually complete or perform the doing thereof?
You can perform what God has asked you know!
I'm gonna show you how to get started. First of all give your tithing
program a name. Come on, it's fun! Here are some suggestions:
- Blessings On A Budget
- Tin Can Tithing
- Gifts for God
- Jar of Generosity
You can come up with a clever idea of your own if you like, I'm sure
you can come up with a great one. The next thing to do is to get a
can or a jar or an envelope and write down the name of your tithing
program on it. That's the second hardest part ... But the hardest
part of this is not actually finding the money to give, but putting
the money in the jar! If you procrastinate, you will spend the
money on something else instead.
Now I'm going to give you a list of things you can do, to save $2 a
month. If you do only 5 of these things, once a month, you will have
$10 to tithe! After the first month, you'll be finding dozens of ways
you can save a buck here and there, and the amount of your next tithe
will surprise you.
Before we get started, I want to encourage you to write us with any
suggestions you may have for others who are on a budget but want to
begin tithing, like yourself ... For instance: teens, stay at home
wives, elderly, homebound, and anyone else who may feel like tithing
is difficult to afford for any reason.
One more suggestion. For those who pay for things by check, it may be
best if you actually make an entry in your register for the savings
that you plan to tithe, each time you save, then write one check at
the end of the month for your tithe. To keep a visual record for
yourself though, and so you can keep track of where you stand, also
write down the amount you save and how, on a small slip of paper and
put it in your jar, can or envelope.
Ready? Here we go!
Save $2 per month for tithing by:
Giving up a magazine subscription. Read your Bible instead, or read
the Christian Walk Studies at Christianity Oasis during the times
when you'd normally be reading your magazine. On large amounts like
this that you want to spread out through the year, write yourself
that check for $24 that you would spend on a year subscription, cash
it and put it in a special envelope that you can take $2 out of each
month for your tithe.
Save $2 per month for tithing by:
Looking in the Food section of the newspaper, the weekend coupon
section, or there are also many places on the web where you can even
print your own manufacturer's coupons for groceries. Sometimes on the
packages or inside the packages themselves of the items you buy,
there may be coupons you can use. Each time you go to the store and
use them, put the amount of money you saved into your container for
tithing and/or subtract it from your check register. You can
certainly find $2/month worth of coupons for the things you buy ...
That's only one 50¢ coupon per week! The hardest part ... Actually
putting that savings in your jar.
Save $2 per month for tithing by:
Switching from name brand to generic on a few things that you
normally buy. This can really add up on things like over the counter
medicines, lotions, shampoos, detergents, etc. You'll find that the
ingredients are exactly the same, only the prices are different ...
And drastically I might add. Put the money you save into your jar,
and/or subtract the amount you save from your check register and put
your slip of paper in your jar.
Love Offerings and Christian Tithing Bible Study
Church Tithes and Offerings in the Bible Explained
Save $2 per month for tithing by:
Doing the "wants" or "needs" check once a month at the grocery check
out. When you're waiting in line for the cashier, take a good look at
all the things in your basket and ask yourself, Do I really need
this, or is it just something I want? Is it something I can live
without so that I can feel better in my heart about giving more to
God? Go ahead and take it out of your basket and leave it right there
next to the Chicklets. Don't worry, they pay people to put those
things back in the aisles where they belong. Don't forget to put that
money you didn't spend on those un-necessities into your tithing jar
and/or keep up with your check register.
Save $2 per month for tithing by:
Going to the Dollar Store! You'll be astonished at how much you can
save if you go to the Dollar Store once a month. Soon you'll be going
once a week instead and saving scads of dough! Be sure to put it
where it goes!
Save $2 per month for tithing by:
Cooling it! You wouldn't believe it if you watched your electric
meter spin while you use appliances that produce heat! Hair dryers,
the dry cycle on your dishwasher, clothes dryers, irons ... Whew!
Once a month, let your dishes air dry, hang your clothes out to dry,
and/or let your hair dry by itself (that heat isn't good for it
anyway). You're sure to save more than two bucks! Did you put it in
your jar?
Reminder:
If you don't put your savings in the jar each time you save it, when
it comes time to tithe, you'll find that you've spent your savings
elsewhere.
Remember what we were taught ...
Perform the doing thereof!
Save $2 per month for tithing by:
Switching containers? Switching from individual bottles of drinking
water to gallons is sure to save at least $2 per month. If you
already use gallons, you can save even more by refilling your own
containers from the machines that are usually located at the entrance
of many supermarkets. Don't forget to keep track of your savings for
your tithe.
Save $2 per month for tithing by:
Making your own ice once a month if you usually buy bags of ice at
the store. Plunk two George Washingtons in the jar!
Save $2 per month for tithing by:
Printing your own greeting cards instead of giving the money to
Hallmark. (Saves you a trip to the store where you'd probably buy
something else you don't need, too!)
Save $2 per month for tithing by:
Banking online. Do you pay more than 15 bills by mail each month? If
so, it could save you money to pay your bills online. If your bank
charges $5.95/mo. service fee for online banking, that's about the
same as 15 stamps, so every 5 stamps after that, you're saving $2.
Tithe it!
Well, that's enough to save $20/month to tithe. Pretty painless, huh?
Love Offerings - Christian Tithing Bible Study Tips
Church Tithes and Offerings in the Bible Ideas
Here are some other things that you may consider giving up 2 dollars
worth of, each month:
Cigarettes
Make your own with pre-made paper tubes and loose tobacco.
You
can save a considerable amount of money for tithing by doing this. To
give you an idea: A carton of cigarettes costs around $60-70 or more
nowadays. To make your own, costs about 30 bucks. That's $25-$30 per
carton that you can tithe! Oh, you have a small initial investment
for the little machine that stuffs the tobacco into the tubes, but in
the long run, it's a fortune that's not going up in smoke, but you
can think of it as a different kind of burnt offering.
- Gourmet Coffee
- Chips
- Cookies
- Pizza
- Theater movies
- Movie rentals
- Ice Cream
- Long distance phone calls
- Soda
- Candy
- Lottery Tickets
- Restaurant meals
- Super sizing it
- Chewing gum
Love Offerings and Christian Tithing Bible Study Summary
Church Tithes and Offerings in the Bible Reward
Even though most people feel they can't afford to tithe, they feel
like they can afford these luxuries.
More tithing suggestions:
- Interested in interest? Tithe the interest that you make on a certain bank account.
- Tithe part of your allowance if you're a teen.
- Tithe a portion of your income tax return.
- Tithe the money from your glass bottle and aluminum can deposits.
- Tithe your loose change at the end of each day.
- Tithe part of your babysitting money, birthday money, Christmas money, mowing money, etc.
- Sell any of your jewelry that doesn't represent God and tithe the money.
You see, it's easy to tithe ... All you need is an earnest attitude!
2 Corinthians 9:7
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart [intentionally, not
forced], so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God
loveth a cheerful giver.
Don't forget to e-Mail your ideas and we'll add them to the list!
If you have any questions or comments,
You can contact us at:
E-mail: ChristianityOasis.com