The Virtue of Tithes and Offerings
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Proverbs 11:24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want
One of the questions I ask on every show is “Do you Tithe?” I’m happy to say that the answer every time has been yes and invariably starts a conversation that is fun and inspiring. One of those conversations was with my guest Tony Lattimore. Tony was emphatic about the true virtue of tithing, but admitted that it’s not always easy to do. The story that made me really smile was when he said that his wife makes him Tithe 10% no matter what. They were broke and he said “honey, I only made $50 in a personal training session?” She replied immediately, “right…and $5.00 dollars goes to the church.” So great! (By the way, his wife has 8 children from a previous marriage and one with Tony)
The powerful thing is that Tony is absolutely convinced that tithing is one of the things that makes his success possible. He has a thriving personal training business and along with giving 10% gross of everything the family makes, he, his wife and their 9 children are all intimately involved with their church. Tony is a leader of the church and teaches a free training class to 80 plus members every Saturday.
While Tony’s story is not exactly typical, it is similar to how other families feel about tithing including mine. This morning, I started to consider the true virtue of tithing. What makes it so powerful? There have been plenty of times it was difficult for me to see 10% of my income go out the door especially when my family could’ve really used it, but here’s the thing. When I’m giving to others, it takes me out of my own head and reminds me that others need it much more than I do. My family and I are incredibly blessed to be able to give what we can and the change in perspective almost immediately goes to work. The day gets brighter and I begin to radiate that light rather than darkness of whatever my particular troubles were that day. God changes my perspective by filling me with his light and it’s wonderful.
If you happen to be someone who doesn’t tithe because you feel as though you’re incapable or you just feel despair, I encourage you to give it a try. It’s another chance to get closer to the Lord and it will change you forever.
Be blessed, Be joyous and Be welcome at God’s Men of Influence.
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