Hi My Friends, with regards to stewardship, have any of you had difficulties with paying 10 percent of your tithe to the church, as the Bible commands?

Today is a day which went down in history at a turning point in our church known as "The Great Disappointment." This happened on October 22, 1844. Has anyone heard about this?

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21. Stewardship:
We are God's stewards, entrusted by Him with time and opportunities, abilities and possessions, and the blessings of the earth and its resources. We are responsible to Him for their proper use. We acknowledge God's ownership by faithful service to Him and our fellow men, and by returning tithes and giving offerings for the proclamation of His gospel and the support and growth of His church. Stewardship is a privilege given to us by God for nurture in love and the victory over selfishness and covetousness. The steward rejoices in the blessings that come to others as a result of his faithfulness. (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15; 1 Chron. 29:14; Haggai 1:3-11; Mal. 3:8-12; 1 Cor. 9:9-14; Matt. 23:23; 2 Cor. 8:1-15; Rom. 15:26, 27.)

I believe stuartship also includes taking care of our bodies and our minds, not filling ourselves up with things that are harmful or negative, and learning to take care of the things we're entrusted with. Also we should teach others to do the same. The more we can save money over the things we buy and have less money to have to pay for our physical needs, the more we can give to help others.

I've often been on the receiving end of these gifts, but I have always had a desire to be on the giving end. Once I was able to give $1000 to my church and it all came back to me more than double. That wasn't the reason I did it, I wanted to contribute to the growth of my church and didn't have any other motives, and it felt good to be able to do it, but it is a promise of God that when we give in obedience and not from a desire to receive anything, he rewards us.

Every single time I've been faithful in tithing I've made it through the month without having a single problem with money. He's provide all my needs and even some of my wants. But when I fail to tithe things seem to go wrong one after the other.

That by itself ought to be a good enough reason to never forget to tithe. It works just like He says it will.

Becky

Hi Becky, I've also found that when we are faithful in paying our tithes, the Lord blesses us tenfold. There have been times when I was hitting rock bottom and didn't know where the money was coming from to pay the bills, then out of nowhere, there it was, just like He promised!

"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me, But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, 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." Malachi 3:8-10

Hi James,

I have also found that paying the tithe is the first step in getting our needs met. I have had experiences like you at times when I had no idea even how we would eat and somehow the money would just pop up from some unexspected source.

There are 133 referrences made pretaining to money is the bible.

If we don't trust G-d with our money how are we going to trust him with our lives?

I never tithe by check it is always cash it is something I feel that should be done in private. Than it allows G-d to openly bless the faithful. No, I do not take it off my taxes either.. If I did I would not feel as if I were giving anything.

Blessings,

Geketa

I do have trouble with paying 10%, but I give what I can even if it's only my time.  We, too, place an emphasis on stewardship and it is much more than money.  Stewardship literally means taking care of something, in this case the church and its members and using our talents and gifts for this purpose.

If you do not have money or possessions, give some of your time.  Do some work for the church or its parishoners.  God knows what you need and what you can give.  It's not your money God wants, it's you.

Kate