Put God First in Your Finances Through Tithing

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33 NIV)

One of the best known and most successful business leaders of Southern California once told me, “Rick, you need to tell people the best time to start tithing is when they’re in debt. That’s when they need the most help.”

Whatever you want God to bless in your life, you put Him first in that area. You want God to bless your business? Put Him first in your business. You want God to bless your marriage? Put Him first in your marriage. You want God to bless your time? Put Him first in your time. You want God to bless your finances? Put Him first in your finances.

Whatever you put God first in, that’s what He blesses. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (NIV). You have to decide that you’re going to tithe and you’re going to save, even if it means you live on less so you can do those two things.

You can live on any amount you have to. It is a choice. Nobody made you drive that kind of car, live in that kind of house, or pay those kinds of bills.

God wants you to give, and He wants you to save. If you tithe 10 percent and save 10 percent, that means you live on 80 percent of your income.

Let’s say your family income is $60,000 a year and you started this plan at age 40. Over the next twenty years, by age 60, you will have given $120,000 to God’s purposes in the world and you would still have more than $120,000 set aside in your investments or your savings.

It may mean big changes for your family. It may mean you make sacrifices and give up some things. But it works! There are enormous payoffs. God will always honor the areas where you put him first.

The Bible says, “The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives” (Deuteronomy 14:23 LB).

Talk It Over
- What changes will you need to make in your lifestyle in order to live on 80 percent of your income?
- What are the items that you are most attached to? How might those things compete with God in your life?
- What do you think saving money has to do with putting God first?

~ Written by: Rick Warren ~
~ Modified by: Oleg Fabyanchuk ~

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Obedience Without Anxiety

Image
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT) If you feel overwhelmed or confused about a decision that you’re trying to make, you’re probably caught up in yourself and not God’s voice. The Bible says, “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33a NIV). He is not the author of confusion. So if you’re feeling confused, guess what? It’s not God’s voice speaking in your life. If you’re a parent, do you want your kids to feel pressure or confused when you ask them to do something? No. You want them to understand what to do and then respond in obedience. God the Father wants the same thing for and from us. The only time pressure could be legitimate is if God’s told you to do something, and you keep saying “n
Read more

Why Nagging Never Works

Image
Have you noticed how many difficult people there are in the world? Do you feel like you have to deal with most of them some days? You know what rude acts bug me the most? People who call me and then say, “Who is this?” People who honk their horns in traffic jams. People who cheat in the 10-items-or-less grocery line. People who steal your parking spot. The list goes on, and I’m sure you can relate. So, how should we respond in love to difficult people? Proverbs 16:21 says, “A wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is” (TEV). The more pleasant you are, the more persuasive you are. And, you’re never persuasive when you’re abrasive. Nagging doesn’t work. The way you say something determines the way it’s received. If you say something offensively, it’s going to be received defensively. That’s why love is all about your words. Love is truthful, but it is also tactful. Tact and tone always go together. It matters
Read more

The Light in the Dark Times

Image
“We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, Who raises the dead.”  (2 Corinthians 1:8b-9 NLT) Did Jesus suffer? Was He sometimes lonely? Was He tempted to be discouraged? Was He misunderstood, maligned, and criticized unjustly? Of course! None of us are exempt from suffering, loneliness, discouragement, or unjust criticism, because God is developing within us the character of Christ, and, in order to do this, He must take us through all of the circumstances in life through which He took Christ. Does this mean God causes tragedies? No. God is good, and He will not cause evil or do evil. But God can use dark and stressful times for good. He'll use them to teach us to trust Him, to show us how to help others, and to draw us closer to other believers. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 1:8b-9,
Read more