I have been struggling mentally with the following question and would love any imput you are willing to pass on.
I truly believe in giving back to your religion. The Bible says that you should tithe, meaning give ten percent of your earnings to the support of the religion. I really want to do this, but I am not sure that Jenn and I are in a position to do so. Right now we are surviving mostly on my salary for our living expenses, and if we wanted to tithe we would have to take out more school loans to do so. Is it right for us, and our faith in the long run, to take out more loans to give now vs. being able to give more later if we have fewer loans? Can we give of our time and effort now and add the financial aspect when we are in a better situation in a few years? What do you think?
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4 comments:
I heard a pastor once teach on taking the next step of generousity, If you give 4% give 5%, Stretch your self, worship is risk, sometimes its risky to say God I Dont know that I can really afford this and to take that step of faith, I thought it was neat teaching. Demanding an immediat 10% to someone who does not even gve one might not be realistic but to challenge people to that next step of faith can be very pastoral.
Andrew
There are other ways of titheing then just financially. To tithe is to give back to the Lord. This generally is said to be money, however ones time and personal commitment can be far more influential and valuable then money. For someone who already works 2 jobs just to make ends meet is going to be more hardpressed to find those extra hours per week to give to the Lord then the money. I think giving ones time in place of money when money is not a viable option, creates a realistic, valuable contribution.
Knowing me as long as you have, I assume you have an idea of just how hard I worked & just how "tight" my budget was. Owning my own home & car with only my teacher's salary was HARD. I had the same worry when I was your age & I asked the very same questions. I was told numerous times that my service was enough.... as long as I was doing it with the Lord in my heart. :) When I became financially stronger, I was able to tithe the way I really wanted to. Your heart is in the right place! :)
Lauren
Hey Josh,
I was just reading your blog and definitely know where you're coming from. Brian and I just talked about this during a Bible study we're involved in a couple of weeks ago. It's hard when you want to do something but don't feel you have the finicial means to. Trusting that you'll be taken care of no matter what is definitely what faith is all about though. I think it's definitely good to take a step of faith, but the amount of money given is not the important thing. The attitude with which the gift is given is so much more important...10% is not some magic number that proves how faithful you are. Brian and I have taken some small steps (including giving time instead of money) and have seen some blessings come out of it.
I hope to see you guys soon. We miss you!
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