Thursday, October 13, 2022

Give, Save, Live – The Vault

October 13, 2022/in Week 1, Bible Study

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When my children were small, we didn’t have much money. Their father and I had married when we were 19—sophomores in college with no money and no marketable skills. After the first few years, when the novelty of being married and new parents had worn off, we really struggled. But I have come to view that time as a real blessing.

That time offered a vital learning experience that taught me how to be content with little. It taught me that money doesn’t buy happiness. It taught me not to be afraid of life without. I worked hard at several different jobs, and we had enough. At the time I thought, “If only I could make $20,000 a year, we would be living on easy street!” It took some years for that to happen, and guess what? We could have used a bit more!

When I became a Christian, though, I learned that the Bible was serious about trusting God with my resources. By that time, I was a single mom with two children, one of whom had developmental disabilities. While I had heard of the concept of tithing, I never thought people actually did it! Give 10% of my income to God? You must be kidding! I was sure there had to be an exception for single moms!

I began to study what the Bible said about the resources I had. As I came to believe that everything I had originated from God, it seemed only reasonable to give back what he asked of me. Eventually, I saw that the system of giving 10%, saving 10%, and living off the rest was truly a wise way to order my finances. I couldn’t begin at 10%, but as I saw God’s blessing in my life, I increased it.

God has been so faithful to me and my family. It is a joy for us to return our tithes to him and the work he is doing through our church. Lead Pastor Ben Snyder quoted his friend in saying, “Your heart will follow your money, so send your money to where you want your heart.” Jesus tells us there will be a reward for this:

Matthew 24:45-46

45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.”

Malachi 3:10

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”

That’s a test I have taken, and I have learned that you cannot outgive God!

Questions:

Do you feel like you honor God with your giving? If not, why? Do you believe that God has provided the gifts and talents that have enabled you to earn what you make?

Next Steps:

Calculate what 10% of your annual income is. Most people don’t know. Divide that amount by 52 weeks. Commit to giving a beginning percentage faithfully and first. Commit to saving the same amount. See if God doesn’t bless that. Then increase your percentage.

Prayer:

Lord God, how can I begin to thank you for the many blessings you have given me? It is a joy to give you thanks and praise for it all! In joyful obedience, I give my tithes and offerings to you, not because you need it, but because you want to be first in my heart. I say that you are first. I pray my life reflects your glory in my giving, in my serving, and in my loving because you loved me first. Amen.