Sen$eworthy #3

by Pauline Blanton

In a budget, there are three main components for income placement: spending, saving, and the most important, giving. Giving of tithes and offerings should be of the highest priority. In Malachi 3:10-11 it says to "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house; test Me in this" says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops and the vines of your fields will not cast their fruit," says the Lord Almighty." Earlier in this passage, God states that because they are not bringing their tithes and offerings, they are under a curse.

It has been my privelege to volunteer through a Christian organization that helps those who are struggling financially. The program pairs individuals and families with a budget counselor to whom they agree to be accountable. With virtually every family I have counselled, they were giving very little of their income, if any, and even that was not consistent. They were under a curse, based on Malachi 3:9. One of the first discussions I had with each of these clients was the need to tithe, (defined as 10% of income) and to do so consistently. Of course this is much easier said than done when the out go is exceeding the in come. In fact, it requires a step of faith. But let's review the passage in Malachi: God says "test Me in this... and see if I will not throw open the floodgates... and pour out so much blessing..." Here's the key: our part (giving) comes first. This is consistent with how God Himself does things. For example, "For God so loved the world that He GAVE..." (John 3:16). This is the principal of sowing and reaping. Sowing, or giving, always comes first. For the inexperienced, this can be, quite frankly, scary! But this is as real as it gets in being a person of faith! As they say, 'this is where the rubber meets the road'! Let's remember what it says in Hebrews 11:6: "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and the He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." If you say you trust God, tithes and offerings are your tangible way to prove it.

As my clients each began to tithe, their situations began to dramatically improve immediately! The money they needed began to materialize in various ways. One client received a letter from their credit card company offering to cancel their remaining debt if they would send in a small portion of what was owed, and the amount needed for that was unexpectedly received from a long forgotten debt owed to them. In another situation, the week after resuming the tithe, several grocery gift cards were suddenly given to them by individuals that had no knowledge of the depth of their need! In yet another situation, tremendous favor was evident with creditors via significant reductions in interest rates charged and waived fees. I could go on, but you get the picture. In all of these situations, the families made a new or refreshed commitment to give tithes and offerings consistently, and to be more careful stewards of the resources they had. They moved from the curse to the blessing!

To Do #3: Now that you have created a monthly spending plan, if you haven't already made Tithes and Offerings a priority, it's time to insert this as a spending category. It should always be the first entry immediately following Income. Remember that part of the reason we're writing out a budget is to keep the vision in front of our eyes regularly so that we don't cast off restraint and spend foolishly. The order in which you list spending categories is an indication of what priority they hold. Make God first in every area of your life, both in word and deed! Now that we have a home for the first 10% (or more) of our income, in the next issue we will address guideline percentages for the other categories of the budget.