First Portion
“Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, you wine vats will brim over.” Proverbs 3:9-10
Tithing is how we honor God with our first portion. However, it can be a challenge to give, especially in times of hardship. My husband and I accepted Jesus as our Lord in Savior during a dark and challenging time in our lives – emotionally and financially. We moved to a new apartment and began attending a local church. We didn’t know much about the Bible; we didn’t have a strong relationship with the Lord yet but we were eager to learn.
In the first service we attended, there was the “time of giving” in which the pastor spoke about honoring God with our finances. We gladly put in a small amount of money. As the weeks went on, we became aware of the biblical principle to honor God with 10% of our finances. I remember feeling a knot inside because we were living paycheck to paycheck. Our new apartment was more than what we were able to pay comfortably. Our grocery shopping and lifestyle was frugal. But in our hearts, we wanted to honor God and give to the best of our ability. We asked multiple people at our church if our giving should be on the gross or net of our income. No one would give us a definitive answer, so in my heart I said, “Lord, we want to honor you with 10% of our gross.” At that time, we had no way of doing this. But I resolved myself to start with something we could do, and then grow it over time to what it should be.
There were weeks when it was hard, but we were determined to stand on God’s Word. I don’t recall how long it took us to reach our goal but as we approached, we eventually experienced God’s overflow on our lives. In fact, at work I experienced favor in the form of generous stock options and other financial incentives. We prayed and believed for a new house located in a new neighborhood. Within a few months we were able to put a deposit down on a home that was under construction.
When it came near the time to make a stock sale for the down payment, we experienced the fruition of Luke 6:38 “… The measurement of your generosity becomes the measurement of your return,” to the fullest measure. The day I needed to sell stock for the down payment was the day that the stock grew the largest ever at that company. In fact, the stock kept going up as I was calculating for the amount needed for the down payment, tax AND tithe.
Once we reached our goal of honoring God with the first fruits of our finances, we never looked back. In fact, we strived to give more and to bless others. We’ve always been blessed in return. If you are struggling with honoring God with your tithe, I encourage you to make a goal and start giving now. The promise of Luke 6:38 is for all of us. When we give generously, we are making a spiritual deposit. God then presses that down to make room for more so He can pour out abundantly on you.
By Michele Guel