Tithe

I need to let go of my church statements. I have been going to church with my best friend or boyfriend at their respective churches, which I’ll give an offering to, but it does ‘count’ in that it does not show up on my church statement from my church. I need to let go of that. God doesn’t care what church you give to and whether or not you get a tax break. I still keep track in my monthly expenses, so I know at the end of the day, how much I gave.

I actually didnt start until 01/09 and I’m glad I did. This is something I dont ever want to stop doing. When i finally made up my mind to tithe starting the first paycheck in January, everything started happening! My account is overdrawn, Im suppose to start school on the Jan 20th and I dont have money for the books and I have a bill due…Buttttt, Im not worried GOD WILL WORK IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!:)(smile)

So one of my other goals is to go to church twice a month. I want to go regularly instead of in spurts throughout the year. Regular attendance makes it easier to give regularly.

On a tight budget this is a long shot goal. But I want it to be my long term goal, and I want to give more than I have been. My short term goal is to double what I have been giving.

I have just been given about 40 canvases from an estate that are painted on by an artist who passed away and I can use them to paint on. So, when I got home and was parking out in front of my condo complex I noticed a woman sitting near the sidewalk, she looked like a cleaning lady who just got done working & was waiting for a ride, I said hello and was walking away when I had a thought “Pay it Forward”. So I gave her $40 and said Merry Christmas. She almost started crying and my heart opened. That’s kinda like a Tithe ??? Right ?

What you put out, always comes back to you.

Tithing is like creating a cycle of energy – giving at least 5% – 10% of your income to wherever it is where you’re “spiritually fed”. Church, someone that inspires you, etc.. Micro-lending doesn’t count because the $ is paid back & giving to some random charity doesn’t necessarily count (it especially isn’t good if the donation is made out of pity)- it has to go towards whatever “spiritually feeds” you.

I hope to remember this day as THE day I began obeying the Lord in his command to tithe! My good friend (not Catholic) has finally opened my eyes. Please keep me in your prayers as begin this new journey closer to God.

Tithe is a good thing. It keeps things from going to hell in a basket in your life. And offering is even better is the seed for increase in your life. Tithe is what the church is to use to help those in need. So when you tithe you have feed the homeless, cloth the naked, etc. It’s cool!

Well Sunday at church when that offering plate came my way I grabbed my purse and pulled the money I had set aside in a special pocket and put it all in. I didn’t even need to count it, I already knew it was 10%.

I am so blessed. :)

Gotta keep going…

but now I have a solid plan of how I’m going to make this work.

You see, I wait tables and so my entire income is cash on a daily basis. Also, (against my requests) I do have to work late every Saturday night and have to work some Sundays, so I’ve been missing a lot of church lately.

But now, after every shift I’m going to go ahead and pull 10% out before I put any money in my wallet and set it aside in an envelope or something. Then on Mondays I’ll take all of the tithing money directly to the bank and set my tithe up online bill pay, so even if it happens to be a weekend that I can’t make it to church on Sunday, I won’t be skipping out on tithing.

The funny thing is. I was so worried before that I wasn’t going to have enough money to pay my bills. Money has been really tight lately. And for some silly reason I was using the fact that I didn’t have any money to put in the offering plate as an excuse not to go to church. How silly is that!

I know God will always provide for me. He’s never let me down, so I don’t know why I thought this way. This was no way to treat my extremely generous and gracious God. I have been blessed in so many ways, that I would be an idiot not to give back.