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What is Tithing?
Tithing is a spiritual practice, just like prayer or meditation. It is the regular act of giving the "first fruits" of your labors to God.
The root of the word “tithe” means "tenth." Traditionally, tithing means giving the first 10% of your earnings to God.
Our tithe is not just another financial obligation. It is an act of faith, based on the divine truth that everything we have comes from God's hands. Tithing comes before paying other bills.
If you want to invite God more fully into your life through the practice of tithing, begin now. Chose a level you can sustain with regularity. In your heart, make an agreement with God on a percentage of your income you will give to Him.
As you tithe, whatever worries you may have around money will begin to melt away. You will feel increasingly relaxed in your new relationship with the Divine Source of all abundance. Gratitude and love will flow freely through the newly open window to His grace.
As with many things in life, the direction of your energy is more important than the perfect achievement of your ideals. At the beginning, to tithe 10% may seem foolhardy, but at the end, you will feel foolhardy NOT to tithe 10%!
Since it is not possible to give to God "directly," we tithe to His work, or to the source of our inspiration. To help inspire others to seek God is God's work.
The practice of tithing has many benefits. The most important of them is developing a friendship with God. Through tithing, we allow Him to demonstrate to us His constant care - sometimes dramatically, at other times more subtly. As our faith develops, we give ourselves into His hands ever more completely.
The practice of tithing has no equal in helping us feel close to God as we earn our living, and through all other ways of being active in this world. |