Tithing Part 3: Testing God

Tithing Part 3: Testing God

by | Dec 20, 2012 | Christian Financial Advice, Education, Generosity, God, Jesus Christ, Lance's Philosophy, Leadership, Personal Growth, Stewardship, Tithing, Uncategorized, Wisdom | 2 comments

Testing God: He challenges us to test Him through tithing
“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.” (Malachi 3:10)

Below is a video interview for Christ Chapel Bible Church Christmas 2012 sharing our stewardship journey.

Lance and Kathryn Cashion-QuickTime H.264 from Christ Chapel Bible Church on Vimeo.

In Tithing Part 2, I explained the mechanics and process of tithing from my perspective. Remember our focus should be on God through faithful stewardship. Tithing is not ‘Tipping God’; it is an act of obedience and worship that reminds us of our place in God’s economy. I can find no other instance in Scripture where God encourages us to test him except in regard to the Tithe.

Listen to me very carefully. I can give you dozens of examples in my life where I tithed on our income, knowing in the back of my mind that I did not have enough money left over to pay our bills. The first time this happened, I nearly came to tears in a state of panic and fear. I thought to myself, “What did I just do? I don’t have enough money left to pay our mortgage, buy groceries, etc.” I felt like an acrobat working without a net. Do you know what I learned at that moment? I had no other choice but to depend on God’s promise of provision (see Luke 12:22-34) (more…)

Tithing Part 1: Tipping God?

by | Dec 6, 2012 | Christian Financial Advice, Education, God, Jesus Christ, Lance's Philosophy, Personal Growth, Stewardship, Tithing, Uncategorized

The subject of Tithing is one of the most frequent topics brought up by my Christian family, friends and clients. In fact, last week it was brought up on two occasions. So, I decided to write about it.

I will not discuss the doctrine, history or details of tithing here. I’ll leave the research to you. Suffice to say that I believe that as Christian stewards of God’s resources we are compelled by Scripture to give of our ‘first fruits’ to the Kingdom. This takes the form of 10% of our income (tithe means ‘tenth’). Therefore, I am going to explain my methodology and provide practical advice. Your version may look different than mine. However, this is just one man’s Biblical interpretation tithing. Let me remind you that the most important component of tithing is not centered on the ‘right’ amount of money. The tithe is heart-centered. How can I be joyful and obedient in this wonderful and mysterious endeavor?

Tipping God
When I first began tithing, I started with my leftovers (I did not know any better). After bills were paid and I bought all the stuff I ‘needed’, I would give some of my leftovers to God. If I had a really good week at work, I may give God a little more money that week. Come to find out, I had the heart of Cain. I was essentially telling God, “Thanks God for a great week at work! Here is a little extra for you…” I truly believed I was being generous. However, I was deceiving myself. Prideful, I was essentially throwing God a tip. (more…)