Will God give you everything you need?
Sara Alexander
Once you’ve seen God’s provision in tangible ways, it’s easy to see that you can’t afford to not tithe. At least, that’s our story.
My husband and I have faithfully tithed our entire marriage. In the early years, we struggled under the weight of hefty medical bills. Costly surgeries and medication left us living paycheck to paycheck. We gave 10 percent of our income to the church, and did our best to wisely manage the other 90 percent. Without God’s intervention, my husband would have had to take on a second job or we could have lost our house.
God Provides In Ways We Never Expected
We saw God provide for us through financial gifts from friends and family. When I was out of work recovering from surgery, our NewSpring Group delivered meals and cash to our doorstep. That kind of generosity can only come from people who are motivated by God’s love for them and for the church.
Because we have seen God provide for us in such tangible ways, we have never wavered in our monthly habit of tithing. After we delivered our first child, more medical bills showed up in our mailbox. We stepped out in faith, and I quit my job to take care of our son full time — something I’ve continued doing for the past nine years. We set up payment plans with the hospital and doctor’s offices, and over time, paid off that medical debt.
In the meantime, God continued to stretch our meager 90 percent as we trusted Him to come through for us. His provision often came in creative ways — friends inviting us over for dinner, hand me down clothes from family, odd jobs that allowed me to bring the kids along. During a season of particularly difficult times, God provided a free place for our family to live. Now that was immeasurably more than we could have asked for or imagined, just like God promises in Ephesians 3:20.
God Always Proves Himself Faithful
Malachi 3:10 promises us that God will reward our obedience when we return 10 percent of our income back to Him. We have seen that happen in our lives!
“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 there will not be room enough to store it.”
Tithing is ultimately a trust issue. If you want to know where your trust is, honestly answer these two questions:
- Do I trust God to do more with 90 percent of my income than I could do with 100 percent?
- Do I trust God to come through for me now as He has in the past?
Most people are surprised that our family of five can not only live but thrive with only one income. It doesn’t make sense in our American mindset. But we are not surprised because we have seen God’s faithfulness in the past, so we can look confidently toward our future, knowing that no matter what financial hardships and trials come our way, God will carry us because we trust Him with our finances and our lives.
Is tithing your next step? Start today at newspring.cc/give.