Do you still tithe when facing financial hardship?

Tithing/or giving an offering isn't just about money.
You can give of your time-- my husband did this when
we lived on the peninsula...he painted the sanctuary of
the church we attended, this saved the church thousands
of dollars-- this was our "offering".

We always gave something-- money, food for the church's
pantry, clothes for the Needy Box, did odd jobs at church etc.

That is when you should tithe!

If you only have $1.00, you can still give a dime (10%).

God cares about obedience, faith, and giving cheerfully MUCH MORE than He cares about the exact amount you're giving.

And yes, I give no matter how little I have. If all I have is a handful of pennies, that's what I give.

Being in a terrible situation like locked in prison for life for a serious offence committed, does seem like an impossible situation where you think that such a serious offence would mean that Jesus would only save those "who he thinks he sees fit".:
But if the individual prisoner accepts Jesus with all his "heart and soul" then the individual has fulfilled his future socialization with Christ permanently inside the ultimate community-built city of free home accommodation: the kingdom of God .:
Tithing, in this difficult situation, is therefore a "spiritual cleansing of Satan's sin that is deceivingly righteous and "I'm right about you what Jesus thinks" truthability .;'*';.

MercyandFaith said:

I know some people continue to tithe regardless of financial hardship - and I admire that - but what if one just can't come up with 10%?

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Tithing is purely an optional exercise. If you can't afford it, give whatever you think is fair and within your abilities.

Inkachu said:

If you only have $1.00, you can still give a dime (10%).

God cares about obedience, faith, and giving cheerfully MUCH MORE than He cares about the exact amount you're giving.

And yes, I give no matter how little I have. If all I have is a handful of pennies, that's what I give.

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* I'm the same...my mom demonstrated this to us very early in life.

In ancient times, the tenth was the first fruits of labor. When the field was almost ready for harvest, the first cut was the Lord's.
It was a once-a-year event, first fruits -- the festival of Shavuot.

You will also remember Jesus picking grain out of a field -- the edges of the field were set aside for the passer-by and the needy.

Are there ways you can incorporate these concepts into your life?

There are some little things I do along those lines, unofficially. When I am about to shop for something I'm not sure I should spend money on, I clean out something else in the house to "make room" -- to erase some of the glut. In my mind it is like an exchange -- give what I have to the poor (donation bins) before I go and spend money on myself.

When I am about to launch a big venture, I ask someone I run into if they would like a pro bono project. Sometimes they say no, but there is almost always someone who crosses my path who needs something at that point in time.

Tithing is a lifestyle of generosity, a willingness to step back from competing and letting someone else step forward. Scripturally it is not always sacrifice -- sometimes donors shared in the feast too. But that generosity was expected of everyone.

Help someone move... make someone lunches... babysit once or twice for free. Offer rides.

When you see yourself in a position of giving to others, you feel less poor because you are in control, and capable of offering something to others. Hard to explain, and it's not fail-proof, but it does make you feel like life goes on during hard times.

parsley said:

In ancient times, the tenth was the first fruits of labor. When the field was almost ready for harvest, the first cut was the Lord's.
It was a once-a-year event, first fruits -- the festival of Shavuot.

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No. The firstfruits offering was a sacrifice that went to the altar. The tithr was not a sacrifice, it did not go to the altar.

The firstfruits offering came at the harvest for each crop, and at calving time for the herd and for the flock, at various times of the year. The tithe was given only at a specific time of the year.

The firstfruit was the first fruit. The tithe, specifically, was not the first tenth, but the last tenth.

Firstfruit and tithes were totally separate things.

MercyandFaith said:

I know some people continue to tithe regardless of financial hardship - and I admire that - but what if one just can't come up with 10%?

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If you truly are a Christian (one who belongs to Christ), your possessions are not your own--they ALL belong to Christ. You merely are the steward.

I could quote you the parable of the talents (which were the equivalent of a year's wages) or Luke 6 about giving to the poor, but at the end of the day, Christ has put possessions into your hands to do with as YOU see fit.

I tithe for many reasons, often selfish reasons. It is my belief, based on previous experience, that the more you give, the more you get. It may not be money, but your blessings will multiply.

Even the unjust steward (Luke 16) recognized the benefits of generosity. I am an unjust steward and a man of questionable character, but I tithe--not every month, but when I get money, more often than not, I purchase Bibles for $5 a piece to give to Christians in persecuted countries.

My treasures are in heaven, brother--yours?

It doesn't have to be money.
&
It doesn't have to go the church.

Get those two notions dealt with and you suddenly find yourself in a whole new position.

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Quasicentennial said:

Being in a terrible situation like locked in prison for life for a serious offence committed, does seem like an impossible situation where you think that such a serious offence would mean that Jesus would only save those "who he thinks he sees fit".:
But if the individual prisoner accepts Jesus with all his "heart and soul" then the individual has fulfilled his future socialization with Christ permanently inside the ultimate community-built city of free home accommodation: the kingdom of God .:
Tithing, in this difficult situation, is therefore a "spiritual cleansing of Satan's sin that is deceivingly righteous and "I'm right about you what Jesus thinks" truthability .;'*';.

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Am I missing something here? Where did 'prison' come from ...I don't get this?

I've been in very difficult financial times too- and have sometimes put literally pennies into the collection bag at church. I always felt terrible about it- but the simple truth was that if I put even a pound or 50p, or even less, in during those times, then that meant food not being bought, or not having enough for a child's bus fare to and home from school (no, I don't drive- no, they couldn't walk that distance, no there's no-one we could have got a lift from at the time......). I don't feel that way any more. Ok- we're better off now- but I look back at those times and see the other things I was doing and realised that I was giving- just not money. On one occasion we were given a huge batch of goodies from someone's alotment. There was more than we could use before it would go off, so I made 'parcels' and gave them to others. If I had a lot of ingredients, I'd bake for people. I've used my art and writing, I've made greetings cards for people so that they don't have to buy them to send others. I work with children for free- I never claim money for my travel costs and I often buy or use materials which I don't claim expenses for. I've made jewellery for a bride and bridesmaids and not charged a penny for it.... lots of ways of giving time and talents as well as money in the bag.

As others have said- God looks at the heart.

MercyandFaith said:

I know some people continue to tithe regardless of financial hardship - and I admire that - but what if one just can't come up with 10%?

Click to expand...

For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality—at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality.

As it is written, “HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK.” -- 2 Corinthians 8

If you are experiencing hard times, your congregation should be coming to your aid, not vice versa. The abundance of others in your congregation should be a supply to your need, with the goal expressed by scripture being equality.

Paul references Exodus 16--not Malachi 3--to base his teaching on giving in the congregatation. That's the passage about the manna from heaven.

In that passage, God ordains that each person should have a precisely equal amount of manna; One omer per day. Although some gathered much (more than one omer) and some gathered little (less than one omer), when it was measured out, there was enough gathered among them so that each person had the ordained equal amount, not too much and not too little.

The miracle of the manna was not that manna just fell mystically into everyone's individual bowl. All the people collected, and the miracle was that among the group, there was the ordained equal amount for each member of the group, even though some collected more and some collected less.

You might want to read the story of the woman who was, along with her son, about to starve to death. She only had a bit of oil and flour. There was a famine. Along came the prophet Elijah and asked her to share her food with him. She was doubtful, it seems, but she did it anyway. The result? Her oil and flour kept multiplying until the famine was over. No doubt many others died.

If you can't pay the rent w/o tithing, if you can't feed the baby, well, then my personal opinion is to give as much as you can. If "don't have enough" means you have to have cigarettes and cable t.v. and beer, well, you asked and my opinion is that you do have enough.

Many people like the woman mentioned have found that when they tithed they found increase in sometimes astonishing ways. That happened to me when I just increased my tithing with the hope of tithing more in the future. (The increase led me to tithe pretty much right away.) I can't promise that will happen to you.

I would also suggest you be very careful how you tithe. Is the Church or institution really preaching the true Word?

Abba does say that if we give to Him He will bless us.
I don't think we will probably know, until Heaven, how many blessings we received, how many catastrophes were averted, due to tithing.

Praying you will be given wisdom in these areas abd also that things will work out for your financially,

Jesus told the pharisees they should be concerned about the weightier matters of the law; justice, mercy and faith and to not leave the other (tithing) undone. We give into God's Kingdom because we love God and want to see His purposes fulfilled. We see it as an honor and a duty to be able to help in whatever way we can. If you don't have this attitude, pray about it until your thinking is cleared.

Take out a dime and look at it. What value does it really have? Money only has value to us because we think it gives us security or it gives us the things we need or want. But when we see who God really is & that His promises are true, we can take that faith we've been putting in money and place it on God where it belongs. Money is just a tool and God can give us all of it we need but if it is a problem for us, then we're likely to face deprivation until we repent of loving it rather than Him. Change your view of money and the purpose of tithing and this matter will be solved for you forever.