But I can’t afford to

You shall not delay to make offerings from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. Exodus 22:29

One of the common responses to discussions about tithing, or even just giving in the church, flies in contradiction to the reality of God’s abundant supply: “I would love to, but I can’t afford to because …(plug in a reason here).” How, then, can one say “I believe” if at a very fundamental level their behavior says “I’m not sure?”

God proclaims, and demonstrates continually, that he will provide abundantly for our needs. The only catch is that we cannot claim our abundance in Christ if we do not believe in it. That’s not a law from God. It’s just common sense. How can a person claim something they don’t believe exists?

We proclaim our belief in God’s gracious abundance by giving back generously from the first of what we receive. Waiting until there is extra from which we can “afford” to give often results in that extra never coming. Our waiting is tantamount to doubting that we will ever see the abundance. And that brings us back to not being able to claim something that we don’t believe exists.

The solution is to follow the Biblical principle of tithing, giving 10 percent, from our first fruits. That is a statement of belief that God would not call on us to tithe unless he intended to provide for all of our needs in addition to our tithe. It is important to remember, also, that it is we who need to give, not God who needs our tithes. The creator of all existence can create whatever he needs.

It can be helpful in overcoming our doubt of adopting a commitment to proportional giving that increases yearly over the course of a few years. Rather than deciding upon an amount that you think you can afford to give, you, instead, determine what percentage of your income you are giving currently. Then you commit to increasing that percentage each year.

I know many people who have taken this approach. None have missed the amount by which they have increased their giving. Indeed, they all feel that they have been richly blessed as a result of it. God does not reward us for our increased giving, but in God’s economy, we align ourselves better with God’s abundance when we give freely.