As I
mentioned before, there are so many principles that are learned through the act
of tithing! Three big ones that come to mind:
v
Stewardship
– taking care of what has been given to us and taking care of others. Remembering that nothing belongs to us! {“The
earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
- Psalm 24:1}
v
Sacrifice
– giving up our “wants”! Learning to be content! {“I
know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have
learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well
fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” – Phil. 4:12}
v
Surrender - No longer
relying on self, but relying on the true provider! Testing the principles of God’s
provision by walking in Faith! {"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 }
I think each one
of us will find a challenge in at least one of the principles I mentioned
above! For me, it has been different in
different seasons as God has worked on refining me!
In Part 1, I
shared a testimony of the beginning of the journey of tithing for us. At that time, I was learning about not
relying on myself and learning to trust the Lord I said I put my faith in! Today I’m going to share with you another
story that combines the Stewardship and Surrender principles…
To lay the
foundation, let me explain that my husband and I purchased our home when we
were merely 22 years old! God did an
amazing work in our lives by opening doors and closing others that brought us
to this home that, while not large {1980 sq. ft}, has always expanded to fit
our family and needs! Only at 22, I did
not recognize who the true provider of my home was! I took great credit in how Ken and I had “succeeded”
at such an early age, how we had sacrificed and worked hard to accomplish what
our peers were not even considering yet for their lives! Hmmm…isn’t there a
verse about “pride coming before a fall?”
Fast forward a
few years, Ken was working as an apprentice electrician, and I was doing a
part-time daycare out of our home. By
this time God had gotten a hold of our hearts and we were learning about
surrendering to Him! One morning, Ken
arrived home from work! I was
suspicious, because it was so early in the day.
To keep a very long story short, he had been severely injured at work {electrocution
and an 8 foot fall} and had driven himself home, in shock!
This turn of
events brought our financial world to a very quick halt! We began functioning in a “pay as able”
mode. Eventually we found ourselves 5
months behind on our mortgage and preparing to sell our “dream”. One day we packed some of our belongings and
drove them to a storage unit in a city we felt we could afford to live in –
much more rural and away from our friends and family. But God was preparing to show us Who would provide!
The next Monday,
I received a letter in the mail from the IRS that they owed us money! What?
The IRS wanted to give us money? No Way!!!
Sure enough,
after having my accountant Father in Law review our tax return, the IRS indeed
did owe us a large sum of money! That,
combined with the current year’s tax return, gained us a refund that exactly covered, to the penny,
our back mortgage!!!!
Coincidence? I think not!!!
This, my friends,
is your same God! If you choose to trust
and follow Him! Take a step in faith – test Him {He has asked you to} – bathe
in the blessings – and remember to share your testimony!
Thanks for
stopping by! Be Refreshed!
