Do You Tithe?

I'm Catholic so while we donate to the weekly collections what we can to the church we belong to, we don't call it tithing. Catholics don't tithe. And there's no set amount that we're required to donate to the church. The church never, ever asks its parishioners what their salaries are as that's not any business of the church. The church doesn't even "expect" donations. Donations might be money, time, food, services, teaching CCD, charity, or a combination of all of those things. If you can afford to give something, give what you can that will not leave your family without food, water, shelter, and the ability to pay bills and clothe yourselves. And make sure that you do whatever you end up doing with your husband's agreement.

God and the church aren't supposed to be about money and tithing. Just remember that.

I grew up watching my parents give 10% of tithing and saw blessings come to our family. I have also given 10% in tithing for as long as I can remember and have always been blessed as well. There have been numerous times when on paper, we have gone way under budget yet somehow we make it. I truly know it is because we always give 10% first. Like many people have said, we can't afford not to give!

I used to do some financial counselling for our church for members that were having a hard time making ends meet.

I know from my experiences that the families that paid a full and honest tithe, made better financial decisions and endedup better off financially than those that didn't tithe.

BTW, a full tithe is 10%. If you give less than 10% it may be a down payment on your tithe, but a tithe is 10%.

Good luck to you and yours.

Yes, we pay a 10% and then a fast offering once a month. We do not make much money, almost right at the poverty line, and it is a small sacrifice for us, but I can assure you, we have seen so many blessings come from it. In fact, I would be worried not to pay tithing, we cannot afford not too. That money we pay also goes to people in our church who may need help with food or financial help. So, yes, we have had to ask for some back in a sense. It's fair all around.

We've always made it a priority to tithe a full 10%. It helps that my husband and I are on the same page because it's never been a struggle to convince one or the other that it's the thing to do. Having said that, please don't think I'm patting us on the back. But I'm sharing this to say, we've been through all kinds of things. We were both working part time when we married, had a child after a year of marriage at which point I stopped working. I've never had to go back into the workforce. Yet we were both able to go to school and earn our degrees debt-free, had two children while in school and two more since. We've always had a roof over our head (nothing glamourous, I assure you, but certainly not complaining), food to eat (not always the food I'd like, but always what we need), clothing to wear, cars to drive and the fuel to drive them. We've been through a lay-off and three moves, a few job changes, and illnesses. So it's not as though we've had it easy financially, but we've never been wanting. I know we have been blessed many times over for that small percentage we give.

Hmmm. Too much emphasis on the church.
We tithe. We don't tithe for any other reason than that is what God asks us to do.
We live paycheck to paycheck.
God is always faithful to us (not speaking in general terms-really us-the S. family) when we are faithful to Him.

when i was 25 and had medical problems, we could not make the payments. we also charged car repairs to keep going to work. we went to a credit counselor who told us we didn't qualify and to take bankruptcy.
we eventually did and the lawyer counseled us against tithing. the judge allowed it but they both lectured us and asked us what our church was doing to help us, where was the money going, ett... i was really sick, could not work, charity began at home, etc.. but we tithed. our life did not get magically better when we tithed, though our pastor sure acted like it would.
we do tithe now and have the money, but i would tellpeople to buy food, shelter, etc.. if in true need.

Your church will appreciate ANY amount you can give. Even if it's just a dollar a week. Take care of your NEEDS first, then you can choose how you want to spend what's left. (You should also put at least some of it to savings as an emergency fund.) If you don't have enough left after taking care of your needs to give them 10%, don't feel bad. If they DON'T appreciate whatever you can give (even if it's a small amount), tell them to take a hike and find a new church.

I tried twice to type this on my android device and lost it both times. I figured that Satan doesn't want me to answer this question. So I switched to a computer.

Well over 20 years ago, I started to tithe. I run my own business and my husband was just starting out in his career. In the early years we saw rapid promotion. He worked so much he gave me the task of handling all the money. I'm terrible at it. I always have been and always will be. But God is faithful.

One time I had several families on the night shift. They were all working in the same business. That business failed and I lost a lot of money all at once. It was taking time to fill those positions. I stopped tithing. In 4 months I was far behind in my payments. I was making partial payments on everything. But the late fees and such were mounting up. I repented of my lapse in judgment and started to tithe. In less than a week, I had all my spaces filled and in about a month I was all caught up in my bills. After that, I never stopped tithing again. But there were many times when I was giving haphazardly, without a plan, not 10%, but whatever I felt like giving. It does NOT work for me. God has kept me on a very short leash through the years. My business goes up and down depending on my obedience in this area.

I was 50,000 in debt once. I started giving more and I started claiming Jubilee in my life. In less than a year God got us out of debt through a series of events that brought us to California.

I spent about 3 years making very little money and I really hated that. My husband was tithing. But he had a terrible attitude towards us and I was not praying as much as I should or really giving myself to worship like I ought, like I want to. My husbands job ended. But God is ever faithful. We tithed right off the top of the money we took out of retirement, came back to our home state and opened the daycare again. Even though we were fresh off the moving truck, I posted the ads in the paper, gave my California cell phone #'s in the ad and within one week was FULL of kids day and night. I was able to maintain us for the 10 months my husband was unemployed. It was hard. But as always, God is faithful.

Last week I had a huge problem with one of my families and another mom announced she was pregnant. I'm not able to save space for the one leaving to have a baby and I need to part ways with the lunatic that caused so much ruckus last week. God is so good. He found me two families, ready to start, both paying me the same and as what I would have lost. They both start and pay today. I am experiencing no lack and not even a days loss of income.

In the past I have waited weeks and weeks to fill the space. But God always brings me a temporary situation, some parent wanting to go out of the country on business or some other long vacation. I make good money on those situations and would not have room to keep them if I did not have some parent lose a job or quit or move or something like that. So not only does he bring me the right kids for everyday needs, but he brings me the right temporary situations.

One time I used one of those checks that come in the mail...the ones that tempt us to go into debt. I used it to help a friend that just had surgery. I didn't do it thinking I would get a return. I gave her 500 dollars and the last thing I would have believed is that I would get 5000 dollars windfall coming. In about a month I did though. It was amazing.

Another time my husband and I were separated. I had very little income to my name. I used my last dollar to buy a lottery ticket and won 5000 on the spot. There have since been times where I won 20 or 50 or and when I went to the river boats with my husband and won 150 or so. I only gamble once or twice per year, just a few dollars. It's not something I waste money on. The time I won 5000 was my first time ever.

Keep in mind, I've done this for 20 years. I have tons of stories and anyone saying you should not or don't need to is ignorant. I don't mean that in a mean way. Ignorance is just a word that indicates they don't know. I KNOW.

I'm in a very small minority. Usually, 5-7% of the born again believers and people of other types of churches say they tithe. But now it's down to 4% because people are not using their faith. It is my belief that we would see much more unity of spirit, and less crime and less of all bad things if more people would tithe. Our country would turn around and be great like it once was.

I do tithe every week. Perhaps you should pray about it and ask God to tell you what He wants you to do. Many times, that "feeling" that you get is God trying to steer you in the right direction.

I am ashamed to say I did not start tithing until about 13 years ago. I would just give a small amount before that. I don't know if my husband really did either. But we decided we had to "walk the walk" if we were going to talk it.
We had just been through an armed robbery/home invasion. (That's a whole 'nuther story of how God showed up for us.) We decided to move and that really put us in a pretty tight financial situation, partly because we knew we wouldn't be moving again for a long time so we wanted a certain house.
Once we started tithing an unexpected check would show up just when we needed it.
We don't give it all to the church. We sponsor children through World Vision and Compassion as well as some other charities.
Sometimes, like now when I had to miss church for a couple of Sundays, it does tempt me not to write the check for enough to make it up.

My husband and I see it as God makes us able to even earn money so 10%isn't really a lot for him to ask.

We tithes even when we lived on 18,000 a year and were living in low income housing. 10% is more when you make more and less when you make less. It was amazing how we always had extra left over or if something came up we always has someone gift us exactly what we needed!

10% is not a membership fee as one person suggests. It is giving out of gratefulness and trust that God is God and He will take care of you. I am not saying that just because you tithe everything will be taken care of. We are asked to faithful.
We have always given about 10% to church or friends who are missionaries. It is part of our life so we really don't miss it. Not saying that we don't watch our spending, but that is how we budget and know we have enough for other things as well.

Good. Don't NOT go to church just because you can't give ten per cent. Tithing is not a requirement to get on God's good side. Depending on Him and giving back to Him is good for *you,* and that's why He invented it for His people to do in the first place.

There's no "magic" involved. It takes some organization and planning to be able to tithe, and frankly, people on tight budgets don't have any more trouble than some people who have big fat wallets. Your intention is certainly honorable. Is your husband going to church as well? Ask him what he thinks he could start with, and begin there. The major thing right now is to start with something and do it consistently.

My husband gives to the church on behalf of the family. I decided quite a while ago that I would tithe on my house money as well (there were reasons for it that I won't go into - but I'm not telling you to do that!). It was quite a challenge to begin with. But it's interesting (a) how you can manage without that part of your money when you give it FIRST (and then you don't see it any more), and (2) what surprises can happen. Over the years I've sometimes been amazed at how God has provided for our family, sometimes by supplying what we needed, and other times by teaching us how to do without a few things. My priorities have definitely changed. (Don't get me wrong; paying the bills is still one of the high priorities!)

I emphasize again that tithing isn't a way to get in good with God; you don't do it for points or to get something back.

Think about doing this: Start out simply by giving. Even if it's a dollar to begin with, do it *on a regular basis.* Then see when you can up it to two. Keep going from there as you can; if you and your husband have a goal of giving at the 10% mark, you will be able to do it in time. Some studies have indicated that churchgoers do not tithe because they put it as a low priority ("We'll see if there's money for the church left after all the other wants and needs have been taken care of") and/or because they don't really have the desire. So you're ahead of that mark.

Are you attending a church regularly now? If you are, introduce yourself and talk with the pastor about this question. You may have some other questions as well.

Hope this helps a bit.

No, but then I stopped going to church years ago and I don't miss it.
God is everywhere.
I don't need to go to a specific place on a schedule and pay a membership fee.
God's got this omnipotence thing going for him - he knows where I am and that I'm basically a good person.
How about you try this - for one year, put the %10 to a savings account and see how that goes.
It's ok to build up a little buffer so you are not living paycheck to paycheck.
It will give you budgeting practice.
After that you'll know whether you can do it or not, and should be able to make a decision about having that %10 going somewhere else.

God wants us to take care of our family. He gave us the family in the first place. We tithe and at times we give from our surplus but at other times we give out of our need. I don't keep track of wether it's ten percent or not. I would start small and just build into giving more. My family helps out a lot at the church we belong to along with our tithe. Sometimes the services you provide the church equal more than their weight in money.

We have for our 30 years together. We actually give 10% to our church and church-sponsored organizations, and an additional 6-8% for other non-profits. (It varies a bit with how many floods, earthquakes and famines occur that year.)

8kidsdad is right, I think, about families who tithe budgeting more effectively. We're anything but well-off, but we live very simply, by choice, and have no outstanding debt, which is something of a miracle on our small incomes. No TV, only $16/month for our two cell phones, very old car that runs great, very little travel, some clean and nice thrift shop clothes. We paid off a small mortgage 25 years ago, and that really helps.

The one area where we really sacrifice is health care. I juggle several health issues, but don't get anything but the most urgent care, because our private insurance policy has a $6,000 deductible and has a high monthly premium.

It would be harder if we had kids at home, but kids can learn simple values too, can learn to tithe, and their tithes can actually represent part of the total family tithe. Many tithing families I know give a total of 10% to their religious communities plus other organizations that help people in need.

Giving a tithe is a heart issue and not a financial issue. Giving a tithe is about trusting God to be faithful to you. In Malachi 3:8-12, God tells us that we can test His provision for us. But in verse 8 He tells the people that they are robbing from Him. But if they will have faith and bring the tithe to the storehouse, He will open up the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. That is a pretty powerful promise and God keeps His promises. Now His blessings are not always about money. Some will try to tell you that if you give $10, next week you will get a surprise check for $100. That may or may not happen. Sometimes it is in the form of your child's best friend has strep throat and you are just waiting for your child to get it since they share everything but instead of having to pay for a doctor's visit and prescriptions, your child stays healthy.

Do you work outside of the home and make your own money? If so, tithe off of what you make. If you don't, can you pick up some extra money babysitting or yardwork or something that you can do while still taking care of your other obligations?

Yes, your husband should be the spiritual leader of your home and this is something he should be leading out on but if that is not the case, then you need to do what you can and then keep praying for him. Invite him to go to church with you. If he doesn't like the church you are going to find out why and see if you can find one that he will go to. In all ways that you deal with your husband, love him in the ways that God has instructed wives to love their husbands. If he sees a difference in you and not that he hears you constantly nagging at him at what he should be doing, that is the way that God can use you to draw your husband to Him. Also talk to your pastor if you have a church you attend regularly. If you don't have a church, I go to Oak Ridge Baptist Church and know that our pastor would love to talk with you or with you and your husband.

Now for the fun part. When I got back into church many years ago, I decided that I would tithe. It was never done in my family but I knew that God said we could test Him in this way. At the time I was making $900 a month before taxes and everything, so it was for the most part paycheck to paycheck. My first month I did this was December and I still to this day do not know how it happened other than being a God thing, but I was able to buy Christmas presents (with cash) for all of my family including 4 nephews and paid all of my regular bills and at the end of the month I had the same balance as I did at the beginning of the month. It was as though I had not spent a cent that month.

The year that our second daughter was born we missed quite a few Sundays that year as will happen when you have a newborn and a 2 year old. At the end of the year I went back to check our tithes for the year. We were behind a couple of thousand dollars. I looked in our checkbook and we had the money but not much more. I also knew that we would have our Discover Card bill due in a couple of weeks and all of Christmas had been put on it and we like to pay our card off in full each month. Also the first of February our car and homeowners insurance premiums were due and another big expense that I knew that was on the horizon was our A/C was going to have to be replaced. I went back and forth several times before I could write the check. I finally wrote the check and prayed to God about it. I told Him that I could only see the bills that I had coming in but that I knew He could see the big picture and that I was giving this out of faith because my math said I shouldn't do it. The next week my father in law called my husband and asked if they could have lunch which is probably the only time I can think that he has ever done that. At lunch he told my husband that he had constantly had to bail my sisters in law out financially on many occasions but that we had never asked for a dime so he wanted to give us something. He gave my husband a check for more than enough to cover the Discover bill, the A/C and the insurance premiums.

But the best time was 3 years ago, our church began a new building program and we were trying to do it with as little debt as possible so the church members were asked to give above and beyond their tithe. We were even challenged to give a God size gift. No numbers were brought up but just to pledge to give over the next three years an amount that only God could provide. This once again scared us because my husband had suffered a back injury in July and he had to have two procedures on his back but they didn't work so he ended up having to have back surgery. I checked our insurance and the doctor was listed so we thought everything was OK. We paid $300 to the doctor on his first visit and they told us they would bill us if there was any more to pay. Neither the doctor or the surgical center billed our insurance until after the last surgery was done. On the first notice that we received from the insurance we found out that he was no longer one of their preferred providers (he had gone into private practice and was no longer working for a clinic) and that the surgical center was not one of their approved locations. So what was going to be expensive just got a lot worse and there was no longer an out of pocket limit. I called both the doctor and the surgical center and they told me not to worry about it until all the claims had been paid. That was easy for them to say, they weren't getting notices that were adding up to over $25,000 after insurance paid their part. So needless to say we had a lot on our mind when the church started asking for a God-size gift. We prayed and prayed and prayed some more and we kept coming up with a very large number that no way fit into our financial situation. So we would pray some more and ask God if He was sure. We finally said OK we will do it but God you are going to have to provide it because we don't have it. The next week we got the final insurance notices. I called the doctor's office and told them how much I was coming up with that we stilled owed them after insurance paid and to see if we could come up with a payment plan. She said don't worry about it, they were going to take the $300 we had already paid and what the insurance had paid and call it even. After I picked myself off of the floor I called the surgical center because they had sent me a bill for around $3800. I asked if that was the final amount that we owed and she asked me to wait for a minute while she reviewed it. When she came back on she said that she saw that it was so high because we still had $3500 left on our deductible to pay. She then said they would waive that amount and to just send them a check for the remaining balance of around $300 and we would be paid off. Anyone who has dealt with most doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies know that had to be a God thing.

So do we believe in giving the tithe. YES YES YES

God is faithful.

Pray and ask God what He wants from you and then do it with a grateful heart.

I'm sorry this was so long but this is one way that I am always will to brag on God's faithfullness.

We can't afford NOT to tithe! That became pretty clear early on. =)

Yes, we do 10% to our church, then above and beyond that for other charities and things throughout the year, both domestic and international. We sponsor a child through Compassion, give to the food bank and support Heifer international during the holidays.

When I was growing up, my parents worked incredibly hard so that we could live in an area that was affluent. They came out of a rough area and wanted better for their kids. There were four of us and my mom stayed home while my dad was on the road for 4-5 days a week. =/ It was very hard. I remember asking my mom for a couple of dollars so that I could go to McDonalds after youth group and her saying that it was her last $2 for the week and we needed to get milk. As a teen, I really resented feeling "impoverished" (in my dramatic mind - ha!) when my friends' parents were throwing them 20s everytime we went out. My parents always tithed, no matter how tight things were. I remember them saying how much God blesses and provides for us when we put him first. I learned some incredibly valuable things from that time:

1. A work ethic. When my parents couldn't afford the clothes I wanted to wear to "keep up" with friends, I worked for them: babysitting, catering, etc and enjoyed the satisfaction of providing for myself at a young age.

2. A faith that God will provide, no matter how hard it can be. We pray for the wisdom to trust Him and make responsible decisions, and never neglect our giving. It is the truth - the more we have given, the more He has provided, whether it be additional work opportunities, financial advice, and learning how to stretch our money more, etc.

3. An outward focus. This is what I want to convey to our kids - that money is not our source of strength and/or security. We have been blessed and we will use what we have to bless others.

There are so many cool stories from my childhood: mom being down to her last diaper and only having $5 - finding a $20 bill on the ground or an anonymous donation in the mailbox; benefiting from the generosity of wealthy friends with their sponsorship of our missions trips...the list goes on and on and our whole family was blessed because my parents stepped out in faith (even with one income, four kids, an insane mortgage interest rate, etc etc etc...)

When we were first married, my husband wasn't really sold on the idea. He always wanted more and more of a "safety savings". Over time, I continued to share our stories as well as God's promises for those who put Him first. We started to tithe and have never looked back. God has truly blessed us and continues to do so the more we give. We support others whenever we can.

The scripture that refers to tithing ("...and I will pour out the floodgates of Heaven upon you...") is the ONLY one in the Bible in which God challenges us to test Him ("test me in this"). He will not abandon you to poverty, but I can attest that there may be times where it feels awfully close. I think He does this on purpose...to keep us close and trusting in Him. Honestly though, that's not such a bad thing. When you can learn to trust Him w/your finances and the wellbeing of your family, you can trust Him for anything.

Good luck!

I am a pastors wife, we don't have a lot of money and I have to work to help pay the bills. I say that to say this, it clearly states in the bible that as Christians we are to give 10% of our earnings. As a pastoral family we give our 10% and if we can we give more because we know that through that we are being obediant to what God is asking of us. I know it can seem legalistic and overbearing but done with the right heart it can be very rewarding. It makes me sad to think that so many people have watered down what the Bible says about tithing to suit their own lives. I'm not saying it will be easy or even understandable at times. Your faith seems to be pulling you in the right direction; I would suggest that you start reading the Bible and see what it says, then pray about what God would have you do. All of us are flawed and have very differing opinions about this subject (obviously), but what we think should not compare to what God thinks. If you are feeling drawn back to church, do that first, once you have steadily gone then revisit this with your husband, if he plans to attend with you ( you might be surprised by what he thinks) I have come across many couples where one or the other was against tithing but then God touches their heart he changes their mind. I have many instances where we weren't sure where the money would come from to pay our electrcity or buy groceries but God provided an opportunity for us to obtain the money we needed, whether it was someone randomly handing us money or by a job opening up for us to make a few bucks, we live strictly debt free and only pay in cash so I understand the hardships of a low income. I don't want to come across preachy or "hollier than thou" because that isn't my heart and I pray that my true intentions have come through with this message. I just want you to know that God does know how you can make it you just need to consult with him. Please read your Bible and go to God about this and don't let us confuse your standpoint on it

Yes, we tithe...and yes, I have the same types of thoughts as you do. BUT, I have come to find that if I tithe first (as we are told) I have more money at the end of the week than if I try to work it into the budget. I KNOW that God blesses us for obedience.

M.

This is what I do. My husband would freak out if I gave 10% of his check to God. He would see it as giving to church and a waste of money. He doesn't attend church an has no faith so to speak. I don't have my own income either. I get money each week for groceries and house stuff and that's pretty much it. I tithe 10% of that. Most weeks my tither is 5.00. God doesn't care if it's 50 cents and neither should your church. It's your heart and you should never secretly give if your husband would be against it. Maybe ask him if you could give an offering every sunday or every other depending on your pay days. See what he says,ask him how much..5 bucks 10 bucks whatever. If you tithe faithfully your needs will be met and some weeks if will be a huge sacrifice. But God will always make sure you have food on your table,a roof over your head,and clothes on your back. There is always the bonuses too. I tithe 5 dollars a week and have gotten surprise checks in the mail. A check for 150.00 from my sons pediatrican office ,I payed something my insurance company refused a year and a half ago and somehow they reviewed the claim on there own and decided to put it through differently and I got the money back. My inlaws gave us 1000.00 to buy christmas prestents for our kids this year and we were not expecting it at all,I was also starting to panick about how we would do christmas since my husband doesn't cut back. I started selling avon recently and had an awesome first order wich I will tither 10% of as soon as I pay myself. I believe it's my faithfulness in tithing that little 5 dollars wich sometimes is all I have left for the week. God knows your heart,pray about it and you will know what feels right.

No we do not tithe. We don't go to church. BUT, back in the day when we did...no tithing. God knows we are poor and could not afford to do so. I think he looks down at us and says, "Please keep shoes on your kids feet and Food on the table. I don't need your money" Thanks God!
L.

God knows what's in your heart. Our religion doesn't mandate 10%. They simply ask that you give from your heart. If you can't afford it, then that is ok. Sometimes there isn't any money left over to give. I'd say just give what you can. If you give cash, the church isn't going to know how much you gave, not that they should care anyway. (Although if you want to claim it on your taxes, you do have to ask the church for a receipt.)

If you can't afford it, it doesn't make sense to me to do it. Food, shelter, clothes, paying off debt and having a savings account are more important. A church should not be asking you to give money that you don't have.

If you have extra money one week and want to give it, go ahead. But you shouldn't feel obligated or guilty.

I am Catholic, and JessicaWessica explained it already. We go to mass every Saturday night and donate money each week. We don't give a set amount. Sometimes we give more than others, but we always give something. We also donate food to the foodbank. There is a truck parked in front of the church each week, and we drop cans in the truck as we walk into church. I get a lot of comfort and strength from going to mass, and my boys seem to as well. I'm hoping that they are growing up feeling that. I know that many of my friends growing up felt that going to church was something they were forced to do, and then as adults they stopped going. I want my boys to see it as a gift, somewhere they go to worship, but also where they go to receive blessings, strength and comfort. I think they do.

I love this question. I will tell you how I came to tithe so long ago and the benefits from it. I come from a family of church goers some saved others not but I don't ever remember a time growing up where I didn't attend church, sunday school, vacation bible school, and other activities of the church. Church was easy for me to attend but once I became an adult and began to receive a paycheck I couldn't believe how far that little tiny check couldn't go. I knew in my head that I couldn't afford to tithe. So I held onto my dollars as tightly as I could, giving what I could when I could and I watched things get worse.

Finally I actually began to listen at church instead of just going and every Sunday when Sister Thelma T. would get up with her stunning fabulously eighty something year old self and quote the scripture from Malachi urging us to test God, I could feel God speaking to my heart.

I was tired of struggling in my finances and decided I would try tithing but I would tithe from my net pay not my gross or before tax pay. Financially things got better but God wasn't done with me yet. In my prayer time I could hear God urging me to move to tithing off of my gross. Uncle Sam get's his cut from your gross. Does God deserve any less? I felt convicted because I knew God loved me and I knew in my heart I was still short changing him. I finally gave in and began to tithe off the gross and haven't looked back. So here we are more than 20 years later and I still tithe and give an offering almost equal to my tithe.

I am blessed beyond measure. My son has been extremely healthy, my bills are paid on time everytime and God just shows me how to manage my finances as well as the finances of my church. I'm now on the finance committee at my church serving as treasurer.

Honor God with your givings and he will provide for you.

God has no use for your money be we have such a great need for God. We show him we love him by trusting our money to Him. He always provides what we need. If I ever need anything I make certain I give that thing that I need and watch it be given back to me multiplied. Biblical principle will work for anyone. Givers get.

Yes we tithe as well. I am a firm believe that if we take the leap of faith and trust God with all of our provisions he will always provide and come through for us. I just recently set-up an automatic debit from my checking so I would have no excuses to be fatihful. I intend to increase my tithe for 2012. So far because of our faithfulness in this trying economy somehow God keeps coming through.

I ditto Emily S. almost word for word! Great answer. One of my friends did a podcast on tithing. I'll see if I can find it for you and private message you. It might help your husband get on board too. :)

I do and it is what I feel we can afford. Growing up, my mother faithfully placed money in the basket and somehow we always ate. My father was in and out of the house and was not much of a financial contribution.

I do try to give something. I feel if we were to go to any other event, we would be asked for at least $5 per person at the door, so why should I feel differently about giving to the church I attend every week.

We go to a Christian church although we are registered parishioners of a Catholic church. The Christian church asks for 10% and the Catholic church 5%. A demonstration of 5% is provided on the back side of the Catholic church envelope, but they don't ask how much money we make.

I don't tithe. I give what I can when I can.
I don't view my income as something that belongs to any god - I WORK for it and I EARN it, and I choose to share what part of it I can spare with my church for the purpose of keeping the building open and the staff paid.

I think it's way MORE important that you go to the church of your choice, be in God's presence, keep that relationship going, than it is to be so worried about tithing correctly.

Give a little each week. Over time give a little more. Work towards a goal. Don't break up your marriage over it. And do not - not- attend church over some rule and just one rule.

There would be no church members at all in this world if we stopped going to church because we couldn't abide by a particular rule (commandment), as we all have fallen short of God's expectations at times (sinned).

And tithing does not mean you give your entire 10% to just one church. You can if you so wish, and I'm sure they would deeply appreciate that. We split up our 10% to a variety of christian ministries.

Please, take your sweet children to Sunday school, join a women's support group or bible study....you belong there, and they are happy to have you no matter what your giving potential is.

We give our money and our time to our church and to other charities. We are blessed and we like to share. Please know that God loves you, always has and always will. If you can share with your church, it is wonderful to do so. But remind yourself that when you pay your taxes (through rent, house, state, federal and sales) you are supporting schools, safety officers, families in need, medical help and so much more. Christ said "When you do for the least of my brothers...." Well, you are already doing this. My best to you and your family.

Yes. We set it up to auto pay out of our account, so the money is typically gone before I really know it's there.

I have to say Thank You to Punkin as well - what a wonderful testimony! I used to know a lady who firmly believed you can't outgive God. She believed it because she tried! When she first started tithing it was a little bit here and there, but not 10% and not an amount that 'hurt' - in other words she tithed from what was left over not from the 'first fruits' - and money was always tight. She prayed about it a lot and the answer she got was to tithe 10% and trust God. So, she tried it, certain several checks were going to bounce. And there was an error on a bill so she ended up with a credit - you guessed it, exactly the amount of her increased tithe. A few months later she upped her tithe to 15%, and got an unexpected commission & raise. She did this a couple more times but always got back more than she tithed. She finally threw in the towel and accepted that God had outgiven her, just like He says He will, lol.

We give, but do not tithe. My husband and I give an agreed upon amount. What we both feel comfortable with. I'd probably give more, but my husband isn't comfortable with that and our marriage is more important to God in my opinion. We have seen so many blessings from giving-financially and otherwise. I can only imagine if we tithed. God always takes care of us. It is truly a miracle.

I tithe, but not 10%, just as much as I can afford to.

well as Christ followers we view ourselves as managers of the money we have so it's all God's anyways. Our pastor gave a really nice example one time. He showed everybody 10 (single) dollars and said look.....God gave you this and He ONLY requires for us to give Him 1 back.....we get to keep NINE.....what a deal:)
A friend of mine has a husband who is not a Christian so he does not want to tithe.......she had to stop fighting with him about it and just give it to God.
Our God is a loving God who takes care of His children. WE do go through struggles, but it's for His perpose. Just like the metal need to be put through fire and the river rocks get tossed and turned so they can become smooth.
I have to say though that I do not believe that a church is responsable for our spiritual growth. We have friends who stopped going to church many years ago yet they did not stop "growing". I do love sweet fellowship with believers, worship and good teaching that our church provides, so we are there every sunday.
I do know many "miracle" stories when people started tithing......it's obedience that makes the difference:)

There is a ministry called Crowne Financial. they helped a lot getting us adapted to a better financial way of living and encouraged us to build up to the 10 % even if it takes years. We give towards a ministry that takes care of kids in India. Feeds them , clothes them, gives them education. And although it is only 40.00 a month, it does count towards tithing. I think it is a sacrafice but one that will be shown that you can do it. Start slow and if that is one dollar a day then that is fine . The Financial group really taught us that we are to not lend money to family if it puts you in a bind and to not tithe if it puts you in a financial stress. Look up the resource in your area. It is free and they will come and meet with you and your family and get you on the right track and you will still be able to keep cable.

I've been struggling with this very same question. Tithing is budgeted as $0 right now, but I usually put in $5 when we go. We are scraping by paycheck to paycheck as well. We have a little credit card debt. I'm looking forward to reading all your responses. Good question!

I believe tithing is an important part of the old testament. It is all through the teachings. If you look at the older part, where Joseph was in Egypt, the people brought a tithe, 10%, of their crops to the Pharaohs storehouse. It was symbolic of a people preparing for famine but also of being faithful.

My sisters church does not believe in tithing. They think it is a sign of money grubbers being in charge of large churches and they ask their members to give time, time to be missionaries, time to help others, etc...again, it is the belief of each denomination out there that can dictate what you do. Her hubby is a devout Baptist and gives money every time the plate is passed. For offerings and tithes. He gives hundreds of dollars per month to his church. She nearly left him due to his throwing his money away. She told him if he wanted to give it to the needy then give it to her, she'd go buy groceries with it. The last church I was a member of thought you can't be a member in good standing if your tithes were not paid up full. You could not go to special meetings, you could not be on certain committees, etc...it went too far.

So, in my opinion tithing isn't all about money. If you can't pay a full tithe then give of yourself. Take time to teach a class, play the piano for children's church, give someone a ride to meetings, do service in any way you can. Talk to the pastor about something you can do and explain that your family is not able to pay a full tithe, truthfully, I have been taught where there is an unbeliever the tithe is only the money the faithful person earns. If you earn any money from outside work then that is something you and he will have to decide.

I think that not having money to tithe is not an issue to argue about with the hubby. He should not have to forfeit anything for you to fulfill your spiritual beliefs. That would do nothing but make him dislike religion even more.

My dad's family (the christian section of my family) is catholic... no tithing there.

I try. I am not currently in a position to give as much as I once did. Tithing for some of us is a goal, and in the meantime, we give what we can and maybe we give a little more next month until we've started to tithe.

God doesn't require a membership fee. Give what you can and give more when you can do that, too. Continue to attend church and experience the fellowship and community that you can find there.