When I was little, I didn’t understand why tithing was such a big deal. In my 6-year-old world where my budget involved saving up for plastic fairy wands at Ingles, I had plenty of money left over to put in the shiny metal offering plate.
In fact, I didn’t exactly understand. If I had a five dollar bill, I’d tithe off of it every week. It took me a while to realize this wasn’t exactly what I was supposed to be doing . . .
But guess what? Money isn’t the only thing we’re supposed to be tithing.
You heard right!
My teacher was talking about how he believes strongly in tithing everything, talents in particular. That’s why he has been doing graphic design for his church for a long time. This got my mind going . . . yes, the word tithe is used in the Bible specifically in relation to money. But the idea is the same. Why hadn’t I ever thought about this before?
I prayed about this blog post, then forgot about it until the next day when, at church, we talked about this verse:
Leviticus 27:30 says, “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.”
It was pretty obvious that God wanted me to write a blog post about tithing.
So, tithe your money. It’s biblically mandated. It’s hard when you’re a poor college student. It’s hard when you’re a poor newly-married couple. It’s hard when you are middle-aged and have a pile of bills on your table. It’s hard when you finally have money and could be buying plenty of other stuff. It’s. Always. Hard.
But giving back to God in this small way is a worthy sacrifice. It’s a way to support missionaries and the church. It’s a way we, the small people we are, can make an impact.
But, tithe other things, too. Tithe your talents. Whatever you do (playing an instrument, painting, sewing, graphic design, writing, accounting), find a way to do it for God. Give back. Put your talents in the offering plate.
God gave you money. But He didn’t create you with money, He created you with your talents. That’s why I think using those in His church for His cause is a truly precious thing.
