The first thing you’ll want to do when you get out of debt is change your spending habits. The second thing you’ll want to do is tithing.
Both are important, but not equally important; the most effective way to pay for debt is with money from other people, and the easiest way to pay for debt is with money from other people. So, tithing isn’t a good first step.
Tithing is a way of giving money or something else of value back to God or God’s church in exchange for specific promises about what will happen in the future as a result of your giving (for example, “I will have more money if I make more money.”). It’s an option that people often don’t do when they get out of debt, because they don’t trust God enough to believe that he will deliver on his promises — and because they don’t really understand how much the promises actually cost him (in terms of either time or money).
The reason why people don’t do it when they get out of debt is because doing so requires them to break one of their most fundamental rules: obey God. That means that they must start making sacrifices — usually some kind of financial sacrifice — in order to pay off their debts (which makes it harder for them to give themselves away perpetually in order not to have it come back and bite them).
What does the Bible say about tithing?
There are many genres and sub-genres of tithing, but I am going to focus on two: 1) the biblical text which says that tithing is a requirement, and 2) the biblical text which says tithing is not.
The Bible doesn’t make a distinction between the two; it just says both are necessary (and that they are equally important). The first thing to note is that the Bible doesn’t say “don’t ever give 40% of your income to God.” It says “don’t ever give any part of your income to God.” It does not say “don’t ever tithe.”
The Bible does however say:
• God requires you to tithe (Leviticus 27:40-48)
• God requires you to give 10% of your income (Leviticus 27:49-50)
The problem with this verse is that people have often taken it at face value as meaning “donate 50% of your income.” This would be a huge mistake, because there is no such word as “fraction.” It means a percentage or amount outlay, so we can get an understanding of what the Bible actually says by comparing it with its technical usage:
• a grafted tree in order that it may bear fruit (Genesis 15:1)
• a tree planted in order that it may yield profit (Proverbs 3:19)
Because nobody has given us any meaning other than what we understand as a percentage (you can pay 10%, or you can pay 50%), we take this verse at face value and interpret it as meaning 50%. To do so is foolish even for someone who understands technical usage; conversely, if you understand technical usage, then you will realize this verse isn’t saying “donate 50% of the income from your business until age 90, then go into charitable donations from then on.” So what does this mean? Let me explain… It means “pay 10% of all earned income until age 90 and give 10% then. No one understands how this works yet; but if you understand technical usage, then you will know exactly what it means. I am using the word ‘paid out over time because that seems like more sense than just giving straight away at age 60 or whatever age interval
Why is it important to tithe even when you’re in debt?
One of the most important things you can do to help yourself and others out of debt is to tithe. People often think about “tithing” as being money given specifically for the poor or for the poor in general. But it’s actually a much broader concept that includes any giving that you can do without expecting anything in return.
In fact, tithing is a very important part of God’s plan for our lives. He wants us to give to him over and over again so that we will be able to give more and more — which is why we are called “a people set apart unto the Lord.” We should thank God by giving back not only in money but also in spirit (which makes up your whole life), time, work, and labor (not just your money), health, teaching, services to your neighbors (including those who are not members of your church), building things with your hands or mind, etc.
But what exactly does this mean? How can we begin to do this? Well, if you’re interested in learning more about tithing and want some tips on how to start doing it this year then check out these helpful articles:
• What is tithing?
• How much should I tithe?
Here are some other helpful links on making an extra income:
• Make a second extra income via blogging!
• Make extra money online with online ads!
• Sell products online!
How can tithing help you get out of debt?
If you have been tithing for years, you know that it is a difficult thing to do. It can be tiring and even painful. Most of us are not very good at doing this and it can take time and practice to get used to it. It is also not easy to give up the things we want, particularly when they are not in our control (e.g., credit cards).
Tithing is one of those things that you need to do because you trust God, who knows what’s best for you. The best way to do this is by spending time with God each day asking him for wisdom and strength in his word on how he wants your life applied (1 Peter 1:18-2:6). In the next few months, we will explore what tithing means in Scripture and how it can help us get out of debt faster. I hope to answer questions like these:
• Why should I tithe?
• What does “tithe” mean?
• What does “paying alms” mean?
• How does tithing help me get out of debt faster?
There are other ways of getting out of debt faster too (such as taking advantage of bankruptcy protection or using a debt consolidation loan), but tithing is the most important. If you have been tithing or paying your tithes faithfully for 2 years or more, I am confident that God himself will lead you toward betterment over time (or at least until he moves on). There are many reasons why people give money tithes in addition to the ones I just mentioned. But one reason is because they know that giving money tithes gives them great peace and satisfaction while making them feel as if they are living a life worth investing into — which will lead them to put their money back into God rather than into themselves always at the expense of others with no benefit other than their own happiness (1 Corinthians 14:16-20; 1 Timothy 6:8-10). Most importantly, giving money tithes should be done only by people who love God with all their heart and soul; otherwise, it won’t be doing him any good (1 Corinthians 13:2) — which is why there are so many verses about giving money tithes being a waste of money (Matthew 6:19; Romans 16:25) .
What if you can’t afford to tithe?
Tithing is one of the most misunderstood and disliked practices by many Christians. It is an ancient practice that God commands in the Old Testament, and it is still observed in modern times.
But it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand why you should tithe. The point is that God wants you to give 10% of your income to him — and if you don’t, he will take that money from you anyway. It’s as simple as that. He gives it away to people who have no where else to put it and who are willing to trust him with it. And He will take from them even more than they give…
Tithing focuses on giving back what we have been given, whether or not we have been blessed with wealth or a large family (for a long time, I was a believer that tithing was just about money). But there are other aspects of tithing than simply giving back our earnings to the Lord — there are other ways. For example, we can give an offering (a gift) instead of money — which can be done voluntarily, or it can be mandated by law (like in Israel) or by custom/obligation (like in Europe). In both cases, tithing is still fulfilling God’s commandment:
• You must give 10% of your income
• You must tithe (set aside 10% for God) even if you live off of a second or third job
• This must be done regardless of your finances – wealth does not exempt you from this requirement
• There are no exceptions for poverty – those who are destitute cannot receive this form of giving Even though the opportunity may seem daunting at first, realize that tithing isn’t difficult at all; it only requires faith in God and following his commandments. Tithing isn’t hard — but what’s hard is failing to do so!
The key to tithing is a simple one:
You should set aside some of your income for the post-tithe giving.
A lot of people think that tithing is for the rich and that those who have more faith can afford it. But you are not under any obligation to tithe. If you have too much money, then don’t worry about it. Tithing is your duty; if you have too little, then do what you can with what you have. It is your responsibility as a Christian to give according to your ability and in accordance with your faith — not just as an act of charity but as an act of obedience to God.
It’s basically this: God’s Word tells us that we are to tithe our income, but He doesn’t say anything about how much we should give — this is left up to us! (And He doesn’t even explicitly tell us how much!) I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be surprised if most Christians tend to look at the amount we pay in taxes and decide it doesn’t matter; or if they look at the amount we spend on other things like housing and decide it doesn’t matter either; or if they look at the amount we get from gifts and decide it doesn’t matter either… but when a true Christian says “TITHE ME THIS MUCH!” (or “TITHE ME THIS MUCH FOR THE POOR!”), they hear the voice of God inside them saying “YES YOU CAN! AND YOU WILL! AND YOU WILL DO IT! AND YOU WILL GIVE MYSELF TO DO IT TOO! Because only THEN will God bless you with abundance and make sure that all else follows suit. And when He does, He will bless us too because our life will be better than theirs because we gave Him everything he asked us to give… even though they had nothing left over for themselves anyway.