Tithing Testimonies
I just finished a four-week giving series called “A Jesus Following Strategy.” During the second week of this series, I spoke about tithing.
People responded to me after with their own tithing testimony; I wanted to share those with you. I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did.
When I first started attending WCC in the mid-80s, I knew how I was supposed to tithe. I was raised in the church, but I was someone who waited until the end of the month to see how much I had left, and then I gave. I remember one Sunday morning, as I was getting ready to go to church, I looked in my wallet and only had $5.00, meaning that’s all I had for the coming week. I felt God saying, "Put it in the offering. Trust me". As I decided to give it all, I went to put it back in my wallet, and there was a $20.00 bill. That was the beginning of my tithing 10%. It wasn't immediately, but it was a start. A little later, I finally made the commitment to tithe 10% every month, no matter what. After about a year, I felt God telling me to pay off our mortgage. WHAT? I prayed that if He wanted me to, He would need to show me where the money was. He did. I paid off a 30-year mortgage in 19 years, and we still had money in the bank. Not that He would tell everyone to pay off their mortgage, but that's what He did for me. I never looked back and never had a worry or a concern about money again.
Vicki McShane
Why and when did you start tithing?
I started tithing a few months after I bought my first house. The heat was electric, so I soon received an electric bill that was ten times (literally - $300 instead of $30) than what I was used to paying. I had not budgeted for this. I don’t remember the whole thought process, but I knew there was no way I could come up with paying an extra $270 a month. It was easier for me financially to tithe than to come up with the money for the electric bill. So, I started tithing, giving God the chance to work. At the same time, I thought that maybe I could get a roommate to help with some expenses. Summertime was coming, and even someone for the summer would help for a few months. So I started putting out feelers to see if anyone needed a room to rent for the summer. A friend asked around at work, and one of her co-workers knew of a girl that was looking for a place to stay. She was an amazing roommate for the summer, and sharing in expenses helped me catch up. The way that it all worked out was obviously God’s intervention.
What happened as a result?
I have not stopped tithing since. I have my tithe automatically sent to the church the day I am paid. My first fruits. I don’t even see that money. I have been so fortunate that I have had to go in and recalculate my tithe several times over the past 10 years because my husband and I have been given raises at work. We have been so blessed financially. But the thing is, we don’t have a big house. We don’t drive new cars. We only have used furniture. Our kids wear hand-me-downs. The best part is that thing has helped us appreciate that our money isn’t ours and we don’t need the best and newest of things. We have SO much more than most people in this world, and it’s perfect and comfortable (and really, we have too much). We find more joy in being able to be generous by adopting kids in other countries, donating to students’ mission trips, and giving money to people who need it more than we do.
After Greg’s recent sermon, I realized I needed to readjust our tithe from raises we received last fall. I did that on June 16. Then we were paid on that Friday. I swear to you, it seemed like there was double the money in our account. I don’t crunch the numbers. I don’t quite get it. But it seems like when we are generous, we just end up with more.
Were you ever afraid to tithe? What created the fear?
It’s not always easy to tithe. When I look at my friends who do have bigger houses, fancier cars, and take nicer vacations, I think, “Gee, if I didn’t tithe, I would have money to do that too.” But that has never once made me think about stopping. I know that I have everything I need and that God will take care of me. He has proven that He will!
Why would you encourage others to do the same?
I love Greg’s challenge to tithe for 90 days. It does seem like a “you have to see it to believe it” type of thing. But I hope you will give God the chance to show you what he can do. He could do more than you could ever imagine. You don’t want to miss out on that, do you?
Jeanna Jacobus
My husband and I were married for 68 years and were blessed very early in our marriage. We were taught how really important tithing is. Because of that, tithing became number one on our l budget.
Were there times when money was short, and it was very tempting not to give God his share? Absolutely. I did not start teaching until our two children were in school, as we both felt it important for me to be at home. The money didn’t always stretch as far as it needed, but my husband always said that God could do more with what was left than if we kept the whole hundred percent to ourselves. We were never blessed with wealth as the world sees wealth, but we were always blessed as our needs were provided even though our wants weren’t always. The extra money that was spent to provide for the needs of the church family was considered a gift, an offering, beyond the tithe. Our tithe was not always given to the congregation to which we were attending, but at times to other struggling Churches of Christ. The tithe belongs to Christ’s work and not to a certain congregation.
Anonymous Giver
Why and when did you start tithing?
When we got married (age 24 and 22), Matt insisted we tithe from Day 1. I was super nervous as this wasn’t something I had done before, but he was adamant we were going to tithe 10% of our income, so we did!
What happened as a result?
It’s actually a really cool story… At the start of our marriage, we used budgeting software to help us manage finances. This was in 2007 and then in 2008 when the recession happened, and gas prices doubled. I watched every week as our “gas budget” in this software would go negative and turn red. I considered reducing our tithe, but we remained consistent. Then at work, my boss announced a sales contest, and for every package you sold, you got a $25 gas card! Well, I love sales incentives & contests, so let’s just say I sold a bunch! Every week I kept getting gas card after gas card, and I would watch our gas budget grow! I didn’t spend money on gas for months!! To me, it was an awesome testimony to how God provides exactly what you need, even gasoline for your car!
Were you ever afraid to tithe? What created the fear?
I definitely was scared. I always gave my time by serving or would give when special offerings or things came up. That’s not tithing.
Why would you encourage others to do the same?
It’s been 16 years since we tithed, and I have countless stories of how God has always provided for our family, from one income to having no health insurance and many other times. He’s faithful!
Matt & Adrienne Shonkwiler
As a pastor's kid, tithing was learned early. I can't remember specifically when I started. God has always provided. There was one time when I was afraid to tithe. I was laid off from a job way back in 2001 and spent nearly nine months looking for a job. God was good! I continued tithing on my unemployment check. At the time, I didn't give it a second thought. While I remember eating a lot of Mac and cheese and malt-o-meal hot cereal during those months, I do also recall still doing recreational activities with friends. Long story short: that time was one of my best spiritually, creatively, and socially. I don't recall having to pull from my savings, and miraculously, the first paycheck with my new employer was the week after my last unemployment check. Not to give God any less credit, it was that I didn't have a car payment & my rent and utilities were half because I had a roommate. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend tithing! It strengthens faith and growth. Thank you for the opportunity to share.
Eric Williams
I’ve been tithing since becoming a Christian in 2018. As Pastor Greg mentioned, I’ve never come close to wanting for anything. I’ve increased giving extra regularly and when a need arises, and I’ve still never come close to needing anything. I have given up some extras, but I truly don’t miss them. I feel I’ve been blessed immeasurably with joy and peace. I love how God helps me to think through purchases. Do I really need this? Am I filling a void by making this purchase? Do I have something already I can use as an alternative? Will making this purchase affect how I can help others? If I feel an urgency in making a purchase, I know that’s a red flag, and I need to walk away, pray, and wait. We were close to getting a puppy recently. I really thought the Lord was going to allow it. I kept praying for His will to be done and to help us be wise. My husband and I agreed a day before we were to visit the 7-week-old pups to hold off, and I’m sincerely glad we did. We would have felt the financial stress with all the first-year costs that go along with a puppy. As the Jeremy Camp song says, “Give me Jesus. You can have all this world. Just give me Jesus.”
Another Anonymous Giver
If you have a tithing story to share, please reach out to me at greg@wcchurch.life.