Yesterday I finally got a little clarity on something that I have struggled with for a little while. I've been praying that no one from FPU would ask me what I recommended as far as tithing vs. debt payoff. It's kind of hard going through FPU/Total Money Makeover while also going through the Radical Experiment because in a way they have competing priorities. FPU basically says to pay off your debt now so that you can give more away later while Radical Experiment says to sacrifce as much as possible out of your budget to give now for urgent spiritual and physical needs.
One of the benefits of "choir" Sundays is that you hear the majority of the worship service three times so if you didn't hear something at one service you might pick it up at one of the other two. I guess that is what happened to me yesterday. At the end of the service(s) David gave a friendly reminder that as part of the Radical Experiment for the church as a whole is that we are to give to Brook Hills, not to other worthy charitable causes, so that the church has the resources to implement the radical experiment. (just for this year) I had already started sponsoring a child through World Vision as a part of the Radical Experiment and in the back of my mind I knew that that wasn't really the whole idea but I needed that reminder for another reason...
I don't exactly know when I quit tithing but I just started back up a few years ago. It's really hard to start writing such a big check after not doing it for so long especially when you've got student loans, credit card debt and a mortgage so I just decided to tithe on my net income. I knew I wanted to tithe on my gross income but whenever I got a raise I always seemed to have that money designated for something else. Then a month or so ago as I was going through my Kingdom Advisors training a say the question, "Should one tithe on "gross" or "net"? and the answer said, "Do you want God to bless you on the gross or the net? Tithing is always on the gross." I put that truth in the back of my mind and it's just been sitting there until last night.
Last night I sang with the choir at the beginning of the service then rushed over to FPU for 45 minutes, then back to the service to sing at the end, then back to FPU for the last part. I guess with all the back and forth that I was doing it dawned on me that I needed to have more balance in my priorities and I decided that I am going to start tithing on my gross income right away even if it means paying off my debt will take a little more time. I know that isn't really "radical" because it is what we are commanded to do, but for me when David said that last night it just hit me that I wasn't fully doing my part. I know I can be giving God more of what is really His to begin with. I know that I trust Him and this is just one small way for me to live like I trust Him and be obedient to His Word. Now I'm starting to question how I even thought I would ever pay off my debt while I was "cheating" God of the difference between my gross and net.....
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