People who attend church regularly usually have heard of the word “tithe” and have a general idea that it means to give God the first 10% of your paycheck, or money you receive, before using the rest as you decide.
To give Him back 10% of His own riches is a sign of trust. In essence, we’re telling God we trust Him to take care of our needs through the remaining 90%.
I was challenged recently by a devotion I read to think about giving God not just the first 10% of my paycheck, but the first 10% of every area of my life. That got me thinking. If I were to do that, what exactly would it look like?
What if I received good news about some unexpected money and chose to thank God before sharing the good news with my husband, friend, or mom?
What if I stopped worrying about our finances and chose instead to take that worry and give it to God, trusting that He will provide, instead of picking up the phone and calling someone else only to spend thirty minutes complaining and growing an ulcer?
What if I got up early every morning, including weekends, before the rest of my family woke up, and gave God the first of my day? My time? My energy? My food?
If I’m thanking God every time I receive good news, I’m going to be on the lookout for ways He keeps blessing me daily, which will naturally help me to be a person with a more positive outlook on life.
If I’m giving God my worries instead of obsessing about how to solve them on my own, I’m going to live a life with less stress-related issues like heartburn, insomnia, irritability, and depression (or that dreaded ulcer from above).
If I’m waking up early every morning and starting my day reading His Word, spending time in prayer for my attitudes and others concerns, then I’m going to be other-focused, have a more positive outlook and probably issues that would normally negatively affect me won’t have as much of a chance to penetrate my happiness.
If I ask Him what He wants me to do with my time, my energy, and my food, it’s been my experience in the past that He naturally multiples all of those areas of my life and I’m given more to share with others, passing on the happiness that’s contagious in my life.
What does the phrase “giving God your firsts” mean to you? How would that (or does already) look in your life?
© Cheri Swalwell 2019
I love these thoughts about tithing beyond monetarily. I do tithe with my morning and money but didn’t think about the rest of my daily life. Thank you for opening my eyes to the other aspects of my life in tithing those!❤️
Thank you, Linda, for reaching out and sharing. God gave me that invitation and since I like to share, I thought I’d reach out and see if others wanted to join me. Thanks for joining!! Have a wonderful day – so glad you’re here!