The First 10%

A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural produce.

For most of my life, I have not been a tither. Tithing is giving one-tenth of something back to God as gratitude for His provision. You can tithe on your time and skills, but most people apply tithing to their income. I didn’t do any of it. I think unconsciously I was turned off by some of the messages on tithing that I received in the churches I attended when I was younger. In general though, I didn’t understand tithing at all.

In 2020 when I wasn’t making much money from my startup Wyzerr, I watched an online sermon from my Pastor at Restoration Church (“RC”) on tithing that really compelled me to start researching the subject. I looked through the Bible and read all of the scriptures that are related to tithing. I watched YouTube videos with different Pastors speaking on tithing. One particular YouTube video, a sermon by Pastor Robert Morris shook me to my core. I began reading Pastor Robert’s book ‘The Blessed Life’ every night before I went to bed. His message was simple: Tithing is a test of your faith. When you tithe, you are exercising your faith and telling God “I trust you.” After a few weeks of research, I decided that I would start tithing. I didn’t have much but I gave 10% of what I had that night. This new habit couldn’t have come at a better time because a few weeks later, I came into a large sum of money and had my first big test on faith. Would I hoard all of this new blessing, or would I give 10% back to God first? I quickly gave my 10% before I had the chance to change my mind.

In the Fall of that year, RC leased a massive church building. Our congregation had grown tremendously over the years and it was long overdue for us to have our own space. Up until this point, I was tithing inconsistently. I would give for a few weeks, then I would stop, and pick back up again a few months later. Upon my church signing the lease for this new building, I felt like God was telling me “The church needs you! You need to be consistent in your giving!” I started tithing to RC immediately and haven’t missed a single tithe since October 2020.

Since I started tithing, my finances have grown in the craziest way. I’ve never made so much money in my life! First, I doubled my monthly income. Then, In the month of November 2021, a couple of deals fell on my lap and as a result, I received unexpected bonuses and commissions. When I looked at my bank statement at the end of November, I realized what I made that month was equal to what I made for the entire year before. I know it’s no accident that these financial blessings all started to happen when I began tithing. The Bible literally says if you give to God first, He will bless you. Now, let’s be clear: I don’t tithe to receive from God. In fact, I had no idea that God would bless me so abundantly when I began tithing. Honestly, even if God stopped blessing me, I would still tithe. He has already given me so much. I think the biggest reward I’ve received from tithing is the transformation of my heart. I am so detached from money. In fact, I give a lot of it away. Most importantly, I trust God to provide for all of my needs. Rather than paying all of my bills first, or putting away money in a savings account first, which is what I used to do, I give to God first so I can place my confidence in Him, not a savings account or the security of a home. When you fully trust God to be your provider, of course He will do more for you than you could ever do for yourself. Tithing has grown my faith in such a profound way. This increase is faith has allowed me to have so much peace and joy in my life because I truly don’t value money anymore. In my opinion, this is the true meaning of financial freedom.

If you are interested in learning more about tithing, I put together a worksheet with my notes and thoughts on tithing. Feel free to email me for a copy of it.