Tithe

  

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2 Samuel 24:24

Good News Translation

²⁴ But the king answered, “No, I will pay you for it. I will not offer to the Lord my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing.”

 

All of us who have worked for wages know that our employer deducts various taxes from every paycheck. On our first paycheck, we may indeed have been surprised when we didn’t get the full amount that we had calculated we would receive. When Sylvia and I were in Africa as missionaries, the mission board also withheld tithe from our paychecks. It was calculated in such a way as to take out the most possible. When I inquired why they didn’t let me pay tithe voluntarily, I was told that then most people would not pay tithe. However, by doing this they were robbing us of a special blessing from God.

You may ask, “Are there different ways to calculate tithe?” Yes. One way is to take the gross salary before any withdrawals. Thus, if you earn $10 per hour and work 40 hours per week, your gross wages are $400. So, you would pay $40 for tithe.

A second way is to reason that your Social Security deduction is an investment towards your retirement. I reasoned that when I retired, I would pay tithe on my Social Security. I am retired now, and that is what I do today. Therefore, I deferred my tithe on that portion until I actually received it. Since the withholding for SS is 6.2% from the $400 I had earned, I would be deferring $24.80 towards my retirement. So, my gross income minus $24.80 is $375.20. My tithe for that paycheck would be $37.52.

A third and simplest way is to pay tithe on the actual value of your check. So, if the actual check you got for your week’s work was $312.00, you would pay $31.20 tithe.

If you are confused about how to calculate your tithe, speak to several experienced members of your church. This may include your pastor and the church treasurer. See how they calculate tithe and why they calculate their “increase” the way they do. (Warning: You will find that there are some high-ranking members in your church who do not pay tithe. Ignore their input entirely.)

No matter which way you end up paying tithe, do it faithfully. This is acknowledging God as the provider and owner of all. Your tithe to the Lord will cost you something.

Now read Malachi 3:10 again. You will find your after-tithe dollars go farther than if you don’t pay tithe. Try it! The Lord wants you to test Him on this matter.

In case you’re wondering how Sylvia and I pay tithe, for the 43 years since we have returned from Africa, we have used a modification of the second method above. We found that the Lord has blessed us abundantly. And we strongly encourage you to take the Lord’s promise about tithe paying literally. During our stay in Africa, when our tithe was deducted along with taxes, we didn’t voluntarily pay tithe. We missed both the feeling of sacrifice when we voluntarily pay tithe and also much of the abundant blessing promised to tithe payers.

We are blessed beyond measure by Your generous care for us, gracious Lord. Thank You!

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