Giving and Tithing: Includes Serving and Stewardship

Burkett, the sage of Christian finances, writes a short book addressing the two very sensitive topics of giving and tithing. Burkett, as well as Alcorn and Ramsey, all argue that the Bible's mandate to tithe at least 10% is still in full effect. If you can't live off of 90% of your salary, you've got bigger problems than worrying about the other 10%, they say. The truth is we can never out give God. But refusing what is rightfully "his" will result in poverty (certainly spiritual and probably material). Burkett goes on to say that helping the poor is an important part of any church's ministry, especially towards the unsaved. He spends time explaining how a church should set-up a committee to review requests. He shows why all potential recipients must participate in a financial counseling session before a church gives any assistance. Burkett reminds us that the principle of "from each according to his means, to each according to his needs" is a principle, though disastrous if implemented by the unsaved, appropriate for application by today's church.

The Bible does teach us to tithe and give offerings. In Malachi 3:10, it says "Bring the full amount of tithe to my Temple so that there will be plenty of food in my house. Try me, and see if I will not open the gates of heaven and pour out so many blessings on you, spiritual as well as material, that you will not be able to number them all." I have paid tithe and offerings my whole life and God has always taken care of my needs, plus given me many extra surprises. Ideally, our motive for giving should be out of love, however, it's natural to worry about not having enough money left over to pay our bills. That is why God says, "Try me". He invites us to test Him and find out for ourselves that He will take care of us. Some people only want to quote the New Testament and not the Old Testament, but God gave us the whole Bible and both parts apply to our life. Another great book to read about paying Tithes and Offerings is "Fields of Gold" written by Andy Stanley. You might enjoy also be inspired by reading "God Owns my Business" by Stanley Tam, and "Mover of Men and Mountains" by R.G. LeTourneau. Both of these men gave 90% of their income to tithes and offerings and became multi-millionaires. I admire these men who said, "How much can I give to help others", rather than asking, "How little can I give".

This is another wonderful book from Christian finanical expert Larry Burkett. It's short and to the point. It lets its readers go through the biblical truths of giving and tithing in easy to understand language. With topics like: Bad and Good reasons for giving, Does God need your money? What is a tithe? Should you tithe from your net or your gross ? How can you know which organization to support? Setting up a benevolence ministry in your church. Larry also covers how to improve giving and the history of welfare. This book is a must for any believer's library.