How to Handle This?

[Rebecca2]

Buy the bike. Buy the bike as if he were buying a bike for the Lord. Buy a really good bike lock. Ride that bike to work. Praise God for his blessings! Pay tithe.

There are many verses that provide guidance on tithing. Deuteronomy 12:18 may give your friend some guidance in his situation.

Deuteronomy 12

17Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:

18But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

Edited November 13, 2007 by Rebecca2

[Guest LadyC]

sis i totally understand the example and agree. But then we must see the difference.

This is this brother's job, not a camp, or something outside of the stewardship that God has given him. We must be proper stewards.

I still for one say that this brother should buy the bike. For it would seem that we are telling him tithe and God will take care of you. No buy the bike. If the tithe is God's then He will take care of that. We need to honor those responsibilties that God has given us. Once again He cant tithe if he cant work.

Thats my take.

uh, ruck.... don't you think if God will take care of the little things, He'll take care of the big things even more miraculously?

i just think this is a trust issue. i understand the difficulty, i'd have trouble trusting God on this one too, but i know that when i do put my trust in Him, He always follows through.

[Guest Greg Davies]

Personally, I'd rather let God choose the blessing than me. Tithing is about who do you trust.

Lean not to your own understanding, but in all your way acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Prov 3:5,6.

Don't let the good rob you of the best.

Greg.

[Guest]

Just to let you know.............. the new bike got bought.

We prayed about it first, and then the guy who was giving him a ride pulled the rug out and said he wasn't going to do it any longer. So he bought the bike. We did learn a couple of things in the process, though.

This was one of those situations that didn't quite fit "in the box" as it were. It was also a situation that's about getting to work -- not about elective things like camp or that new plasma screen TV. We basically came to the conclusion that since its God's will that we work for a living the bike was a need in his case. If you can't get to work, you get fired, and then how do you tithe? This wasn't something either of us was comfortable with exactly, but the Lord understands our individual circumstances and our hearts. Given that my friend would have no way to work the next day, he went and bought what was needed -- including the meanest bike lock the shop had!

[Guest Greg Davies]

Where in the Word is tithing about trusting God?

Malachi 3:6-12

II Cor 8 & 9

Luke 6:38

[Giaour]

Why is it that the only time that gentiles are told they have to follow old testament law is when it comes to giving money?

Seems to me that if youre going to follow the law, you should follow ALL of them and not pick and choose.

Walla, your friend made the right decision.

We are to give what we can, NOT a set %.

[Guest Greg Davies]

Why is it that the only time that gentiles are told they have to follow old testament law is when it comes to giving money?

Seems to me that if youre going to follow the law, you should follow ALL of them and not pick and choose.

Walla, your friend made the right decision.

We are to give what we can, NOT a set %.

The first mention of the tithe is when Abraham gave the tithe to Melchizedec 400 years before the law of Moses (Gen. 14:18-20).

In Heb. 7 we find that Melchizedec was a type of Christ and Jesus is "after the order of Melchizedec" (Psalm 110:4).

Tithing is an eternal spiritual principle. Neglecting it is to tell the Lord that you don't trust Him to meet you needs.

Greg.

[Guest]

Why is it that the only time that gentiles are told they have to follow old testament law is when it comes to giving money?

Seems to me that if youre going to follow the law, you should follow ALL of them and not pick and choose.

Walla, your friend made the right decision.

We are to give what we can, NOT a set %.

I posted the OP because the situation was one of those out of the box ones that can crop up from time to time. I don't like the idea of being a legalist, like the Pharisees of Christ's time. A situation like this is a bit strange. I think a lot of it comes down to our motives, and the Lord knows our hearts. This was about getting back and forth to work -- something clearly in God's will. My friend and I came to the conclusion that it was the only way to handle the situation, and we both still feel that way. I think the outcome would have been quite different if this had been over an Xbox, Computer, or some other thing where it was basically about spending money on yourself.

As far as the whole "issue" of titheing goes, here's my take on it:

We live under the New Testament, and I've always felt and been led by the Holy Spirit to tithe. It has been my experience that I really cannot afford not to, since the 90% that's left ALWAYS goes farther than the 100% I started with. I don't know how God does that, but it works. I've been greatly blessed in doing it, and I would encourage those who don't to give it a try. The Paul was pretty clear that when we support a church or ministry we become partners in their work for the Kingdom, work we probably could not do ourselves. So to me its not really an expense - its an investment in eternity. Is God awesome or what?

[Guest]

Just to let you know.............. the new bike got bought.

Amen!

[Guest Greg Davies]

and notice that Abraham gave a tithe out of his abundance...then you hear of no other time of Abraham giving a tithe. But once again this is not about whether or not to give tithes. This was concerning a certian situation. Are you saying that this brother didnt trust God to provide for him?

I'm not going to judge "another man's servant". I don't know to what degree this fellow understood the biblical principles of tithing. We are only held responsible for what we know and understand. However, we are responsible to study these things out and be obedient to what the Lord reveals in His word.

As far as Abraham is concerned, yes he was a rich man. But tithing out our abundance is certainly not something that makes a possitive impression on the Lord. In Mark 12: 41-44 we find Jesus commenting on this very thing. Read it for yourself and ask yourself what was it that really blessed the Lord and who in the narative demonstrated faith and trust.

Greg.