I Wanted to Eat Beans: A Word on Tithing

Malachi 3:10 (NIV)

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

Mark 12:17 (NIV)

Then Jesus said to them, "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."  ...

If you really want to offend Western Christians, you should bring up the matter of their pocketbooks.  Sure we can live "holy" lives, we can take time to read the Bible, we can go to church and even not swear, but when it ultimately comes down to it, you will invest your money into what you really believe in, whether that be entertainment, housing, or other matters of your own comfort.  If you really want to offend me, you should serve me beans.  That is a matter of non-comfort for me-- they are bland, mushy, and while they are supposed to be good for you, I think they are just plain gross.  And yet many people in the world would be happy to eat them.

I cannot say that if you looked at my budget, bank account, or credit card statement, that you would 100% applaud my purchases, though you might applaud my culinary choices.  Being a spender/giver, I tend to like to purchase things for myself and others that we don't necessarily need, especially when food is involved.  I am often times convicted of how many people I could have helped in a foreign currency (for example, feeding them beans) if I had given that money away, though.  

But if you want to get technical, we aren't necessarily required to put all that extra spending money towards purchasing beans for people to eat in foreign countries.  The amount laid out by scripture that we should give to the local church is a mere 10%, leaving a plentiful 90% to live off of.  Yet, I do wonder with all that I've seen going on around me, why more people do not give this small amount to help the local body-- pastors and church congregations and all that they give toward-- survive and thrive.

Obedience is one mark of spiritual maturity that grows in the lives of those touched by the Holy Spirit like bean sprouts.  If you live in such a way that is pleasing to God, and you walk with Him, you will not only want to obey, but you will do so joyfully.  Having been taught at a young age by a godly father to tithe, I have generally always been glad to give to God a small portion when the other 90% has been so bountiful.

In fact, because of that monetary obedience, I believe that God has blessed me financially throughout the years, just as he promises in Malachi 3:10.  I have eaten well and never had to eat beans unless I wanted to.  Those times that I have "cheated" on my tithe, paying off the net instead of the gross (basically paying off what I receive after taxes and instead of what I actually earn), I have struggled financially and considered eating lots of bean chili.  When I have realized my disobedience, and have repented and corrected my actions, I have seen God's blessing upon my life again.

But, you, say, what happens if you are struggling to get by, and you are grateful to even afford beans for dinner?  What do you do then?  I ran into this question recently as I returned to college as an adult and lived off of my income as a dishwasher, having quit a career desk job, the income of which I had gotten quite comfortable on.  My last semester of college was exciting with the  prospect of graduation, but as I searched for a job after graduation and as I headed into spring break, I found that my bank account was rapidly depleting, my income was not enough to cover expenses, and there wasn't even enough money to purchase a week's worth of cheap groceries for me to survive off of in the dorms, since I couldn't afford to travel anywhere the entire time.

I received a $70.14 paycheck from my two weeks of student working and was grateful because I should most certainly be able to squeeze a week's worth of food out of that if that's all I bought.  But that weekend at the spirit-filled church I attended, the pastor spoke about tithing and I remembered, "Oh, yeah.  Not only do I need to tithe my $7.02 from this paycheck, but I also forgot to tithe on my last $100-some dollar paycheck."  $70.14 - $17.02 = $53.12, which doesn't get you very far on groceries.

"God," I said, "You have to understand that I can't tithe now or else I cannot eat."  Since I was not from the area and tend to not have a gift for being as connected as others, I didn't even know anyone from the church I could ask for help or if there might be a food bank where I could get beans.  You have to be pretty desperate to eat beans, as most people don't take them from food banks.  I know because I helped with one at my church, and I hate beans, too.  Nevertheless, I felt a strong conviction to be obedient.  Did I mention I'd been turned down for about 15 jobs at this point?  I was going to starve before college was out, and after...

I had to come to a realization then and there that even if all I had in the bank was a mere $70, that little bit was the Lord's.  I thought of the story of the loaves and fishes that God had multiplied to feed thousands.  While I believed that happened, at that moment in my life, it kind of felt like a story in a book that wasn't real.  My very real reality was the fact that I would be hungry.  But, I realized, if all I have is a little bit, and that is God's, I might as well give God what is his.  So I wrote my check, and tithed.  And you know what?  My tax refund, with which everything had gone wrong (I mean like everything), miraculously came through that week (and it was supposed to be another 10 weeks), I got hired for a job over Spring Break (back at my old office with the comfortable pay!), and the paperwork for some money I had applied for which had kept getting lost and not received was suddenly received and I became eligible and all my financial woes were turned into nothing as God provided in abundance.

So, regardless of how things look, a small act of obedience, such as giving $17.02, is the best way to approach the issue of tithing, because what little (even if it doesn't amount to a hill of beans) or lot (I guess this would be a hill of beans) you have is ultimately the Lord's.