We are so blessed to have Rodney, an elder, share with us his own personal journey and conviction about how he and his family approach tithing.
Jerry says this often, “Money makes people funny.” And although it is a comical saying, it is unfortunate that we often see that this is true.
When Karyne and I went to Israel years ago, they told us that Jerusalem was divided into four different quadrants; Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Armenian. They told us that they were always fighting each other and that it was unsafe. However, when we were there, we had a much different experience. If you were a local, it was indeed quite contentious to enter the different quadrants. However, as a tourist, Karyne, Justus, and I were welcomed into each quadrant with open arms and big smiles. I wondered why we felt so safe and were welcomed everywhere and I realized it was because we were clearly tourists. We were walking dollar signs.
As we spoke to tour guides and locals, they told us that 90% of the economy is based on tourism; so everyone welcomed tourists. In fact, if any quadrant messed with tourism, they would then become the target. Nothing unites people like money, yet nothing divides people like money.
Money is one of the greatest threats to the kingdom of God because accumulating it promises “good things”. The Lord has been convicting me of finances for years, teaching me over and over not to allow it to master me. I think of all the ways in which I am supposed to invest – RRSP, RESP, TFSA, TFIA, etc. These are good savings vehicles and a way to hold on to money. Yet the Lord asked me where in the Bible Jesus ever touched money. In the Bible, Jesus never touched money. The only time it was close was when Jesus was told to pay taxes. Jesus paid his taxes by making a fish pay for him!
LifeSpring family, you are an amazingly generous family. But what I sense the Lord saying is that tithes and offerings are a matter of the heart, not a matter of calculation. When God has your heart, He has everything – including your finances. God is never after our wallets – the maker of the universe has no need of currency – but God desires our hearts. Oftentimes money blocks our hearts.
Tithes and offerings are something that has truly blessed the LifeSpring Family. We don’t track or do analysis – we simply encourage everyone to listen well and obey quickly. Even in the area of finances.