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Christian Ladies - A tithing question


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My mother and I were having a discussion the other day regarding tithing on such things as insurance settlements, inheritances and profits earned from the sale of a home. We are both uncertain whether or not these are things that one should be tithing on. Thoughts?

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My husband and I have had this "discussion" before. Not fights at all, but we don't necessarily agree. I wholeheartedly agree with praying about it, though.

 

My understanding was always this- tithing on income you produced. There is no theology behind that, but what my gut tells me. Like with holiday gifts and gift money. If my child got a gift that I know was worth 20$, I wouldn't make him tithe 2$ next Sunday. Neither would I if he got a 20$ bill as a gift. It just doesn't make sense to me. Taxes could be partly reimbursement for money you already paid- or a bunch of credits. Inheritance and life insurance I would view as gifts from the departed person (depending on the person and relationship). I don't know,just my 2cents.

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We believe in tithing on our "increase". It is up to each individual to determine how that applies to any given situation. Personally, I would pay tithing on it.

 

This is what we do in our family. But I definitely second the recommendation to pray about it. :)

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I don't believe God is up in Heaven with a calculator. I'd pray about it, look at our overall financial situation and then decide how much to give.

 

This sums up my thinking. I believe God is more concerned with your heart and overall intent, rather than getting things right down to the penny. :)

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I wouldn't necessarily tithe on it, as in give ten percent directly to the church. (I'm not saying I wouldn't, either.) I would be more likely to donate to a charity or a specific ministry. (I'm not going back and fixing this, but I should have said we, as it's a decision DH and I would make together.) :)

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What about asking a different question?

 

"I am grateful for (fill in the blank) coming into my life. How can I celebrate God by sharing a portion of this?"

 

When we sold our home, we made a profit. To us, it felt rather miraculous given how so many were struggling.

 

When a disaster happened to both our car and our home within a short period time this spring, we felt God take care of us in every way. He stretched what we received from insurance and indeed we ended up better in the long run. We felt grateful and it made us want to celebrate God because of it.

 

I don't like it when someone gives something to me because they felt they had to. It's so awkward. But it's a lot of fun when someone gives to me because they are just really happy about something. Perhaps this is why one scripture says, "God loves a cheerful giver."

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I view tithing as a forced donation. We give a set amount to the church each week. It may be less or more than others, but it's what we can afford comfortably. God helps those who help themselves. If you leave yourself broke by giving all your earnings to the church, God is not going to look more favorably on you as opposed to someone who gave from the heart within their means.

 

If you want to give a donation give one. But if you truly can use the money for something that you need, then don't. God doesn't need, nor want our money. He wants our love. I give extra whenever I can to help the church and programs that they support or offer. I don't set myself up for financial ruin to give a tithe.

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We believe in tithing on our "increase". It is up to each individual to determine how that applies to any given situation. Personally, I would pay tithing on it.

 

:iagree: except that I probably wouldn't consider the insurance settlement an increase. Generally that would be things like reimbursement for medical expenses you paid yourself, money to help you fix damage from a storm, etc. In those cases, I would think that the insurance just helped you get back to where you were before. If they give you more than is needed, then that would be different.

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