Give $1 Million To Your Church, Today!

I just ran across this article about Joel Osteen’s new book deal worth over 10 Million Dollars (that’s $10,000,000 to those of who can not conceive of what that type of money looks like). Both Good Coffee and Todd Rhoades at MMI have posted the following questions:

Let's say you are offered a $10 million dollar book deal? How would you react? What would you do with the money? What would your house look like? What would you drive! What would your giving look like?

What would your giving look like? Some of my readers might be surprised that God has a system of giving that is based around 10% of the sweat of your brow. It’s called the tithe, and it means 10 percent (and yes, I believe in first fruits, so I believe the tithe is off the top baby). If you do not tithe now, why should you start tithing out of the abundance of $10 million dollars? You trade disobedience for obedience only when it is convenient.

God wants you to be faithful with what you have. How many of you would honestly go to your church with a check for (dramatic pause, and in my best Dr. Evil imitation) 1 million dollars? I know Pastor Jim at ASBC would probably fall over. Would 1 million dollars all of a sudden seem unreasonable to give away to God? Would the local church you attend all of sudden seem incapable of handling that much money. Or, are you the best judge to determine which one of God's storehouses to take your tithe to?

I can not fully explain this, but since we have started tithing, I have become a better manager of the money that we have. I will not lie to you and say that it has been easy, I have had many arguments with my wife about why we can’t tithe when our financial outcome seemed difficult. But, God has proved faithful even in those times.

Be faithful now, prove him today. Do not wait to “give out of your abundance,” but what you have. Today.

Mark 12:41-44 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.