Biblical finance 1: Give to God first
Last weekend, I sat down with my new salary information and an Excel spreadsheet and took the time to set my new budget. My only rules were 1) Put as much as possible into savings/investments, 2) Include all necessary expenses (food, insurance, gas, etc.) and 3) Apply Biblical finance principles.
The last guideline results from a two-month-long study I’ve been doing—and still haven’t quite finished—on Proverbs. On a first reading, I marked all the verses dealing with finances. On this second reading, I’m studying each verse, adding it to a growing list of Biblical principles. Depending on your exposure to Proverbs, you may or may not know that its verses aren’t commands, per se, but general observations by Solomon, who many call the wisest man that ever lived.
So I’ve been thinking about a way to include these principles here, since they very much affect the personal aspect of my personal finance, and have decided to post a principle every Sunday. Seems fitting. So, without further ado, here’s principle #1:
Give to God first.
Proverbs 3:9-10 “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will be bursting with wine.”
Many Christians adhere to a 10% tithing principle, including myself, but I personally see this verse as encouraging generous, thankful giving—honoring God with a large portion of your money—and the emphasis seems to be on attitude more than on amount/percentage. For me, this means more than 10% might be wise.
If you’re interested in this sort of thing, Free Money Finance has run several posts on the subject of Christian giving:
What Christians and Others Give and Tithe
Tithe or Pay off Debt?
Does a Church Worker Need to Tithe/Give Generously?
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5 Responses to “Biblical finance 1: Give to God first”
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Good for you….but of course, giving to God is not
neccessarily giving to a minister or church. Personally,
I’d imagine God would consider UNICEF or Doctors
Without Borders to count against the 10%…..or the
Humane Society.
If you can find unicef or doctors without borders in the bible
as a place to send your tithes.Go ahead and send it there.
If you can find UNICEF or doctors without borders in the Bible as a place to send your tithes,go ahead and send
them there.
If YOU can find where it says that it goes to a church or minister, show me. As far as I can tell, the scriptures relating to tithe always say something along the lines of giving to the work of the LORD or Your Firstfruits to the Kingdom…..i do not believe that is just the church. The Kingdom/Work of the LORD extends FAR beyond the church into all the world..(Including charities, missions, homeless shelters, etc.) Neither God, nor the writers of the scripture nor the founders of the faith ever limit this to the church…
Hmmn. I went back through my original post and I’m missing the part where I said it has to be the church. (Am I just not seeing it?)
I agree that the principle is giving to the work of the Kingdom, which includes more than just the church.