Learning to Tithe the Hard Way: What God Taught Me

By Guest Writer: Neil Allen

After I was saved in December of 1979, I tried to tithe, or at least give some kind of offering. The problem was that I kept hearing different teachings about whether tithing was still required. I was never fully sure I was doing it right, and I never really took the time to study it for myself.

Then I got married in September of 1981. My wife and I would tithe at times, usually when a pastor made a strong case for it, but for one reason or another, we would always end up stopping.

Everything changed in 1996.

My wife had been killed in a car accident, and I had been laid off from my job. At the time, I was receiving $300 a week in unemployment. During that season, I felt convicted to give $30 a week to a ministry, so I did.

Somehow, the money never ran out. It just lasted. There was no logical explanation for how it all worked.

Eventually, I went back to work. My take-home pay was $500 a week. But again, I stopped giving altogether. Every Friday, I got paid, and by Monday, the money was gone. 

I finally cried out to God, “What is going on?”

I won’t lie, it took me a bit to see what He was trying to show me. I realized that the $30 I was giving before was a 10% tithe on my $300. So I started tithing again.

Twice after learning this lesson, I convinced myself it was all just a coincidence and stopped tithing again. 

Both times, everything in my life fell apart. 

That’s when I finally, truly understood what He was calling me to, not just giving but to obedience.

That was 28 years ago, and I’ve faithfully tithed ever since. I do want to talk about something people often say, that a tithe has to go to a church.  This is not true, and it’s not Biblical. 

I give in many different ways, to many different people and places. I’ve given directly to people in need, to missionaries, to causes, to organizations, and to trustworthy Christian ministries. I even gave my tithe once to help someone buy new windows.

My point is, God will direct you where your tithe needs to go, and He will bless that tithe when you give with a cheerful heart. Listen to His direction, not what people say or what a church tells you. He knows the needs of the world better than anyone on Earth.

Another important thing is to be a good and wise steward when choosing where to give. These days, it’s easy to do research online before giving anywhere.

When it’s laid on my heart to give to a specific cause or situation, I research those ministries or organizations to ensure they’re a good fit, and then I let God make the final decision.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Malachi 3:10 “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.” If I were to reword this verse, I’d put it like this: “I will work things out for you.”

Haggai 1:6 “You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

© Neil Allen