Do Not Tithe to Shoulds

There is a tremendous amount of resistance I have found in people about the idea of tithing and a lot of misunderstanding of it.  The Bible admonishes all to put 10% of all that is gained into the storehouse (in Biblical times, they meant grain or good since they didn't necessarily get money but often traded goods for goods.)  In our times, a tithe is money. It is not volunteer hours. It is not giving away stuff to charity.  Those are volunteering and giving stuff to charity. Not a tithe.

Some people tighten up and resist tithing thinking, "I can't pay all of my bills now. How can I afford to put aside 10% of my income to give away?"  Others have told me, "Why should I tithe to a church or minister? They aren't supposed to get money or already have too much." (At another time we can address the "not supposed to get money" question.)  There is resentment. There is anger. There is outright rebellion about tithing.

I have witnessed at one particular church I used to attend that people barely put anything into the tithe basket as it was passed. They might throw in a dollar or two. One woman actually just held her hand over the basket and passed it. Now it is one thing if people do not have any money or actually are providing their tenth and a dollar is the tenth.  But knowing these people, I was aware that they made a good monthly income.  Yet they withheld when it came to tithing.

I surmised two things from this.  1) They do not understand the law of tithing (or the law of attraction or law of prosperity) and 2) they must not be getting spiritually fed at that location--which begs the question...why stay?  Find someone or something that does actually inspire or speak to your soul.

I like to think of a tithe as my way of  Paying it Forward. God doesn't need the money, but in order for teachings to be shared, money helps the teachers teach, books to be published, videos to be made available. If you are seeking and you find, help others also find.

I do not tithe where I feel some sense of obligation to tithe or am pressured to because I "should."  I tithe where I can give it freely, joyfully and without any sense of resistance or resentment.  I tithe to book authors, to certain churches, to teachers who do different YouTube videos, to teachers of classes and workshops--but only when I am genuinely spiritually fed and only if I can do it with complete abandon and delight. If I feel myself clench up, I know that the tithe is not coming from a place of love and light within me but from some sense of resentment.  That is a good signal for me to look at why I am clenching when it comes to tithing. There are just some preachers and ministers who do not really feed spiritually (and sadly, more than a few that actually starve us out with their focus on the mundane as opposed to the upliftment and spiritual growth.)

Tithing is a way of showing gratitude to Spirit. It is a way of showing appreciation for your spiritual growth. It also is a path to greater prosperity in every way. We are to prove God by tithing--and then receive the showers of blessings as our tithe (JOYFULLY GIVEN) is multiplied abundantly.  I know people who have tithed not on the income they currently make but on the income they are envisioning making in the future. And each time they do, their income rises in short order.  How?  It's a mystery and we are not to muddle around in the How.  What I know is that when I tithe, my income is always provided with more than enough to take care of all I require and need with more than enough time and money left over to spare and to share. When I do not tithe, I find that income is much more challenging to come by and much more of a struggle to find or receive.

I tithe with joy to those people, teachers, preachers, books, videos, and on rare occasion, churches where I am spiritually fed because I know that keeping income in circulation spiritually (for money is only energy, after all) is like keeping the light switch on and the energy flowing to light the room.  Let us not forget that those who are guided to teach, speak, write or share their spiritual insights, to uplift, or to give spiritual food do also have bills to pay.  It is not good spiritual karma to take, take, take without giving back and will eventually lead to a crisis in income because you are declaring to the Cosmos that you are in lack and the Cosmos is all about giving you what you believe.  Believe in your Prosperity and in your Spiritual Feeding, tithe freely and with joy and you will see that your Prosperity opens up.

(c) 2021, SZing, Spiritual Creator. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of Pixabay public domain images.