By Dr. Teena Welborn
God and His Word never change. As parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children to tithe to God’s ministry. With so many financial obligations for the modern family, it is sometimes difficult to see that taking from our “stretched” budget to give to God is the right thing to do.
I recently heard local preacher Terry Fant tell his congregation that it is not a command to give. It is not demanded of us as Christians; however, it is part of our worship and praise to Him. God gave a tremendous sacrifice by sending His only Son; therefore, as Christians, we should give of our firstfruits to Him. He tells us to test Him in this area. Wow, “test God” and see what happens! That is a huge statement and should be taken seriously.
Malachi 3:8-10 reads, “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – your whole nation – because you are robbing me. 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.”
Soak up that last verse for a minute – there will not be room to store it. That would be amazing to have that much blessing from our Heavenly Father!
Always allow your children to see you give. Explain why you are giving. If you receive a blessing from God, then talk about that blessing and how giving to God is part of praise and worship to Him. God will reward it.
Start young with your children and teach them that any time they receive an allowance or any money, some should be given to the church in worship to Him. Clarify what God says about blessing them in return for giving. When children are blessed, remind them about the times they gave to the church to expand God’s kingdom, and clarify where that blessing came from.
In my opinion, churches are dying because too many Christians are using logic and not faith when it comes to giving. If we have $2,000 in our accounts to pay bills, and we make sure all our bills are paid first, then we are giving God the leftovers, that is using logic and not faith. We must have faith that when we tithe, God will do what He says and bless us beyond measure. He will provide and take care of us. I know this sounds foreign and scary to most, but in this area, it is God’s expectation for us. Test Him!
Additional scripture in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 is also helpful. Happy tithing, moms!
Dr. Teena Welborn is a retired educator and author of “Raising Whosoevers to Be the Heart of Our Schools.” Dr. Welborn and her husband of 37 years, Cliff, live in Florence, Mississippi, where they raised their three boys. They are members of First Baptist Florence. She can be contacted at tlmwelborn13@gmail.com.
