SUMMER 2000
I heard yet another sermon on tithing but this time I made the choice to follow through on what I was being taught. You have to give to God from your first fruits, before you take anything for yourself and He will supply your needs. The decision I made was to write the tithe check first and then pay the bills and do the shopping. I typically would pay the bills and do the shopping, meet all the needs and wants and then give God what was left over. This was usually very little, if any at all.

PUT TO THE TEST
I made this commitment just prior to leaving on a family vacation. I requested to be paid my vacation pay in advance of the trip so we would have it to spend on the trip. It was very tempting to take it all with us but I resisted and tithed before we left. When we returned home our next trial occurred to test whether I was serious about this new commitment. My husband found out that his employment situation would be changing. This change resulted in him needing to leave his job. He felt that God had a different direction for him to go and I did too. However that drastically changed our financial situation. We would be losing two-thirds of our family income. I still continued tithing though on what little income came in. We made arrangements to sell our home so that we could meet our expenses while my husband went back to school. We felt this would be the only way to get through this. The housing market was not doing well and there were no offers made on our house. Miraculously, each month, there was just enough income to make the house payment and meet the needs of my family. I continued to tithe first and was always amazed that there was money to pay for all the needs. After many months of trying to sell with nothing happening, we realized that selling the house to be able to meet our needs was our plan of action; but God had a different plan.

SPRING 2001
God brought about a home refinance for us. I say that God brought it because there were numerous things that fell into place for it to happen and in man’s wisdom it should not have occurred. God provided the work and the income required satisfy the bankers and to meet all our obligations after the tithe. Through some amazing sets of circumstances, all of our bills were covered despite sporadic employment throughout all of 2001.

EVERY NEED MET
In January of 2002, my husband was employed by Prisoners for Christ Outreach Ministries where he had been volunteering the previous twelve months. This was God’s perfect timing because I had to begin a leave of absence from my job that same month due to having surgery on my ankle. During my leave, I only received ½ pay, which again caused me concern as to how bills would be paid. I just continued the tithing, this time from my disability pay, and every need was met.
I can’t say that I have been perfect here. I did not manage to tithe 52 straight weeks. What I can say is that when I did, God met our needs. When I did not, well, I noticed that there were times when I would forget to tithe and then some unforeseen event would occur which would cost me almost exactly what the tithe should have been. The money I should have given was always gobbled up.

NOT "GIVING TO GET"
It has been just slightly over two years since I began this journey and I am still in awe at how we manage to make ends meet by giving money away but everything that I was taught from Malachi is true. My tax program always questions me. Someone with our income does not give that amount. I chuckle; others just have not caught on yet. We have begun to go above tithing by providing support for a child in the Philippines and a young couple ministering with Campus Crusade for Christ as well as giving to missions. I don’t like how some interpret this principle, give and you’ll get. I don’t give to get. When I do give, I have enough and there are even times when I have plenty and am able to give even more.

Lori Sheets
Overlake Member since High School - 1978

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