Question:
Dear Greg,
What
is the difference between tithing time versus money?
A friend of mine says if you tithe time, you will receive time.
Only if you tithe money will you receive monetary abundance.
I
have more ability to give of my time and talent rather than my money at this
moment. Does it not count as much,
perhaps even more so, because money is relative, but the time I have on this
earth is already counted? Money can
be replaced. However, there are only
24 hours in a day.
I
would very much appreciate your help, so that I can increase my understanding of
God’s design regarding tithing by different means.
Georg
Answer: Dear Georg,
Your
friend is wrong. Tithing time or
money does not mean that we will receive more time or more money back in return.
Such an idea is the invention of religion, but not of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. According to the new
covenant, we give because Christ lives in us.
We sacrifice, give, volunteer and serve because the new life in Christ
directs us to do just that—Jesus lives his life within us.
It
is a mistake to say that tithing our time or our talents is just as good as and
appropriate as tithing our treasures. The
Bible is clear and has much to say about our money.
Money can be our god, and it can be where we draw the line.
As someone has said, “when it comes to giving, many Christians stop at
nothing!”
There
is no amount, no percentage of our time, talents or treasures that we must give,
if we are Christians. However, if
Jesus lives his life within us, if we are new men or women in Christ, we will be
generous and giving. We are given
the opportunity to determine when and how much to give of our time, talents and
treasures. No mechanical or
mathematical equations govern our giving—God wants us to give cheerfully and
from the heart.
In
Christ,