Life as a Christian Woman

⁴¹Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴²But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

⁴³Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Mark 12: 41-44

Billy Graham answered a timely question today in his newspaper column.  The writer wanted to know tithing when going through tough financial times. This comes in the wake of an article last week about how churches are seeing a decline in donations in the midst of the current recession.

Graham’s answer cuts straight to the point:

“During difficult times it’s easy to focus only on ourselves and our problems — but when we do, we lose sight of others who may be facing far more serious problems than we are.”

He goes on to remind the readers that millions in the world will die without ever hearing the story of salvation if the money that funds missionaries is no longer available.

The question of giving a tithe when money is short is tough on the surface, yet if we look deeper into our own finances the odds are good that we can find things that can be cut from the budget. We are spoiled. We have our cell phones, televisions, cable and satellite. We have pantries full of food and cars in the driveway. Yet when salaries are cut, we don’t look at the things that we enjoy, we look to cut our tithe.

Gotta have cable! Gotta keep that subscription to Sports Illustrated!

I actually heard a woman say the other day that they were no longer going to be able to tithe because money was tight… and in the next breathe she talked about how the birthday party for her son was costing more than $2,000 (and he’s five years old).

Everything we have comes from God, yet we pull back from our tithe in tough times with the idea that the church doesn’t need it. That isn’t the point. God doesn’t need our money, but it is His. We owe Him everything.

I don’t negate the effects of the economy we live in. My family is feeling it as I’m sure yours are. But when cuts are made, is it really right to start with God?