War Cry - May, 2014 Page 15

because He's mad and is punishing us. It's simply
because a heart that can't find satisfaction in tithing
is ill�prepared for the abundant blessings God has
in store for us. You see, tithing is an outward expres-
sion of an internal belief. Holding onto your income
can demonstrate a belief in yourself--you earned it,
you deserved it. Giving a portion of it back to God
simply is a gift of gratitude, thanking the One who
gave you the abilities in order to produce the money.

Rich Stearns writes in his book, The Hole in our

Gospel

, "I have often thought of the tithe... as a kind of

`inoculation' against the power that money can some-
times hold over us." As we literally release money, its
power is lessened, freeing us from its chains. Money is
no longer unsafe to us, and that which was contained
may now be released. God throws open the flood-
gates, and with it, pours out blessing after blessing.

My parents instilled tithing in me at a very young

age. I remember putting a few small coins into my Bible

every Sunday morning and then searching for them
as they hit the pavement or got caught in the binding.
With everything in me, I wanted those coins to make
it into the little jar, knowing somehow they made it to
God and made a difference. Yet the zeal I once knew
faded with time. I continued tithing, but the joy was no
longer there. My husband wrote the checks to church,
and our support for missionary friends came directly
from our checking account. These became mere transac-
tions occurring out of duty and routine, paid with little
more enthusiasm than cutting a check for our mortgage.

Yet all of that changed this summer as we began the

process of finding a new church home. While we didn't

care for going from one church to the next, there

was one hidden benefit: we no longer blindly

wrote out a check to the church we'd gone

to for nearly a decade. We had

to stop and prayer-
fully consider
what to do with
that money. And
in the process,
I watched some
floodgates fly open.

For example,

it's humbling and
exhilarating to be
part of smuggling
Bibles into China,
as my husband
and I received
pictures of hundreds of individuals who will be receiving
that illegal literature within the next few months. We've
been able to financially partner with other missionaries
who are making a huge impact in our country and
around the world. And, we've started dreaming about

the December Project, where we'll either
help pay someone's rent or leave a hefty
tip for a cup of coffee on Christmas morn-
ing for someone who is working on the
holiday to make extra money just to get
by. I haven't been this excited for Christ-
mas since I waited for Santa.

These things all sound good, but I know what many

of you are thinking, There's no way I could make ends
meet if I tithed.

When you start doing the math and

add up how much you'd be giving away, anxiety sets
in. Sure, it'd be nice, but let's be realistic, right?
Well, let's go back to Malachi 3 one final time.

In verse 10, God says, "Test me in this." It's

the only place in the Bible where we're specifically
encouraged to test God. Makes me think
perhaps I should...

Stacy Voss

of Eyes of Your Heart Ministries lives

in Highlands Ranch, Colorado -- EyesofYourHeart.com.

the

Heart

yeer-

pen

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dreds of individuals wh

ho wi

w ll be receiving

Money is no
longer unsafe
to us, and
that which
was contained
may now
be released.

Photo

robertsrob/iStock