"Owe no man anything..."

DeiGratia · #1 Oct 15, '09, 11:50 pm

I've been recently pondering the matter of finances and giving. I hear so much these days about "a seed of faith" from preachers on TV and such, but that doesn't do it for me. I then remembered the command that we ought not to owe anyone anything... except to love.

So, my questions...
1) Should I continue to tithe in my parish, even if I owe someone some money? What if it may take a while before I can pay back the entire amount?

2) There are some weeks (and I wonder if others face the same situation in the current recession) when push comes to shove, and my giving my tithe could severely impact my being able to provide some of the bare necessities for myself in my upcoming week. What do I do then?

3) What about credit card debts, and bank/car loans? Does God consider that "owing" someone?

Thanks for any thoughts...

Jafarnet · #2 Oct 17, '09, 7:50 pm

A few years ago I had some financial issues but was giving my tithe every month.
One day when I was handing over an envelope to our church the priest who knew about me asked me to come to his office he told me not to pay tithe .

LongingForLight · #3 Oct 20, '09, 12:16 pm

My advice is to pray, and keep praying and re-discerning as your financial situation continues.

My family started tithing last March, after I made a promise to tithe 10% if God helped me find work. However, I ended up getting a job that really didn't pay enough to cover our basic costs and a tithe. We would be able to tithe 10% but would have nothing left for even the slightest emergency. After praying, I decided to tithe the full 10% anyways, since I didn't "feel" God was going to allow our family to fall into abject poverty if we did, and that while He wasn't insisting on generousity from us despite my promise and would accept prudence instead, He would be pleased by generousity.

A few months later I was praying on the matter, and I was surprised to find a different sentiment arising from prayer. I was confident that God was calling our family to prudence and not generousity right then, and that I should cancel my tithes and care for my family instead.

Now, a few more months later, we are struggling to pay the mortgage after car issues and missing work due to transportation and illness. We aren't going hungry or cold, but we are cancelling health insurance for everyone but the pregnant woman and really watching out for turning on the lights and such. Nonetheless, we are scraping by financially and meeting our financial commitments - just not always on time. If we had continued tithing, we would be negotiating late fees like crazy and cancelling health insurance would be the least of our concerns.

I believe God responded to my prayers, and will continue to turn to Him to discern what my family should be giving at any time. For now, the kids give a dollar each on every Sunday as a token to let Him know that we remember His call to give, and to help us stay open to that grace should God call us to share in His generousity again.

DeiGratia · #4 Oct 29, '09, 12:40 am

LongingForLight,

That's a beautiful personal example. Thank you for sharing! That reminded me of something I learned some months ago: that there is a principle in God asking us to give of the "first" to him -- whether it's the first of our time or money. When I have to give first (before looking after myself), then it takes trust in God, and I think that's what He looks for, more than anything else.

May God provide for you and your family during these tough times.

Soli Dei Gratia