January 19, 2000
LIFE & WORK SERIES:
Good money management
starts with God's word
___2 Corinthians 8:1-15
___By Debra Hochgraber
___Women's Evangelism Consultant, BGCT, Dallas
___My mom taught my brother, sister and I that when we received a dollar, 10 cents of that went to the church. This was not about sound money management. It was simply what the Bible said to do.
___Soon, I realized our family was not actually tithing. My father did not attend church and would not allow my mother to give a tithe from his income. She was able to give 10 percent of her grocery and household monies if she could cover everything she needed.Mom taught us that "if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have" (2 Corinthians 8:12). The Lord always made sure there was enough.
___My father left when I was 12, and things were tough financially after the divorce. The Lord continued to meet all our needs, just as he promised in Malachi 3:10.
___So, tithing was biblical, but also very practical for sound money management. Tithing opened the door for the Lord's resources to touch my needs.
___Our daughters, Deanna and Dori, learned to tithe when they began receiving an allowance. They had numerous opportunities to see God's faithfulness. In one instance, Dori wondered why we didn't buy a new car, since Dennis was constantly fixing things on my old one. We explained a little about cost compared to available money. Her response? "Just tell God you need to use your tithe for awhile to pay for a car." We explained that we were trusting the Lord to keep my car running until he made provision for us to have another vehicle. She did not seem convinced. Then one day, a car dealer spoke to my husband, sharing that he wanted me to have a car that was more reliable. He offered to provide a vehicle until we were in the position to purchase one.
___ The Lord's timing was perfect. The next day, I had pulled halfway into our driveway when the engine died, beyond further repair. The girls were amazed when I picked them up from school in a new car, which I drove for a year.
___We also wanted our children to understand about giving beyond their tithe. That can be an expression of your gratitude for all the Lord has done for you, as in the case of the Macedonian church Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 8.
___The girls have thanked us for teaching them to tithe when the amounts were small, so that as their tithe grew along with their bills, obedience was a natural progression. When we see them joyfully giving, even "beyond their ability" (vs. 3), we know it is truly the Lord who has taught them to "excel in this grace of giving" (vs. 7). Deanna and Mark's first year of marriage has been proof again that when money is managed by God's principles, he truly does "meet all your needs according to his glorious riches" (Philippians 4:19).
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