“Last winter, I attended one of the messages from the Beyond Blessed series on stewardship and tithing. My husband was out of town and the kids were in children’s ministry, which is actually my favorite time to attend church because I have no distractions and can fully tune in. I’ve always struggled with tithing (i.e., I’ve never done it!). My giving was sporadic and much less than 10 percent.
After the sermon, I wrote the biggest tithe check I’ve ever written, which was exactly 10 percent of my paycheck. I was sweating it because this was way outside my normal budget, and I knew I was going to come up short on my kids’ tuition. Nonetheless, I read the Scripture in Malachi 3:10 on testing God and felt a certain peace that it would be okay (which is unusual for me).
Not long after that, I received payment from a client that I didn’t expect to ever pay me. It was almost exactly double my tithe (within a $7 difference). My tithe check also cleared that same day. I know this was God saying, ‘I see you down there.’
Thank you for the lesson and encouraging my heart toward stewardship. While I still struggle with this and know I need to keep focusing on trusting God, I truly believe that every dollar I receive is God’s and now I want to give it back to Him.”
Tori and her family attend the Southlake Campus.