Bible Study Discussions with Gary Panell

Question: So many people are finding their financial situations in extreme hardship. How is tithing possible when there are financial questions of survival every day?

Answer: "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, in what way have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,' Says the Lord of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. 'And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,'" (Malachi 4:8-11)

It is not a matter of thinking, “I wonder if I can give my tithe or not.” It is a matter of obedience, and a matter of faith. Do we want to obey the Lord in this area of tithing even if it looks like we can't do it? Are we willing to trust the Lord by faith that He will take care of us even if we can't see how?

I am reminded of a true story in the Bible where a widow was asked by the prophet Elijah to give her last bit of food to him. Guess what, God supplied for her and her family when many others had no food to eat. It was a matter of obedience and faith on her part.

“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.' So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, 'Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.' And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, 'Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.'

“So she said, 'As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.'

“And Elijah said to her, 'Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.'

“So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.” (1 Kings 17:8-16)

If we just did our service to the Lord when we saw how He was going to work everything out, that would not be faith would it? Here is a comment I received from a friend when she saw your question, “I, personally, find it even easier to tithe in hard times. Things I want seem so unimportant with so much need all around us. When times are better, I'll buy new clothes, for now ... I've increased my tithing! ”

I hope this helps,

Gary T. Panell

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Gary Tomás Panell
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Keywords: tithing, giving, obedience, financial hardship, one-tenth