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 10%, 100%, or nothing?

Saints,

After listening to Zac Poonen's "God Can Give You Wisdom, God And Money Are Opposites,The Love Of Money Is Evil, Give Back What Belongs To Others,Giving Everything To God" under the 'Basic Christian Teachings', I heard him mention about Matthew 22:21, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

He suggested (stated) that we ought to give what we owe others before we even consider giving our tithe to God's church. He also mentioned that since giving 10% is under the law of the old testament that we are to give 100% of our life, not necessarily money, to God.

I understand his point and have felt this way for sometime. In Korea, 10% is the staple that holds together many of the churches.

My question is concerning my debt.

I have owed student loans since 1996, when I first started university. Having finally graduated around the exact time I received Jesus, my debt mainly occured before becoming a 'Christian'. Presently, it is about $60,000, along with interest and some debt from m.div school last year and our car this year.

We can handle the car, especially since it allows me to go to and from work, but the other debt has been and will continue to incur until we are free from the burden. Bascially, I have been paying 10% since I learned what it was, but I now wonder if it is what I ought to be focusing on.

Would I be wrong if I were to stop tithing and start paying my debt completely off. God knows my heart. Saintly wisdom and council is appreciated. I brought it up to my wife and she said, "Ask SI"!(besides prayer)...

Blessings.

 2008/10/23 1:45
HeartSong
Member



Joined: 2006/9/13
Posts: 3179


 Re: 10%, 100%, or nothing?

Ask the Lord.

 2008/10/23 1:50Profile









 Re:

:-) ...I have and am, but like I mentioned in another thread, lately, my prayer closet has been REALLY quiet...I am waiting, patiently.

 2008/10/23 1:54
HeartSong
Member



Joined: 2006/9/13
Posts: 3179


 Re:

Thank you for the happy face - it made me smile.

Just keep doing what you have been doing until He lets you know otherwise. He likes it when we wait patiently, and when He is ready to talk there is no mistaking His commands. It is when we step out on our own, before He has answered, that we get in trouble - you may wonder how I know this.

:-)

 2008/10/23 2:03Profile









 Re:

:-) :-) :-)




I take it you have stepped out...?

 2008/10/23 2:07
HeartSong
Member



Joined: 2006/9/13
Posts: 3179


 Re:

More than once. :-(

It is usually expensive and embarrassing.

 2008/10/23 2:21Profile
learn
Member



Joined: 2008/7/24
Posts: 613


 Re: 10%, 100%, or nothing?

Quote:

BrianMira wrote:
Saints,

Would I be wrong if I were to stop tithing and start paying my debt completely off. God knows my heart. Saintly wisdom and council is appreciated. I brought it up to my wife and she said, "Ask SI"!(besides prayer)...

Blessings.




I firmly believe you should not stop thithing to pay off your debt. Its not like you are at deaths door etc. Also, if you were to pay off your debt first, the outward sign that is shown to others is that paying off the debts are more important than God.

There was a lady in China whose husband had been imprisoned for many years because of the gospel. She had children and I think her mother in law to take care of too. She continued to tithe her meager income even though they could hardly get by. (She would set aside the tithe first before she spent any of her income). There was 1 day in which she had nothing left and no food and prayed to God. The next morning after her prayers there was a knock on the door and a person provided her some money. Over the time that her husband was in prison, God would continue to provide her the necessary $ for her family to survive.

This story is in 1 of the videos here.
http://www.chinasoul.org/e/cs-e.htm


_________________
geraldine

 2008/10/23 2:23Profile
learn
Member



Joined: 2008/7/24
Posts: 613


 Re:

I would also like to add, there is another Christian that decided to stop thithing or give less because of all the things that he had to pay. Well, God showed to him that he was wrong.

Edit to include:
There is always something that compete with God in areas such as finance, time etc.
If we wait for everything to be perfect, we will never move and this I believe is never the intention of God.


_________________
geraldine

 2008/10/23 2:27Profile
Tears_of_joy
Member



Joined: 2003/10/30
Posts: 1554


 Re: 10%, 100%, or nothing?

Here is a testimony that was shared by a brother in the forums some time ago:

"I am a big Fan of George Mueller. And had I learned of him before college, I don't believe I would have taken any student loans, better to not go at all... Anyway, I remember one story of Mr. Mueller returning money to a woman who gave to his orphanage work, he returned the money when he found out she had some debt."

 2008/10/23 3:01Profile
learn
Member



Joined: 2008/7/24
Posts: 613


 Re:

Quote:

Tears_of_joy wrote:
Here is a testimony that was shared by a brother in the forums some time ago:

"I am a big Fan of George Mueller. And had I learned of him before college, I don't believe I would have taken any student loans, better to not go at all... Anyway, I remember one story of Mr. Mueller returning money to a woman who gave to his orphanage work, he returned the money when he found out she had some debt."



There may be situations when God would want us to pay our debt off and the above example could be that. (It may also not be that because that woman may had receive an even greater blessing if Mueller had not returned the money to her. We can't say for sure that its the will of God for Mueller to return the $ to her)

Also don't forget Mark 12:41-44 (where the widow cast everything she had to live on)--Jesus did not stop the widow from giving everything she had.

(Disclaimer: by putting the above verses, I'm not encouraging anyone to do the above. There are times when this may be required of some of us--not all the time and maybe not all of us)





_________________
geraldine

 2008/10/23 3:16Profile





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