The Love of a Cheerful Giver

Tithing isnt always the most

comfortable topic to talk about in
the church. But what if we started
viewing it as a gift from God?
And what if we could use it
to help grow our teens into
His likeness?
By Ryan Mason

have such strong associations. Have you

ever played that game where one person
says a word and the next person has to
say the first thing that pops into their
mind? Words like caring immediately
produce thoughts of a loved one, or
a particular profession, like a nurse.
The same can be true for less-thandesirable traits like selfish, stingy, and
rude. Nobody likes having their name
associated with those words. What
about words like generous, sacrificial,
and cheerful? Who is the first person
that comes to mind when you think
about those words?
I want to be known as a generous
person, and I want my children to

36 PARENTING TEENS

learn what it means to surrender their

desire to elevate themselves in order
to serve the Lord. However, we are
all innately broken by a disease called
selfishness. It is the core problem of
every marital difficulty or parenting
struggle. The same is true of our refusal
to become cheerful givers as instructed
in Scripture (2 Cor. 9:6-7).
The area of tithing is one of the last
spiritual disciplines that believers put
into practice. It has been reported that
less than 5 percent of American adults
actually tithe. Parents who want to
raise generous teens must understand
and practice cheerful giving before
they can pass it along. Young adults
almost have a fifth sense when it comes

to sniffing out hypocrisy. Parents must

lead with integrity in this area.

A Closer Look
We generally dislike hearing messages
on the subject of money. But the reality
is that the Bible contains over 2,000
verses about moneyfar more than
subjects like heaven, hell, or love. So
what is all the fuss about regarding
the tithe?
Tithe simply means tenth and the
Jewish people have long practiced the
discipline of giving at least 10 percent.
Abram gave the king of Salem a tenth
of everything he had (Gen. 14:20). The
Mosaic Law commanded the people
to give diverse offerings of 10 percent

nounproject/thinkstock

It is amazing how words

towards tabernacle worship so that the

Levites, a priestly tribe descended from
Levi, would be supported.
This same tithing principle would
later be applied to the temple: When
the word spread, the Israelites gave
liberally of the best of the grain, new
wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce
of the field, and they brought in an
abundance, a tenth of everything
(2 Chron. 31:5).
The prophet Malachi exhorted,
Bring the full tenth into the
storehouse so that there may be food in
My house. Test Me in this way, says the
Lord of Hosts. See if I will not open
the floodgates of heaven and pour out
a blessing for you without measure
(Mal. 3:10).
Christians will sometimes point
out that the references above are Old
Testament teachings. Are we not free
from the Law and partakers of grace
as New Testament believers? Yes,
but the implications may not be what
you think.

What Did Jesus Say?

Jesus called out the religious leaders of
his day by saying, What sorrow awaits
you Pharisees! For you are careful to
tithe even the tiniest income from your
herb gardens, but you ignore justice and
the love of God. You should tithe, yes,
but do not neglect the more important
things (Luke 11:42, NLT).
The admonition was not that
tithing should be stopped but that love
and justice should also be practiced.
Jesus affirms the tithe in this context
but appeals to a higher measure of
devotion. There is another part of
Jesus teaching that goes right to the
heart of the matter. The legalists of the
day often questioned Jesus on issues
of the law as an attempt to entrap
Him. However, Jesus thwarted their
schemes and answered their questions

Less than 5 percent

of American adults
actually tithe. Parents
who want to raise
generous teens must
understand and
practice cheerful
giving before they can
pass it along.
in a way that exposed their true
motives. He was far more interested
in the heart motivation that prompted
people to behave a certain way than
woodenly following a set of regulations
(Matt. 5:28; 22:36-40).
Giving is also a heart issue. A proper
understanding of lordship means that
we are no longer the boss of our own
lives. We surrender control of our lives
to the One who both created us and
redeemed us. For the love of Christ
controls us, because we have concluded
this: that one has died for all, therefore
all have died; and he died for all, that
those who live might no longer live for
themselves but for him who for their
sake died and was raised (2 Cor. 5:1415, ESV).
Young children sometimes exert
their autonomy by exclaiming, You
are not the boss of me! That childish
reaction is not nearly as benign when
we bring it into our spiritual lives.
Opposition to tithing often flows out of
a selfish, corrupt heart. We offer partial
surrender to God while trying to hold

onto our money. Our worship is tainted. Our devotion

is half-hearted. We are no longer following the example
of Christ.

The Gift of Tithing

Teach Your Children

The biblical command for parents to train their children in
the ways of the Lord is crystal clear (Deut. 6; Eph. 6:4). I
want to raise generous children. However, my ultimate aim is
not to raise generous kids for the sake of being generous. My
highest aim as a parent is to train up godly children that place
their hope in the Lord and build their lives on the unshakable
foundation of Gods Word. Generosity will be a result of such
a life.
We cease to worry about the semantics of tithing when we
are fully surrendered to Jesus Christ. We become generous
people as we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ.
We respond to the lavishness of Gods grace in our lives by

38 PARENTING TEENS

desiring to support gospel ministries, extend help to the poor,

and make a difference where we live, work, and play.
We are liberated from the Mosaic Law only to become
slaves to Christ and do the will of God from the heart (Eph.
6:6). It is always a heart issue and our view of money says a lot
about the condition of our heart. For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also (Matt. 6:21, NIV).
The issue is not whether we are required to give a
percentage of our income to the church. It is about the
attitude in which we demonstrate the Lordship of Christ
in our lives through giving back a portion of what already
belongs to God. What thought comes to mind when you think
about the word generous?

RYAN MASON serves as Minister of Education at Hillcrest

Baptist Church in Dallas, TX and loves to write about real
life issues and help others apply biblical truths to daily
living. He is married to Kilie and they are blessed with two
amazing children. Connect with Ryan on Twitter @ryankmason.

nounproject/thinkstock

What if tithing is actually

one of Gods great gifts
to help us grow into His
likeness? Nowhere in
the New Testament do
we find a set percentage
to give. The clearest
teaching connects the
tithe to the heart of
the believer. A tenth is
simply a starting point,
but not necessarily
a maximum. The
average Hebrew would
have been accustomed
to total giving of close
to 30 percent of his gross
earnings. The modern
concept of tithing is really
more like a floor rather than a
ceiling. Paul writes:
Remember this: The person
who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person
who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person
should do as he has decided in his heartnot reluctantly or
out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is
able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way,
always having everything you need, you may excel in every
good work (2 Cor. 9:6-8).