“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3:8-10
Sounds a little too much for a child to grasp doesnt it. It is actually quite simple. but I tell ya, that according to Psalms111:10, having The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever... This is a very powerful verse. It clearly states that having the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and of a good understanding so that ALL will do his commandments... This includes children.
It is my responsibility to teach my children God's principles, this summer we have been working on simple yet life affecting principles: Money Management. The first thing that God requires is 10% of our earnings. This is not so we can be blessed, this is not so we can say we give, but this is our reasonable service to God. My children now understand that God gave them arms, legs, a brain, eyes and every functioning part of their body. They have strength to work because God gave them that strength. Their earnings were earned because God first provided the means to make those earnings. God only requires us to give 10%.. thats it!! should I spell it out? that is TEN PERCENT! So, here goes my elementary plan. If Jacob Earns $12.00 for sweeping up the drive way, cleaning up leaves and taking out the trash, he will owe God $1.20... Thats it!!! Does God require more? Absolutely!! But that is another sermon for a different day. We came up with these clever little jars to my boys will visually see what they are giving. I forgot to include an "Offering" jar in the pictures, but there is definitely and "offering" jar. That offering jar will bring on the blessings. So here is how this works: My kids know that 1: Tithe is first because it is required by God. Titheing is our reasonable service. 2: Offering: We give our offering to help support our church building and to help promote means for soul winning. 3: Savings: Always save some money. It is important for future planning. That big water super soaker is not a cheap one, so right now Jacob is saving for that Super Soaker. 4: Spending: spending money is fun, and every kid should have some money to spend if they have rightfully earned it dontcha think?
It is my responsibility to teach my children God's principles, this summer we have been working on simple yet life affecting principles: Money Management. The first thing that God requires is 10% of our earnings. This is not so we can be blessed, this is not so we can say we give, but this is our reasonable service to God. My children now understand that God gave them arms, legs, a brain, eyes and every functioning part of their body. They have strength to work because God gave them that strength. Their earnings were earned because God first provided the means to make those earnings. God only requires us to give 10%.. thats it!! should I spell it out? that is TEN PERCENT! So, here goes my elementary plan. If Jacob Earns $12.00 for sweeping up the drive way, cleaning up leaves and taking out the trash, he will owe God $1.20... Thats it!!! Does God require more? Absolutely!! But that is another sermon for a different day. We came up with these clever little jars to my boys will visually see what they are giving. I forgot to include an "Offering" jar in the pictures, but there is definitely and "offering" jar. That offering jar will bring on the blessings. So here is how this works: My kids know that 1: Tithe is first because it is required by God. Titheing is our reasonable service. 2: Offering: We give our offering to help support our church building and to help promote means for soul winning. 3: Savings: Always save some money. It is important for future planning. That big water super soaker is not a cheap one, so right now Jacob is saving for that Super Soaker. 4: Spending: spending money is fun, and every kid should have some money to spend if they have rightfully earned it dontcha think?
This was so much fun for my kids to do, they are now very eager to earn money. From Jacob, Adam to Drew. They all want to make sure that they pay their tithes, offerings, and save some money. They are able to visually see their jars increasing. Every Sunday they can empty out their tithe and offering jars and give them into the offering plate at church.
Andrew and I had some struggles when we were younger because this was not a principle that he was taught and he struggled with it and while I had always followed this principle to a "T", it was a very difficult process for him to grasp. It finally clicked and now he is a fanatic of titheing. In fact, Andrew likes to tithe on money he hasn't earned, and that is perfectly fine with me because myself and our children will reap the spiritual security from God for giving him our reasonable service.
So if this is new to you, remember if you pay your Tithe, God will sustain you and you will not be cursed, if you give offerings on top of your tithe, God will bless you, if you save money, you will reap the reward of that savings, and if you spend money and spend it wisely, you will reap a good deal :)
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