Tithing: Law, Grace, and Generosity
Christians are taught that we should be giving 10% of everything we earn to the church. Is the practice of tithing still in effect for us today, or is it time to reconsider this practice?
This week on the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we’ll look at the truth about tithing. Is it biblical? Are we under-giving or over-giving if we are tithing, and how might we give in light of the gospel?
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- The 3 types of tithes God mandated Israel to give in the Law.
- How tithes and offerings were used in the Old Testament.
- What Jesus taught about giving and how it reflects our hearts.
- How the Gospel informs our giving and support of the Church today.
Death Makes No Sense
Today I want to talk with you for a bit about a really cheery topic. Death.
Wait! Don’t go away just yet, stay with me.
Recently I was at a funeral. The mother of a friend of mine passed away and there were hundreds of people who came to say their goodbyes and be with the family. The ceremony went on for hours.
Discipleship Beyond the Topical Checklist
Wouldn’t it be great if Jesus had just left us his “5 Big Steps” or “3 Important Ingredients” for disciple-making? It would be so much simpler if discipleship in the real world was a little more spelled out and outlined into a few basics.
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we’re going to show you how discipleship looks less like one big thing or series of classes… and more like a million little things.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- Why there will never be a perfect set of classes or “one big thing” that adds up to maturity in our churches.
- How Romans 8:28 helps clarify what God is up to when it comes to our sanctification.
- Why dependence on the works of the Holy Spirit is crucial in discipleship.
- Why disciple-making was never meant to be the job of a few professionals.
A Garden in My Heart
I have a love–hate relationship with my garden and flowerbeds. On one hand, I love when they are clean, planted, and blooming at all the right times each season.
On the other, because of the rains that are present throughout every season in Tacoma, where Tina and I have our family home, I have a non-stop battle to fight with weeds that remain the fastest growing and most robust plants I have. They even grow full speed ahead during the winter, when everything else is either dead or taking a break.
I was working on my garden out in front of my house one sunny afternoon, (yes, we do get sun in the Pacific Northwest too!), and as I pulled weeds and replaced them with bright, colorful flowers, something started to shift in me. My heart softened as my nails became caked with rich, black soil. I started feeling as if I was involved in a much grander project or purpose. It was as if I was connecting to the overarching restoration of all things that God has promised to do in our world.
Is my front garden a part of that?
In that moment, it sure seemed like it. The Spirit reminded me that this is how he works within me too, pulling one weed at a time and replacing it with something beautiful. I started to think of all the people I know with weeds and thorny, spiky parts of their personality and life. Maybe I was to be patient and willing to get my hands a little dirty helping to “beautify the garden” of their lives too?
One by one, people from the neighborhood started to notice what I was up to. “Wow! That is looking really beautiful. I just love petunias!” “I was wondering if you were ever going to get around to this project.”
Not the feedback I hoped for, but I’ll take it.
One of the workers from the Salvation Army next door who loves to give me gardening advice, ambled over and said, “This is looking really good. I think I’ll start taking my breaks over here in front of your house from now on.” My flowerbeds were becoming his own little Garden of Eden in the neighborhood. A simple hour or two of gardening had refreshed and re-created my attitude in some pretty profound ways.[clickToTweet tweet=”Maybe everything we work at has a Kingdom perspective if we take the time to notice.” quote=”Maybe everything we work at has a Kingdom perspective if we take the time to notice.”]
Maybe everything we work at is like this if we have that perspective and take the time to notice. There is possibility for redemption all around us.
So, if you’ve been putting off some actual weeding you need to do outside in your garden, or in the garden of your heart or others, the next best time to get started is now.
[Comments from my old website/blog were not carried over to this new one. Please leave your thoughts below.]
Small Daily Steps to Big Kingdom Impact
Staying on track toward accomplishing large goals can seem hard, but all big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision and we all do exactly what we choose to do every day.
In this episode, Caesar shares a simple process for getting started and sustaining movement toward our great task and mission of making disciples of Jesus in community. You’ll discover the habit of small daily steps that add up to something big!
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- The “Daffodil Principle”.
- The power of moving 1% each day toward your goals.
- How our actions and habits reveal our true motivation.
- A simple daily process that will add up to big changes!
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ABOUT ME
I am the author of the top selling book, The Gospel Primer. My latest books, Transformed and Small is Big, Slow is Fast came out recently on Zondervan.
I help those with a high commitment to intentional living in the areas of their discipleship, family and mission acquire the leadership skills and tools necessary to succeed and leave a lasting legacy.