Tithing...Money or Faith?

Last year my wife and I were attending a church in Odessa, TX where I heard the best message on tithing I'd ever been presented with. Instead of focusing on stewardship, he focused on faith. Possibly because this was a position I'd only recently begun to understand, this message really struck home and got me to thinking about how poorly I've heard tithing preached on over the years.

Don't get me wrong, there are very viable points for spending time teaching on the money side of it. It's obvious the church doesn't run on good vibes generated by smiles and hugs. Every country does rely on some form of currency to keep things running. The pastor needs a salary, preferably some benefits and insurance as well; the building has upkeep and maintenance costs to consider; there are programs, such as missions, that cannot survive without financial support, yada yada yada.

To be sure, when Jesus told the wealthy man to sell everything he had if he wanted to join up, the man was sad and left, knowing he couldn't make that type of commitment. Money and possessions far and away make the most sense as things God would ask us to give up a portion of in order to show commitment to Him. I'm not minimizing that at all.

What I believe doesn't happen enough, though, are enough messages focused on the true reason behind tithing, which is showing God you believe He will provide, that you trust in His direction and that you are committed to doing His work. Even in messages where this was presented, it was a byline, not the main point, which has always been focused on money. God uses money as the motivator for tithing because we rely on it so much, because it's the toughest thing for us to give up and because it's tangible. It's a deeper expression of faith that is shown by giving up those things, that money, and it has a bigger impact than just "saying" you have faith or just "praying" about your faith. This is something we do in the real world to prove it, and it's not always easy.

My wife and I went through a patch recently where I was unemployed for 19 out of 26 months. Nineteen! With only one income, and bills we couldn't meet, do you think we tithed? A better question might be, do you think we WANTED to tithe? Regardless, we did, and we did it as a show of faith. Honestly, I think that's where we both finally understood fully the purpose in tithing. Before that, even though we tithed, the impact was lessened because we could afford to do it and still pay everything. But when you are presented with not being able to afford things and relying on God to fill that gap, it takes faith. I'm not saying this is for everyone and you may feel differently about that last statement, but I am saying it is for us because "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord", as it says in Joshua 24:15. I feel strongly that this means not just lip service, but real service, and that serving means in every facet of our lives, not "everything but money".

So my question is, how strong of a hold does money have on you?