The "Tithe" that Binds

This morning I woke up late!!! Ugh. that always dictates your day doesn't it?   I have vague rememberance of the comforter being pulled back, feeling a kiss on the cheek and then again....immediate sleep.  When I came to, it was 7:30am.  That is an hour and a half later than I like to run. 

I woke up anxious wondering why I had slept so soundly.  I woke up to the ding of a text from my son's step mom who was updating me on something.  Thankfully, I woke up to no "heat of the sun."  I was debating going to go run.  Instead, I got out of bed and while I was making the bed, I got distracted by an envelope.  I picked it up when I recognized it as a tithe envelope. 

It was my father-in-law's.  I held it as I thought of his faithfulness.  In today's day and time when the economy is so unsteady, he remains faithful.  I ran into him at Randall's the other day and he was paying over $300.00 for his prescriptions.  They don't last long and he has to do that often.  There are many in our community that have that issue except that he has been retired for 30 years or so.  He has been on a limited income and yet, he always manages to hand us that envelope and say "put that in the plate will you?"

There are many who have to make allowances for things in life.  We have to curb our "going out to eat" desires or we may have to "combine errands to save gas" we have to cut corners everywhere and so does he.  One corner he will not cut, one area he will not negotiate is his tithe.

I have to say my father has been the treasure [our little church didn't have financial officers] for 40 years or so.  He sees what comes in and what goes out.  He displayed an awesome example of tithing and he passed that on to his kids.  Whether we choose to be obedient in that area or not is on us not on him...our parents set the example. 

I am grateful for parents who continue to set the example.  There are many things that bind me and my father.  He is my mentor, my friend, my confidant.  But who would have thought that with both my own father and my father-in-law....it would be the "tithe" that binds?

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops then all your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.  Proverbs 3:9-10