Should I Give My Tithes Even In Debt?

Should a person continue to tithe even when they are buried in debt? This a heavy question to talk about because it has to deal with one’s beliefs and faith, but also one with the practicality of real life.

The scripture says in Proverbs 3, verse 9-10: “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with the new wine.”

And there are countless other verses in the scripture that says one must continue to tithe.

BUT…

There are also many verses in the Scripture that says to avoid debt. For example: Psalms 37: verse 21: “The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.”

So can you be blessed when you tithe, but be at the same time wicked because of your debts? It can be confusing when you start reading and researching into it.

And there is certainly no one single answer:

So in this article, we hope to provide you with a few ideas on how you can arrive at an answer, that is aligned with your faith, duty and financial circumstances and obligations.

But before we go into the ideas, let me share with you about our recent client who we’ll call: “Faith” – which of course isn’t her real name. But we share her specific situation so that we ground this on real life. And not be stuck in just theory and ideology.

So this is Faith’s financial status:

Now, I won’t read every bit here already – but here’s the situation.

Her income is about P40,000 a month.

Their living expenses is P51,000 a month. So there is a deficit of P11,000 each month.

Now you might be wondering… how can they have a negative cashflow each month? Well the answer is debts.

Faith currently has 4 personal loans on her bank, which she is paying for monthly. Total payments are 27,000 a month.

If we add these in her cashflow, the total deficit would now be negative P38,000.

And because of the severity of the situation, they have also accumulated credit card debts which they are unable to pay for. She has 6 credit cards, with a total accumulated balance of P431,000.

Now the reason why Faith got into this situation is a combination of bad financial management together with a medical emergency in the family. But when it comes to getting out of debt – the reason’s rarely matter. What’s more important is how to get out of it.

Now as we proceed with the article, our assumption for you as you’re watching this is you might be in a similar situation, or you might be in a less dire situation or you might be out of debt and you’re simply reading this article because you’re curious or maybe a friend is asking for help. Regardless, here are the next steps in this kind of situation.

The most important priority is to fix the monthly deficit first so that they will stop being buried into more and more debt.

We can forget about the credit card debts initially as they can they can be frozen and negotiated later.

But the homework Faith has to figure out is how to fix their living expenses first.

They are living on a P51,000 lifestyle plus have to pay P27,000 each month for debts, whereas she can only afford P40,000. This is the first big problem that has to be fixed.

Now in reviewing her expenses…

Faith mentioned that she could remove the cellphone bill for sister, another sibling could cover for the parent’s medicine. And she could let go of the insurance. Removing those items would result to an P11,500.

This would solve the deficit from the lifestyle expenses, BUT it won’t be enough to cover for the bank loans which is P27,000 a month.

Looking at whats left, they would have to make bigger sacrifices affecting the family to cover for it, like letting go of the car, or further reducing bills on the internet.

Now one item there on the list are the tithes which is about P7,000 a month or roughly 17% of her income. So should Faith let go of her tithes? Reduce it? Or keep tithing as it is her priority and duty to her faith?

This will be a very personal and intimate choice that only Faith can answer – and if you are in a similar situation, you answer may be different… but these are some guide questions you must think about:

#1 – Can You Get Out of Debt While Still Tithing?

Can you sacrifice other areas of your lifestyle, so that you can still afford to tithe, while slowly pay off the debts one at a time?

In Faith’s case, the answer is looking like a no.

Because even with other lifestyle sacrifices, there wouldn’t be any excess cashflow at the end of the month. So it would be hard to come up with a repayment plan that she could negotiate with the banks and credit cards – because all the cash just goes to their living expenses.

Now this is going to be tough for Faith – because of her values and personal beliefs. And this might be hard to accept for some people as well.

With that, we go to the second question:

#2 – What does the leader in your faith advise?

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in one’s own beliefs and must do’s. That’s why when there is a huge feeling of guilt when one gives up the tithes, it would be best to consult your faith leader and let them know of your specific situation. Let them know the amount of debt you have, and the challenges your are facing. They may either validate your beliefs, giving you a renewed sense of conviction to continue with the tithes… OR they may totally surprise you and you discover that you are over thinking things, or you are holding yourself to unnecessary standards.

For instance, it’s good to be reminded in 2 Corinthians 9 verse 7: Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Now the 3rd question that one can consider is this and you may also consult this with your pastor or leader your faith.

#3 – Can You Tithe Less OR or give thru Other Forms?

While tithing literally means a “tenth”, some would say that 10% is not a requirement but instead an guideline for how much to give in one’s offering. So instead of giving from your gross? Can you give based on your take home? Instead of 10% would it be possible to give 7% or 5%? Again consult these with your faith leader.

Another option to consider is that instead of tithing one’s money – Can you give your time and talents for volunteering? Maybe during the weekends, or after work?

Now whatever you decide, or what feels right to you and to your values and convictions. Remember that God loves a cheerful giver.

So reflect on these 3 questions, consult your faith leader, and pray over them.

At the end of the day, the goal here is to be able to express your faith and give to the Lord wholeheartedly – but at the same satisfy one’s obligation to their neighbor.

Source: Pinoy Money Academy

What Will Happen To Me After Death?

Within the Christian faith, there is a significant amount of confusion regarding what happens after death. Some hold that after death, everyone “sleeps” until the final judgment, after which everyone will be sent to heaven or hell. Others believe that at the moment of death, people are instantly judged and sent to their eternal destinations. Still others claim that when people die, their souls/spirits are sent to a “temporary” heaven or hell, to await the final resurrection, the final judgment, and then the finality of their eternal destination. So, what exactly does the Bible say happens after death?

First, for the believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that after death believers’ souls/spirits are taken to heaven, because their sins are forgiven by having received Christ as Savior (John 3:16, 18, 36). For believers, death is to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). However, passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 describe believers being resurrected and given glorified bodies. If believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, what is the purpose of this resurrection? It seems that while the souls/spirits of believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, the physical body remains in the grave “sleeping.” At the resurrection of believers, the physical body is resurrected, glorified, and then reunited with the soul/spirit. This reunited and glorified body-soul-spirit will be the possession of believers for eternity in the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21-22).

Second, for those who do not receive Jesus Christ as Savior, death means everlasting punishment. However, similar to the destiny of believers, unbelievers also seem to be sent immediately to a temporary holding place, to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal destiny. Luke 16:22-23 describes a rich man being tormented immediately after death. Revelation 20:11-15 describes all the unbelieving dead being resurrected, judged at the great white throne, and then being cast into the lake of fire. Unbelievers, then, are not sent to hell (the lake of fire) immediately after death, but rather are in a temporary realm of judgment and condemnation. However, even though unbelievers are not instantly sent to the lake of fire, their immediate fate after death is not a pleasant one. The rich man cried out, “I am in agony in this fire” (Luke 16:24).

Therefore, after death, a person resides in a “temporary” heaven or hell. After this temporary realm, at the final resurrection, a person’s eternal destiny will not change. The precise “location” of that eternal destiny is what changes. Believers will ultimately be granted entrance into the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1). Unbelievers will ultimately be sent to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people—based entirely on whether or not they had trusted Jesus Christ alone for salvation (Matthew 25:46; John 3:36).