Tithing

Luke 21

   1And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.

   2And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.

   3And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:

   4For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

Met someone today who made the comment that he spends what money he needs, and then gives the rest of it to people in need.

At what point do you feel financial tithing is goes too far?

For me the line is drawn at the point where I begin to hurt myself. I have many considerations for what I consider to be taking good care of myself....am I contributing to retirement? Do I have savings for emergencies? Do I have the basics....food, clothing shelter?

I try not to focus or obsess on the future. I set up what I need to do and then I let it go.

That said, after I take care of my basic needs, I am constantly asking the Force what it has for me today. I keep myself open to how I can help others today. It is only through service that I find myself.

The church teaches us to tithe 10%. Tithing is not only money, but it is time as well. Volunteering, helping out someone in need...these are considered tithing as well.

Some people can afford more than others, but that's not important. Sometimes, people do it for the wrong reason. God knows what's in your heart when you tithe. And that's what's important.

The moral to the story you posted was that the rich men gave because they could. The poor widow gave even though she had next to nothing. This made her more humble, as she gave from her heart, where tithing should come from. The rich men simply reached into their pockets and just tossed it the money without thought about why they were doing it. But the widow...she knew why she was tithing. As I said, for her, it came from the heart, not the wallet.

This is just my interpretation of the story, and also the way I was brought up in the Christian church.