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She was my best friend and my sister-in-Christ. We didn’t keep secrets from each other. What I share with you I witnessed with wonder and awe. Becky had always handled the budget and paid all the bills until she read the book, Total Woman. The book said that the husband should be the one to handle the checkbook. Becky took what she read to heart and turned the checkbook and the bills over to Frank
He was a good man and she was sure he would be responsible. But there was one thing that she insisted upon. She made him promise that before any bills got paid that he would first write a check to the church for 10% of his paycheck. She explained that if he tried to pay the bills first, there wouldn’t be enough left to tythe, but she knew that when she had starting tything first,the money always seemed to stretch to pay everybody and leave enough to live on. He said he would take care of everything.
One day the annual report from the church came with the total of their year’s offerings. It was much less than it should have been. She was sure this was just a mistake and when Frank came home that night she showed him the church’s report. He admitted that he had stopped tything. He said there wasn’t enough after the bills were paid. He promised that he would start tything when he got his raise in two months. Every year he had received a 10% raise at that time.
Becky pleaded with him to not wait, but to give by faith to God’s work first. She explained that if he insisted on waiting till he got his annual raise it showed an absence of faith and he might not get a raise that year.
Frank laughed. “You know they always give us a 10% raise. God knows what I’m able to do.”
Two months passed. When Frank came home Becky could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong. She waited for the news.
“The company called for a meeting of all employees today. They said they were losing money and would not be able to give any raises this year.”
Becky begged him to start tything.
“No. I can’t now. I was counting on the raise. No raise, no tythe.”
But, in her heart, Becky knew it was “no tythe, no raise”.
“But Frank, if we continue to be disobedient in our giving, God will withhold his blessings. The offering should be given by faith. If you refuse to give to God His portion then things could get worse.”
Frank couldn’t see how things could get worse and he couldn’t see how he could afford to tythe. He felt that she just didn’t understand the situation.
A month later the company called for another meeting. This time they announced that the problem was worse and that all employees would have to take a 10% cut in their paycheck.
Again, Becky pled with Frank. Frank continued to insist that it wasn’t possible to tythe. She warned him that it could get worse. Again, he thought she just didn’t understand.
The following month the company called in all 600 employees and announced the owners were filing for bankruptcy and everyone was immediately terminated. Frank came home deeply depressed, hating to share the news with his wife.
When she heard, she went to her bedroom and prayed about the matter. She realized she had made the changes based on a book rather than The Book. She asked Frank if she could take over the responsibilities of paying the bills once again. He was more than willing to rid himself of the burden. She began with his unemployment check and started back to giving to God first.
Another company bought the steel mill and Frank was the first one to be hired back. Indeed, few of the 600 men were hired by the new company.And the blessings returned. The doors of God’s storehouse began to open again. God is faithful. He honors faith.
Malachi 3:10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse . . . . Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
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