Great!
My father found out that I have a sponsorship for a child. It costs me 30 bucks a month. He does not like this at all. He tells me that this is way too much money and that he doesn't give me money so that I can give it away. he constantly addresses this stuff and I don't know what to do.
I mean I already find it hard sometimes to overcome my greed when i think about how much money this costs me every year and I don't earn my own money all I have is what I get from my parents. And with his stuff he hits exactly this weak point. I don't know what to do. I started this sponsorship cause I did not have a church to give my tithe to but I wanted to do something and because of this I decided to get such a sponsorship. And now he found out about it.
I don't know what to do now. Shall I "obey" him and cancel it? But this would mean that I let this child down and this makes me feel totally filthy.
I know exactly that if I cancelled it one part of me would even like it. My flesh would like it, it would rejoice over the money which I "save".
I just wanna do a good thing and now I even get problems because of it. Shall I go on and risk getting trouble with my father? I don't know.
Posted by: pickone
I was in a similar situation once. You will never forget the child and you can still pray for them. God knows your heart. Prayer can do more for them than your money can.
Matthew 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
These children do need help and God will provide for them. Don't let Satan make you feel guilty, or make you take on more of a burden than you should. Most things can be covered by prayer. There are children who live near to each of us that need help. Right now, you live under the authority of your parents - they are responsible for you. God knows that. By honoring them, you may lengthen your lifespan and be able to do more on your own later!
I know it is hurtful, and makes your heart cry, but you still live under God's covering. He will lead you on the right paths.
Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
You will not be punished for obedience. Obedience is more pleasing to God than sacrifice.
1Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Posted by: Remnant7
You are obligated to abide by your father's wishes since it is his money.
Rest assured, usually sponsorship money does not go directly to the child being sponsored because sponsorship cannot always be continually guaranteed due to changes in people's circumstances, like yours. The money goes to the project the child is involved in and the child will continue to be provided for as new sponsors join.
In the future, ask whoever is providing you with the money if they are ok with you doing this. If they're against it, wait and tithe the money you earn personally. God will provide in all these things.
Advice from me, do a study on tithe and you'll learn that money isn't the only thing we can tithe. Our time is a valuable asset these days and there are many children in your area needing a "big sister or brother", who could use some of your time.
God Bless you as you work this out.
Posted by: Frederik
Pickone, you mean I shall cancel my sponsorship and let the child down and instead pray for the child???
There are people in this earth which have nothing to eat. If praying would solve all this then all we had to do is pray and then God will feed them all.
And I wouldn't save the money anyway cause it's my 10%.
If I cancelled the sponsorship I would have to give it somewhere else, the only difference would be that my father didn't know it.
I do not agree with this. He gives me the money and when he gives me the money then it becomes my money and then I can do with it whatever I want! My brother uses his money to buy cigarettes. If he can buy cigarettes then I can sponsor a child.
Posted by: Christian Commando
Frederik- think about it Brother. What does God declare? That children are to obey thier parents. Yes, I know it will hurt you and make you feel guilty but, this is probably one of the many lessons He will teach you in times to come. I suggest the others are correct, in that you should sucome to your parents authority. Sometimes as said, prayer is of much richer benefit than monetary gifts. God Bless you my friend.
Posted by: Frederik
But the bible also says we have to tithe!
So what shall I do? If I ask my father if I shall tithe he will say no.
Where do I draw the line? What do I do if my father tells me to stop believing? Shall I also obey him? Come on. There is a point where God is more important than what my father says.
Posted by: Christian Commando
Frederik- How old are you? It is the parents duty to tithe for the family. I don't believe it would be necessary until you are old enough or on your own to worry about that. If you are young enough and still covered under your parents umbrella so to speak, it will be God's dealing with them to cover tithe for the family, not with you. Is your father saved or unsaved? Secondly- Your earthly father can't make you stop believing, only you can make that choice. My mother refused to have anything to do with me when I first got saved. Never got over it until she finally asked me what changed me. Let us know- ok? God Bless!!
Posted by: Frederik
I'm 24. My father is not saved and also does not tithe.
I don't really understand this. Why am I not allowed to tithe? I mean actually I should be glad when I don't have to cause I can save the money but I don't want to make lame excuses why I don't have to tithe.
I think that as soon as he gives me my money the money is mine and I can do with it whatever I want!
As soon as the will of God and the will of my earthly father don't fit together the will of God is more important. If I asked my father wether I shall go and meet with other christians then most likely he would also say no. Does this mean I have cannot do this? Come on. My father doesn't like a lot of things which I do but I can make decisions on my own.
Posted by: eagle4him
Frederick,
I do not know all of your circumstances but I do know that the Bible says that men are supposed to work for a living. That is part of the curse we inherited from the sin of Adam and Eve. Then you would be free to do with your money what you and God work out. As long as you are living under your father's house and not working, then you are obligated to follow his instructions. Anything short of that is rebellion.
Hiding this from your father is no different than lying to your parents, which is not pleasing to the Lord.
From one of your other posts you are experienceing frustration with everyone else's worship experience. Don't worry about their experience but rather seek God with your whole heart and find a true worship experience for yourself.
When I first got born-again i was frustrated because I was singing the songs about what great things God had done for us and I felt so ashamed that I was not really believing everything I was singing. It took a while before I started experienceing God's restoration in my own life, then I began to believe what I was singing.
Posted by: Frederik
Quote:
Originally Posted by eagle4him
Hiding this from your father is no different than lying to your parents, which is not pleasing to the Lord.
But I just want to do the right thing. If I did not tithe then christians would say "you do not tithe even though you have to!"
Does this mean I have to cancel the sponsorship and spend the money for useless stuff? Is this better?
Posted by: Christian Commando
Frederik my friend- Eagle4Him is right. God shows in His Word this same point. Really doesn't matter where you live, if still under your parents roof and care, you are obligated to follow thier rules. Yes, thats what it means. Look, as long as your in the above situation and recieving the money from your folks, you are obligated to do as they say. As stated by the others, thats the difference between being on your own and working to living under your parents care for how to delegate this. God Bless Brother!!
Posted by: Remnant7
My PM to you stated that by honoring your father, you honor God. To be out in the open about what you want to do and ask your father for his approval. If he doesn't give it, that is between him and God. It is better to obey than to sacrifice! You can recruit other sponsors for the program, which will generate more than you would give alone. I am concerned that you are worried about what other people will say or are saying about you tithing. Are people monitoring your giving?
When my mom wasn't working, she tithed her husband's salary and he got really angry about it (he wasn't a believer at the time). She finally had to stop in order to save the relationship and to bring him to Christ. She challenged him to read the bible and see that we are rewarded for tithing. Ultimately, he came to Christ when he saw that she honored him, (because God led her to stop). All the earth is the Lord's... Again, it is better to obey than to sacrifice. You piddly little bit of money isn't going to make a bit of difference if it is outside the will of God. With God, the smallest amount (a loaf of bread feeding 5 thousand), can be enough for major miracles to happen. You need to understand this. Your obedience to Christ will generate blessings for others. Many people don't tithe out of greed or lack of trust in God, it is all about the heart. Someone should do a quick lesson on tithing for you. I have to go to work, but my prayers are with you and I pray you come to understand the importance of the tithe message.
Posted by: GA5966
Fredrick God's Word is this:
Eph 6:1-3
6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
KJV
Posted by: MamaCat
Tithing is under the Law.
Christians aren't.
Just give as God prompts you to give.
Just obey God!
Posted by: Frederik
This means I must not tithe anymore.
I was trying to do the right thing and now it looks like I even did something wrong by thinking that what my father says is not so important.
Posted by: Christian Commando
It's great that it's on your heart to give to God. But, you are still under your parents care and roof, besides recieving money from them. When you have your own job, even if under thier roof, you can spend it as you like. but, it's still money they are giving you right now. Thats the main difference. God Bless!!
Posted by: GA5966
Fredrick,
You aren't wrong to want to tithe but if the money isn't yours and your father tells you "you can't give away the money I give you" he is the one responsible to God for that. You must obey your parents.
Matt 23:23-24
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
KJV
Matt 5:17-6:2
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 6
6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
KJV
Posted by: Frederik
But when I get money for christmas or on my birthday then it's a gift and when you give something to somebody as a gift then he becomes the owner of it, right?
Then I could as well say that the money which I use to tithe is all from my gift money which I get during the year.
Posted by: Christian Commando
In that respect I suggest what you said is true. But, as far as say like a weekly allowance or such, thats different. God Bless!
Posted by: Frederik
I really don't know what to do now. But if I cancel the sponsorship then I'll feel miserable and filthy.
Posted by: Christian Commando
Frederik- If the money is a Gift, you can use as wish. If it's a weekly allowance as it were, you must abide by your parents wishes. That is according to God for being obedient to your parents. Question- Did you talk to your folks before starting this deal to support this child with your allowance? If not, you were disobedient to God in that respect and thus, got yourself into this mess, being disobedient to your parents. Hope this helps. God Bless Brother!
Posted by: Remnant7
Frederick, the condemnation coming to you regarding this is not from God. You need to evaluate this. God's word is truth, not your feelings or my feelings or someone elses feelings. The concensus has been that it is God's will that you be obedient to Him by honoring your father. I suggest there might be a bit of rebellion going on towards your father in your heart and this issue is just a symptom of it. I pray that God will settle this in your spirit once and for all, that you may be set free from the condemnation of the enemy. God bless you as you search your heart. In Jesus Name, amen.
Posted by: Frederik
Does this mean that I must not tithe from the money which I get once every money cause this is an allowance, but I am allowed to tithe from the money which I get as a present on my birthday or on Christmas? Is this correct?
Actually the money which I get on christmas and on my birthday would be enough to pay the sponsorship. Actually I could say that I do not use the money which I get monthly for it, but only the money which I get as a present but I think only a shyster would do this.
If I wanted I could turn it exactly the way I want and this way I could bypass the problem but I don't know if God wants this.
Posted by: Christian Commando
That is correct. God Bless!
Posted by: Frederik
This means I must not go on tithing. This is funny.
I try to do the right thing and now it looks like I did the wrong thing.
Posted by: MamaCat
Live and learn and quit majoring in the minors!
Posted by: Frederik
majoring in the minors? what does this mean?
Posted by: Christian Commando
Frederik, your intentions were correct, it's the method that was wrong, in respect to showing respect to God thru your parents wishes. You certainly knew about how God declares children are to obey thier parents, knowing this refers to mostly while under thier care, roof and protection. How is it you couldn't see that you disobeyed God by disobeying your parents then? A son or daughter can be even 40 years old living in thier parents home yet fed, clothed and cared for by them and still need to show Godly proper respect for them as such. I reverted to that the year I moved back with my folks to help Dad take care of Mom while dieing from Cancer. Remember, it's thier home, thier money and thier wishes while you are partakers of thier hospitality to you. God Bless! You should really know and understand that.
Posted by: Frederik
I'll have to reduce the money now but when I do this I will most likely lose "my child" and the little money which I donate now will be used for projects not directly for this child. I feel filthy somehow. But on the other hand I am also glad cause this means I have more money for myself, but then again I feel guilty for being glad for having more money.
I just dont know how to behave. If I dont reduce the money then I will constantly get trouble with my father and he is right. The money which I donate is quite a lot money for somebody like me but it's not much more than 10%. Does this mean that I must not tithe from this money?
Then what about christmas or my birthday? what about this money? Must i also not tithe from this? This gets me into a stupid situation cause I already notice the greed which rises up in me. Somehow I am glad that I save more money now. What if I only use this as an excuse to no longer tithe anymore? What if I do as if I stopped tithing in order to "obey" my father when the truth is that I'm actually pretty glad for saving the money?
Does this mean the whole money which I have spent for this sponsorship so far was forsaken and I could as well have spent it for useless stuff?
