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Dedicated to tithers and
future tithers everywhere.
Introduction
In this book I want to share a
principle that creates miracles for me
and can do the same for you. The
principle I am speaking of is tithing.
Tithing is the best kept prosperity
secret in existence. It’s an old secret
that works yet has been virt ually
forgotten.
Tithing is a sensitive subject.
Ministers, for the most part, are afraid
to speak about tithing for fear of
alienating their congregation. If a
minister does talk about tithing some
members feel that it is all that the
minister talks about.
I will help you to comprehend this
great principle which will open life’s
cornucopia of unlimited good, so you
can experience it. To hear the principle
of tithing (giving) is to comprehend it;
to regularly and systematically tithe
(give and subsequently receive) in ever
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increasing amounts, is to comprehend
this phenomenal principle.
I wrote this book on tithing
because I was asked to do so by a great
minister friend who knows that my
wife, Patty, and I believe in tithing,
practice it faithfully, and harvest (reap)
its results. Our lives are blessed in
exceedingly bountiful ways because we
give to spiritual causes that nurture and
bless us.
Prior to 1974 (the year I went
bankrupt), I had heard this life-giving
principle lamely discussed. The reason
is that, unfortunately, most ministers
feel ashamed to ask for tithes because
they do not believe in or practice this
principle, so they cannot speak about it
with feeling, conviction and
testimonials from their own experience.
After going bankrupt, and finding
myself mentally, spiritually and
emotionally depressed, I decided to
“...seek and find” the prosperity
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principles, which I wrote into my book,
How to Achie ve Total Prosperity. In
exploring for principles that can work
for anyone and everyone, I discovered
tithing. I started by giving a little and
kept increasing it as my ret urns
increased in virtually automat ic,
invisible and often unexpected ways.
Miracles never cease to amaze me. I
expect them, but their consistent arrival
is always delightful to experience. For
example, we financed an income
producing house at a high interest rate
after tithing. The banker called back
unexpectedly and offered us alternative
financing at a lower rate. To give
another example, as a professional
speaker, I discovered that one dubious
promoter bilked my colleagues out of
fees, although he had paid me in full.
One last example; when it is possible to
get a sale price, a discount or a special
deal on anything that Patty or I want, it
is always available to us.
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These events could be called
circumstance, but I choose to believe
that “right” giving and an “attitude of
gratitude” seals the deal with God, and
ultimately the returns are going to
always be greater than the investment.
This has been my experience.
God said that on earth there will
always be a “seedtime and harvest”
(Genesis 8:22). The seedtime is tithing
time. Saint Paul said of the eternal law
of sowing and reaping in Galatians 6:7,
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked
for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall
he also reap.” Therefore, give with the
belief that you shall receive a Biblically
promised, multiplied return and you
shall have it.
I have had lots of challenges (some
call them problems) because I have big
dreams, goals and desires, but these
principles have shown me that God is
my never-ending source of supply of all
good.
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As a tither you automat ically
become solution-oriented rather than
problem-oriented. It’s a mystical and
unexplainable phenomena that just
happens. I remember my dear friend
Chip Collins, who helped me to begin
my speaking career when I was twentysix
years of age. He was down to his last
thirty-five cents and had a wife and a
baby to feed and no hope of earning
any money. With tears in his eyes, he
started beating on his steering wheel
saying, “God, what should I do?”
Intuition flared and told him to tithe.
He figured thirty-five cents would not
even buy milk for his baby, so he
immediately went into a Catholic
Church and prayerfully put thirty-five
cents in the offering plate. As he walked
out a feeling told him to solicit a
speaking engagement in a nearby real
estate office. He did, and was hired and
prepaid his $200 fee which saved his
family from starvat ion, lack and
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limitation. It also re-established his
self-esteem as a good provider. He has
since become a disciplined and
committed tither.
Your needs and mine exist to be
met, not to intimidate, embarrass and
harass us.
When you are reading a principle
that applied to you, as you read this
book, take it personally, initial it and
apply the principle immediately.
Constantly ask yourself, “How can I use
this?” or “If I am using it, how can I
improve my use of this principle?”
The guarantee that God is your
source is in Philippians 4:19, “My God
shall supply all your needs according to
his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” You
see, Jesus demonstrated what we should
do by the giving nature of the lifestyle
that he lead.
Note that what you receive is not
multiplied but only that which you give
is multiplied. “Give and it shall be
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given unto you; good measure, pressed
down, and shaken together, and
running over, shall men give into your
bosom. For with the same measure that
you measure, with it shall be measure
to you again.” – Luke 6:38
Giving makes you more productive.
Even the little lad who gave his lunch of
five loaves and two fishes had Jesus
multiply his gift to feed 5,000 hungry
people and gave back to the lad “twelve
baskets full.” Please note that giving
serves the giver, many others, and is
returned multiplied.
In summation, tithing works for
those who work with tithing. If you
have never tried it, give it a threemonth
trial. Remember, when you give,
like attracts like. If need be, start with
one-percent of your income, t ime,
energy or effort and build up to tenpercent.
A great philosopher once said,
“Whatever you want more of, give some
of it away.”
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Patty taught me that our life-force
energy increases by giving. All great
people are givers. They give 100% of
themselves to whatever project they
approach. I am talking about people
like Bob Hope, John Crean, etc. You
and I are remembered for what we give,
not what we get in life. Make the giving
principle real and personal in your life
by testing it against every need you
have; mentally, physically, financially,
socially or spiritually. These principles
have never failed me and rightfully
employed, they cannot fail you.
In my book, Future Diar y, I
encourage you to write down whatever
good you desire in the future. Expand
that idea to include writing down what
you want to tithe financially. You
decide what you want to earn, write
down what you will pledge from it.
Every year increase the amount.
Perhaps there is a great talent to whom
you want to tithe. Bob Hope does and
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he encourages others to do so. You
could create a foundation for children,
like Del Smith did in my name, called
“The Mark Victor Hansen Children’s
Free Enter prise Fund, Inc.” in
McMinnville, Oregon. It operates much
like a bank, making loans to young
entrepreneurs. Whatever your great
future gift (tithe) is to life, please write
it down and make it clear. Perhaps you
can make it so outrageously spectacular
and life-benefiting that you can induce
a lot of other people into helping you
realize your dream.
Be a great tither and you will
receive as Biblically promised, 10,000
times 10,000 blessings.
Congratulations!
Enjoy your great good!
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The Miracle of Tithing
What is the purpose of
tithing? Why should I tithe?
Every individual’s purpose in
tithing is to open up his/her awareness
of universal laws. Tithing opens you, to
you. You are an unlimited individual,
deprived of a fuller, richer life partly
because of lack of the tithing
experience and expression in life. One
needs to do it for him or herself (and
family) to get into the fourth dimension
(love and spiritual dimension of
wholeness) that is unavailable to the
unenlightened. Tithing will help you
to truly know yourself. When doing
this remember to rely on God’s ability
to provide, not your human ability.
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What results can I expect if I
tithe?
Tithing consciousness, at its best,
allows an individual, family or business,
to become successful, f lourish and
thrive. The Bible teaches that true
prosperit y includes having surplus
money for your every need and desire,
and peaking health to live happily, fully
and confidently.
Should I feel guilty about not
tithing?
“Guilt” – Random House Dictionary
defines as “a feeling of remorse or
responsibility for some offense, crime or
wrong, whether real or imagined.”
Therefore, feelings of guilt are
counter-productive to your own greater
good. Guilt is a form of self-persecution
and has no positive pay-off. If you have
not tithed, don’t feel guilty about it.
However, once you make your decision
to tithe, stick to it!
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Is it true that most of the
Bible’s heroes are men of
wealth?
It is absolutely true that Abraham,
Isaac, Joseph, Jacob, David, Solomon
and others, prospered greatly. God
rewards individuals for wisely
employing and maximizing their
resources. God promises prosperity,
and a long, full life to all who tithe.
In Chapter 13 of Genesis, it is
recorded that Abraham was “very rich
in cat tle, silver, and in gold; thus
fulfilling God’s earlier promise...’and I
will bless you and make you great.’”
Each of us can personalize and
individualize God’s promise to
Abraham as our own valuable and
viable affirmation. In your deep
meditations hear God tell you, “...and I
will bless you and make you great.”
Isaac is described in the 26th
chapter of Genesis, as having
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“possessions of flocks and possessions
of herds and much wealth.”
In the 29th Chapter of Chronicles,
the narrative tells of David’s gifts toward
the construction of the temple. These
gifts included one million talents of
gold, two million talents of silver,
together with precious stones and
pearls. Then the chiefs of the tribes
matched the gifts with some of their
own; five thousand talents of gold,
twenty thousand talents of tin as well as
brass and iron.
According to James Dean, Ph.D.,
author of The Keys That Unlock The
Scriptures, a talent of gold at thirty-five
dollars an ounce was worth $55,270.83,
and a talent of silver based on $90.05
per ounce was worth $1,269.83. Now
that is prosperity!
David truly understood how to use
wealth wisely by “seeking first the
Kingdom” and having all (good) things
added unto him. David told Solomon:
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“And keep the charge of the Lord and
walk in his ways and keep his statutes...
that you may prosper in all that you do
and succeed wherever you go.”
Solomon obviously accepted this
idea because he went on to become the
richest man in the world at that time.
What all of this means is that when
you recognize, and use the spiritual
laws of universe, you will have
unlimited good at your beck-and-call.
As you control your thought patterns to
produce plenty and abundance, they
will do just that.
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Should I tithe in secret or in
the open?
Tithing primarily is a private affair
between you and God (your good). Let
your conscience be your guide as to
whether you want to witness to others
about tithing. If it makes you feel good
to share your tithing experiences with
spiritually awakened others, do it. If you
talk about tithing before the spiritually
unenlightened, they may ridicule you.
One of the richest men on earth, W.
Clement Stone, has had a magnificent
obsession of being America’s greatest
philanthropist and tither. He does a
tremendous amount of good and
encourages others to do likewise. When
Dr. Robert Schuller interviewed W.
Clement Stone about how it feels to be
really rich, Stone answered, “It gives me
the power to do a great deal of good.”
You have the ability to do as much or
more. Please do it, I am cheering you
on.
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Should I make tithing a lifelong
habit?
Absolutely, yes! Tithing is easy if it
becomes a regular and systematic habit.
Give ten percent of your gross income
and live on the remaining ninety
percent. The first ten percent belongs
to God, and practiced tithers would
never dream of taking any of it. They
live intelligently in the principle and
receive untold blessings, benefits and
protection. They are devoted to giving,
receive the multiplied returns, and are
free from financial difficulty. If you
show me a person having financial
difficulties I’ll show you a non-tither. I
know thousands of tithers and every
one of them enjoys prosperity -- that is
your spiritual right. It is God’s pleasure
to give us the wisdom, if we are
righteous (i.e., rightly using our mind
and wisely using his principles like
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tithing). Tithers may have other
problems but they never are in want.
We either believe that “The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not want,” or we don’t.
I believe it, and if you really believe it
you will demonstrate it.
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Is tithing encouraged
throughout the Bible?
The Bible definitely prescribes
tithing again and again, in the Old
Testament and the New Testament. It
encourages each person to make tithing
a cornerstone in their lives. Tithing
ensures freedom from material cares
and is essential to the development of
the soul.
Throughout history many of the
most successful and outstanding
business people have attributed their
vast successes and prosperity to
obtaining and maintaining a habit of
tithing.
“And all the tithe of the land,
whether of the seed or the land, or of
the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is
holy unto the Lord.” – Lev. 27:30
“Honor the Lord with thy
substance, and with the first fruits of
their increase, so shall thy barns be
filled with plenty, and thy presses shall
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burst with new wind.” – Prov.
When Jacob had his mystical vision
of the ladder reaching into heaven he
decided to adopt the practice of tithing,
realizing that; “God will be with me,
and will keep me in the way that I go,
and will give me bread to eat and
raiment to put on so that I come again
to my father’s house in peace.”
The only source and supply of all
good is God. Customers, clients,
employers, employees, et al, are merely
instruments through which God’s
supply is being channeled.
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What happens if I tithe?
It is not if you tithe, after hearing
or reading this message. It is when you
tithe that the question becomes
relevant.
The answer is simply; an individual
who fulfills the law of tithing,
inevitably demonstrates prosperity.
The law states that one should set
aside ten percent of their gross income to
the service of God. This should be given
for the sake of giving, not given for the
sake of getting. It is important to do it
because it feels right. Thought combined
with feeling in the process of giving,
guarantees that prosperity will increase by
leaps and bounds until all fears of poverty
disappear. Fear of poverty causes people
to stay impoverished. As Job said, “The
thing I have so greatly feared has come
upon me.” Tithing with head-faith and
heart-faith prevents the disease called
poverty, by creating a state of mental,
spiritual and financial prosperity.
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What is the necessary
prerequisite for tithing?
The appropriate prerequisite for tithing
is a state of mind that knows, understands,
and believes that tithing works. A tither
who gives in a stingy or begrudging manner
receives in a stingy begrudging manner.
Tithing should not be done in a sense
of superstition, fear, guilt, or with any
misgivings. Such negative states of
consciousness preclude any demonstrations
of prosperity.
Tithing is an extremely efficient and
effective act of faith. The practice of tithing
will deepen your whole-hearted feeling and
conviction that it works, as the miraculous
results pour into your experience.
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If I have cash flow now and
don’t tithe, what happens?
Remember always: “God is the
source and supply of all good.”
If we don’t tithe, it means either we
are ignorant of the law of tithing or we
don’t believe in God’s law.
If you know you should tithe and
don’t, you will reap in experience what
you sow in consciousness. You may
lose either what you have or its
abundant flow. It is like the automobile
driver who knows the car needs oil and
does not put it in. Sooner or later the
car stalls. Material prosperity, no
matter how vast, inevitably stalls unless
spiritual prosperity underwrites its
sacred f low by regular, systemat ic
tithing.
I know of people violating this
principle who have gone broke, been
fired, exhausted their unemployment
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insurance, had their business burned
out, etc.
If you have never tried tithing, give
it a three-month trial period. After that,
you will never again question its
validity.
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What exactly is tithing?
One needs to tithe ten-percent on
their gross income plus all of their
dividends from their investments.
Therefore, if one earns one hundred
dollars, their weekly tithe should be ten
dollars. Tithing is not to general
charities, philanthropies or for material
giving. A tithe is not ten percent of the
amount one is able to save out of his or
her income.
As a layman, I am always amazed at
the church attendees who tithe one
dollar and think that they have
contributed their fair share. That would
mean that they only earned ten dollars
that week. I’ve witnessed masses of
people preventing their own greater
good by not tithing faithfully and
honestly with excitement and love.
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Tithing is devoted to spreading the
knowledge of the spiritual truths. Until
this happens, no educat ion, social
reform, or political reform will do any
lasting good. Each person needs to
learn the spiritual truth and use it. Jesus
said “You shall know the truth and the
truth shall set you free.”
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How often should I tithe?
The best time to tithe is
immediately upon receipt of income,
whether daily, weekly, monthly,
quarterly or annually. It is easier to do a
little at a time, as it arrives, than to wait
and attempt a big payment. If you don’t
plan to attend your spiritual center, mail
a check whenever you receive income.
“Give and it shall be given unto
you; good measure, pressed down,
shaken together, and running over, shall
men give unto your bosom. For with
the same measure that you measure, it
shall be measured to you again.” – Luke
6:38
Tithing was obligatory according to
Hebrew law and it is worthwhile to note
that as long as tithing prevailed, the
Hebrew nation prospered collectively
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and individually. All who have ever
tried it honestly and faithfully have had
the same great results. Tithers have God
as their financial partner and He owns
the entire resources of universe.
Like attracts like, so give generously
and boldly with an attitude of gratitude
and your receiving will be the same.
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Should I wait until the
recession is over to start
tithing?
To end your personal recession,
start tithing at once, using whatever
resources you have right here and right
now. Tithing will facilitate the
automatic improvement of your
situation and circumstances. Note that
the greater your need, the more
important it is to start tithing
immediately. One’s problems all
emanate from one’s mental attitude,
disposition, mood and beliefs.
Spiritually done, tithing (done with
your heart and head) always gets the
desired result. Because it is done on a
percentage basis, it is fair to all and the
results are adjusted to the size of your
problem.
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Is there an even bigger
context to tithing than just
giving support?
Absolutely yes! Each individual has
a God-appointed way of serving
humanity. Each of us has a
magnificent, usually invisible, talent
which we are to recognize and
maximize by giving it away. A perfect
example of an individual who is
familiar to everyone, who has
maximized his talents is Bob Hope. He
has been in vaudeville, comedy, on
Broadway, on radio and does quarterly
television specials in addition to 250
one night stands per year. He has
unselfishly given of himself to make the
world laugh and people love him for it.
Hope has tithed his spirit, mind, body
and even convinced his show business
friends to do the same.
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Are there bonuses to tithing?
Most embryonic tithers are surprised
to discover:
1. Their remaining 90% goes farther
and does more than the original
100% ever did.
2. Their spiritual lives deepen,
become enriched and are more
enlightened.
3. Tithing gives the wise and faithful
servant expanded opportunities,
that are a direct consequence of
tithing.
4. Their faith in Universal Law
becomes stronger than ever before.
Those who tithe know from
experience, that all of their desires
are fulfilled and their life overflows
with blessings.
5. Their income is forever increasing.
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I want to tithe to the zoo; are
the tithing benefits applicable?
A tithe is a give to God’s good
works. While zoo’s are great, they are
technically not run by churches and
generally are not spiritual in
orientation. So the answer is “no.”
Does tithing to specific
projects of the church count
as a tithe?
The answer is “yes.” The point is that
you want to become regular and systematic
in your giving so that you receive in a
regular and systematic way.
Churches take on special projects so
that the minister and the congregation can
keep on growing. If you cease to grow you
begin to die.
You prosper as your soul prospers. Get
excited about your church’s opportunity to
grow, expand and spread the truth. Get
involved totally. If you want more out of
the church, put more into it.
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My husband was laid off and
we barely have enough to live
on, much less to pay the bills.
Should we tithe?
Of course! To overcome lack
consciousness and enter into prosperity
you absolutely need to tithe. Tithing
will expand your awareness. Getting
your husband re-employed in his right
livelihood will pay the bills. You will
start having surplus money and
eventually pay your debts. Poverty is a
disease, it creates more misery,
depression, theft and suicides than any
other malady. God is rich and wants
His children to be rich and prosperous.
God created this abundant world with
His Word. He gives human beings
similar creative word power. Speak
your word to your bills, get perfect
employment and total enjoyment from
life.
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If you really have a lot of fear about
starting, do as my minister and her
husband did when they started their life
of tithing.
They started tithing a percentage
just a little out of their “comfort level.”
In this case, it was three percent of their
gross income. As the channels of
receiving God’s abundance opened up,
they would increase the percentage of
tithing. Each time they would feel
comfortable, they would increase their
tithing another percentage point until
they reached the desired ten percent.
After five years, they have now
increased their tithe to over ten-percent.
You can do the same!
35
In my business, if cash-flow is
really tight, is it a “violation”
to skip a week of tithing if it
means bills will go unpaid?
There are several possible answers.
Read the following with feeling and you
will hear what you need to hear now:
The Bible clearly states that you
should tithe first (from the gross
income), then pay your bills. By tithing
first, your tight cash flow will become
loose, unexpected business will arrive
miraculously and save the day.
Whether you tithe or you don’t
tithe, you get to pay your bills. By
tithing as prescribed repeatedly in the
Bible, you literally open the flood gates
of heaven to at tend to your every
financial need. If you don’t tithe, you
shut off the invisible system (God’s
infinite intelligence) because you miss
your deserved blessings.
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Businessmen who tithe such as
Andrew Carnegie, make a written
covenant with God and say, “I’ll earn
money the first half of my life and then
attend to tithing and charity the second
half of my life to do the most good and
the least harm with my money.”
Perhaps your trust bond to God is this
clear. If not, write one now.
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How does seed money which
goes beyond my tithing work?
Seed money is likened to the water
one leaves at a deep water well to prime
the pump to get the water f lowing.
Every user pumps out what they need
and leaves a bucket-full behind to seed
the next flow of water. Tithing in this
analogy is the building of the well
itself. The well was built and exists for
all to freely and regularly use – it keeps
on keeping on. Seed water or money,
just helps you to start the flow.
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When one cannot tithe, does
the “not giving action” work
against him or her?
One can always do whatever one
really wants to do. If you want to give –
give!
Let’s say a wife wants to tithe and
her husband opposes the idea. She
should start to tithe out of her
allowance, play money or earnings.
Not giving always precedes and
determines – ultimately and inevitably
– not receiving. Tithing guarantees a
predetermined positive financial result.
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Why is a tithe one-tenth? Why
not one-sixteenth, one-eighth
or one-fourth?
A tithe is biblically based and
written by the enlightened servants of
God. The tithe (or tenth) is easy to
calculate, could be figured out on one’s
fingers and understood effortlessly by
all schooled in rudimentary
mathematics.
Can I tithe more than ten
percent?
Yes indeed! Malachi 3:8 speaks of
“tithes and offerings.” A tithe is tenpercent
and an offering goes beyond
that.
There is an old cliché that says if
you need something give some of it
away. Therefore, if you need money,
give money tithes and offerings. If you
need time, give some of your time to a
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church, hospital, convalescent home;
read to the blind or join Meals on
Wheels, Big Brothers or some similar
organization.
The IRS will allow tax credit for up
to fifty percent of one’s adjusted gross
income, given to religious and
charitable enterprises.
The above means that the
government (IRS) and Jesus support
your giving. Jesus said, “Give unto
Caesar that which belongs to Caesar
(i.e., taxes) and give to God that which
is God’s (tithes and love offerings).”
Tithing is not and never has been
an ending place. It is a beginning place.
It stimulates the law of circulation to
operate. A tithe is not a debt we owe,
but a seed we sow!
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But I don’t have anything to
give!
Everyone has something to give, or
God wouldn’t tell you to give. You
either have time, effort, consciousness,
or items you no longer need or want
(do some spring house cleaning, no
matter what season it is) that you can
sell or donate, or you have money.
God requests that you give so that
you open up new channels to receive.
The only time God can multiply
back more good into your life and the
lives of others, is when you give.
Your life is important to God and
He would not play with something as
important as you. When you are giving
you are living; when you are caring,
you are sharing all the good you have.
Giving is not a debt, but a seed that
guarantees our future harvest. Jesus
said, “The harvest truly is great, but the
laborers are few.” – St. Luke 10:2
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Why does tithing work?
Tithing works because it works
from inside you. It changes your belief
that life is about taking, to a new
understanding that life is about giving.
Giving guarantees receiving. It always
has and it always will. What is amazing
is that giving expands your spirituality,
especially when you give in the spirit of
love, joy and cheerfulness from an
unselfish heart.
God is everyone’s source.
Individuals and opportunities are
merely channels or instruments of
supply. Rest assured that God’s great
resourcefulness will miraculously find
its way back to you in many
unexpected, bountiful ways.
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How important is the spirit of
giving?
The spirit of giving means
everything.
Money gifts, in and of themselves,
are neutral, they are neither good or
bad...your thinking makes it so.
However, a gift given with the attitude
of grat itude and with the spirit of
expectancy always gets a bount iful
return. Remember, God is the Source.
Give before you receive, and expect a
miraculous return. You and I are to
give expecting to help others and
ourselves in multiplied ways.
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What happens if I give and
don’t receive?
Check yourself out with this simple
test:
1. Do I recognize God as my source
and supply of all good?
2. Am I tithing regularly and with a
system? Do I tithe when I receive
income of any kind, at the
beginning of projects and at their
successful conclusion?
3. Am I truly expecting to receive?
Am I awake to all the possible
channels that are trying to give me
surplus good?
Write out your answers to these
three questions – privately – then ask
your spouse or someone close to you
(someone you trust) to respond to the
same questions. It might enlighten
you. Basically, it’s simple to receive
more from life and give more to life.
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Can you defer the payment of
your tithes to a future time?
Most individuals need the security of
tithing in the sweet here and now, to feel
and know that their good is circulating
freely and easily into their ever present
now. However, men like Andrew Carnegie,
Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller all had
prayerful covenants with God. Each of
their memoirs state that they asked God to
help them realize their fullest potential
and they would remember God and overtithe
out of the ever increasing abundance.
Each did help churches and were
individually phenomenal philanthropists
who ultimately funded foundations to
directly and indirectly be “...about your
Father’s business.” Carnegie founded and
funded the American free library system.
The Rockefeller and Ford Foundations are
both multi-billion dollar enterprises
attempting to serve the health and
educational needs of humanity’s less
fortunate people.
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What is the best tithing
demonstration you’ve ever
heard?
Larry Gates, formerly a fund raiser
for Dr. Robert Schuller, told me that
John Crean, founder and CEO of
Fleetwood International, publicly gave
(tithed) twelve million dollars worth of
ranch stock to Dr. Schuller’s ministry.
Fleetwood stock jumped three times the
same day because the U.S. Government
simultaneously announced that they
were putting a lot of money into
modular housing, which is Fleetwood’s
specialty. You may call this a
coincidence. I don’t think so. I heard
Mr. Crean interviewed by Dr. Schuller
and he stated that when he was young
he had a friend who told him that in
life, “There are winners and losers.
Winners are givers and losers are
takers.” He chose to be a winner and he
now says he tithes thirty percent of his
gross income.
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I believe all the universe is
God’s Church, so can I give to
the hungry and the poor rather
than building another
unnecessary church building?
It is stated above, what the Bible says.
However, fifty percent of Americans do
not attend any church and probably have
similar feelings to those expressed above.
In-so-far as God is omni-present
throughout the universe, it is better to
give somewhere than not give at all.
Each of us has an intrinsic need to give.
Jesus said, “That which you have done to
the least of my children, you have done
unto me.” Therefore, it is good to aid
and assist the hungry and the poor. If
possible, help them to learn the principles
so they can then help themselves. The
concept of a hand-up rather than a handout
is the right idea. The oft-quoted
phrase, “If you feed a person a fish you
feed him/her for a day. If you teach a
person to fish, you feed him/her for a
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lifetime.” Be into teaching these
principles. I have known several
individuals who have been so inspired
and helped by the ideas of Napoleon
Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, that they
individually have given thousands of
copies in hopes of teaching principles in
a useable way.
Also, please read Ralph Waldo
Emerson’s essay on the “Law of
Compensation”. It will show you that it
is impossible to give without sooner or
later receiving in kind. It proves that
giving does not cause you to have less,
but in fact, guarantees that ultimately
and inevitably you will have more. The
law of compensation pays you back in
multiple returns. While the principle is
invisible, it is forever working.
We must feed the physical human
food, before we can serve him or her
with higher levels of spiritual awareness.
In a magazine interview in Personal
Selling Power, March 1983 issue, Dr.
Wayne Dyer, best selling author, says,
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“Everyone who knows me knows that for
every dollar that I spend on myself, I
spend ten on other people. I always have
been generous to a fault. There are a lot
of things I do because I feel they are
helpful to other people. I see myself as a
giver. I give a lot of money to charity. I
spend a lot of my time helping
unfortunate people learn the tithing
principles and show them empirically
through recognition of their own
demonstration that it works.”
Reaching others by teaching others
will enrich you and the world. If
everyone learned and practiced tithing
there would be no more lack of any kind.
With children, the principle is easy to
teach. It is also much easier to start this
practice by tithing ten cents out of every
dollar when you are young rather than
waiting until you have $1,000,000 and
saying that you will then give $100,000.
I am sure that if you start small, you can
ever grow tall in giving.
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If I don’t have any money, how
can I give?
Everyone has something to give.
Think about volunteering your time
and energy. When you give, miracles
happen in your life. You can support
worthy causes. Visit a convalescent
home, befriend the elderly, assist in a
children’s cancer ward, give time to the
Special Olympics or go to any hospital
and offer your services.
These activities do not have to be
long term commitments, but are sure to
cure depression and make you feel
better about yourself.
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I just heard about tithing. To
whom should I give?
Follow your heart and give to the
spiritual group that resonates positively
and constructively to what you believe is
“...true, honest and of good
report...”Give to the person, place or
thing that serves you, or that you feel
greatly serves others.
Visit a variety of churches and pick
the minister, not the church building,
not the denomination, not necessarily
what your parents did, or what someone
else said. Be still and listen to your
inner-knower. It will tell you what is
right for you, in the quiet stillness of
your prayer, meditation and spiritual
retreats.
Pick the minister, priest or Rabbi
who leads you to ever greater and deeper
spiritual truth and understanding.
When I was at the university, I
decided to take the teacher, not the
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subject. A great and inspiring teacher or
preacher can make any subject come
alive and be meaningful, relevant and
lead your personal growth, development
and fulfillment to new heights. Once
you’ve located your spiritual mentor,
support him or her financially, mentally,
spirit ually, emotionally and even
physically. Befriend your new spiritual
spigot of enlightenment, enlivenment,
and enrichment. Attend church and its
many act ivit ies, volunteer your
assistance, take classes, go to spiritual
retreats, convent ions and growth
meetings. Your life will blossom and
bloom in magnificent new ways.
One final suggestion, make sure
your choice of ministers or spiritual
teachers have great plans to do
phenomenal amounts of good to the
benefit of all humanity. Get into giving
and your receiving shall be totally and
absolutely ensured by God’s invisible
bank accounts.
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