Tithing - a part of the church and our lives that seems to be up for debate quite often. What exactly is it? According to dictionary.com - "A tenth part of one's annual income contributed voluntarily or due as a tax, especially for the support of the clergy or church."
I underlined support - this is huge! Regardless that churches are an non-profitable organization - there is still a need to keep the church up and running, help those struggling financially in the church, pastors need to be paid, the needy in the community and world wide need aid. There are missionaries to support, mission trips to spread the gospel, children to teach, etc.
I overheard a convo today that suggested that when you tith - you can expect God to bless you 10times as much. This is something I have a hard time agreeing to or even believing. Tithing is something that should be natural to you not so much expected. We were made to be generous people but our flesh tells us different. I'm not saying that I always tith the "recommended" 10%, because just frankly sometimes I just don't have the money or I forget. But it feels good to give your money back to where it belongs.
Think about it - you wouldn't be where you are without God. He has blessed us with so many things that it only makes sense to give back. With money...but also with other things. That's another thing people forget. The church needs more than just your weekly givings, they also need your help. Whether that be volunteering to teach, help with setup, making the after service coffee, it doesn't matter! A church is like an organization - it needs people to keep it running. When I decided to teach sunday school - I never gave it a second thought besides an immediate yes. There was no way that I'd be selfish enough to say no. And a bonus is that I enjoy teaching kids and doing crafts although that is beyond my point.
And my point being that as a regular attender of a church (any) you should be contributing in multiple ways if possible. I guess this means more to me because I attend a small church in need of finances to stay running and to help families within the congregation.
I also keep in frame of mind that I'm in general better off then some others so why not give where I can? It just makes sense to give back to the One who gave you what you do have.