How much should I tithe?

When I first took tithing seriously, the number scared me. Ten percent of everything, piled on bills I already couldn't cover. The answer turned out simpler than I feared, and there was more grace in it than I expected.

The short answer is a tenth

Tithe means a tenth. The historic answer to how much is ten percent of your income. That is where the word came from, and the practice with it.

For most of us, that is the figure to aim at: a tenth, set aside first.

A tenth of what, and when?

Two smaller questions sit inside how much. First, what you count the tenth on: your gross pay or your take-home. Second, when you give it: before the bills or after. Each has its own guide, Should you tithe on gross or net income? and First fruits vs. tithe. For now: give first, and off the top.

Ten percent is a starting line

Ten percent is where giving starts. Israel brought offerings on top of the tithe, so the tenth was a floor to build on. Paul and the others kept that room open and moved the real question past arithmetic, to the heart behind the gift.

Paul ties the gift to what you have. Some seasons you will give past a tenth. In a leaner one you may be climbing toward it, giving what you can, first and glad, growing as God grows you. He wants a willing heart headed the right way, not a figure wrung out of you.

Setting your number

In Kingdom Cents the tithe starts at ten percent, and you set it where your conviction lands. The app takes it off the top, so your giving goes first and you build the budget around it.

A tithe is not a coin you feed a machine to make God pay out. You give because it was all His to begin with.

Keep reading: Should you tithe on gross or net income? and First fruits vs. tithe→