Should You Tithe On Your COVID-19 Relief Money?

As a result of the CARES Act passed by Congress, all of us are receiving relief money from the government.  This is good news, especially for those who are not able to work right now and who aren't receiving any income.

This raises a question for Christians.  Should you tithe on your COVID-19 relief money?  In other words, should you give ten percent of the relief money you receive from the government?  This is between you and the Lord.  There are some acceptable disagreements about tithing, and this is one of them.  For example, some Christians only tithe from their earned income, while others give a tithe of every penny they receive, even money received as a gift.  Some Christians tithe from their gross income, while others tithe from their net income.  Some tithe on their tax return, and some do not.  These are matters of conscience between you and God.  There are some issues that are worth dividing over, but this is not one of them.

The most important thing is that you do tithe -- bringing the first tenth of your income to the Lord through your local church (Mal 3:10-12).  Start with your earned income, and then ask the Lord what He wants you to do about any other money you receive.  So few Christians tithe today that it is not worth quibbling over minor details.  If you are tithing at all, wherever you land on the questions above, then you are in a very small minority.

Remember the purposes of tithing:

1) Tithing advances God's church.  This is how the church pays bills, and funds its many ministries.

2) Tithing invokes God's blessing.  God will bless you if you tithe -- beyond measure!

3) Tithing grows God's people.  When you put God first in your finances, it will train you to put God first in the rest of your life.

Whether you tithe on your relief money or not, keep two things in mind.  First, give cheerfully.  God is not glorified by reluctant, grumpy givers (2 Cor 9:7).  Second, don't worry about giving too much to the Lord.  You cannot out-give God.  The more you give, the more He will bless you back (Lk 6:38).  It is better to err on the side of giving too much than too little.

There was a bumper sticker in the 1970s that said, "Honk if you love Jesus."  More recently a new bumper sticker emerged:  "Tithe if you love Jesus.  Any idiot can honk!"  I don't care if you tithe on your COVID-19 relief money.  But I do know that God would be more glorified and the church would be more effective if Christians honked less and tithed more.