Tithing When You Have No Money - A Prison Inmate's Perspective

I've always felt prison inmates should have an opportunity to pay a tithe like other Christians. In some state correctional departments it's legal and offered to the incarcerated.  In Christianity it is a religious right (and rite) and sacrament whom some people hold sacred and a privilege.

In prison all inmates have the opportunity to attend chapel meetings of their religious choice.  They can receive kosher meals if required and afternoon prayer time if that is their tradition.  So what about giving back financially, tithing?  Here is what one of my inmates wrote.  He is serving 4 plus years for fraud related crimes.

I solicited this story from him in an effort to challenge him to stay academically motivated and to express his thoughts on paper for therapeutic and historical purposes. He gave me permission to publish it, using his own words.*

Tithe

10%

In Malachi 3:10 we are told by God to bring our tithes into the store house. He also tells us to test Him with tithing. Poppa God tells us that if we do so He will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there will not be enough room to receive it. In verse 11 Poppa God goes on to say that He will rebuke the devourer for our sake and that the devourer (the devil) shall not destroy the fruits of our ground and neither shall our vines fail to bear fruit for us in the field. Also in verse 12 He tells us that we shall be called blessed by all nations and that we shall be a delightsome land.

Before we go any further let me make mention of what a tithe is. A tithe is 10% of one’s income. Also known as 10% of one’s increase. It’s giving to God 10% of what we make off the top. When we tithe we allow God to manifest Malachi 3:7-12 in our lives.

One day when I was spending time with the Lord He revealed to me a great revelation about tithing. He shared this revelation with me because I told Him that I did not have any money to tithe with. He told me to tithe 10% of my time. I was like huh? Do what?

The Holy Spirit reminded me that there are 24 hours in one day and 60 minutes in one hour. He helped me understand that 24 hours x’s 60 minutes = 1,440 minutes. He helped me see that 10% of 1,440 minutes = 144 minutes. He also broke down to me the fact that 144 minutes is also considered 2 hours and 24 minutes. Then there was the climax!

I realized that 2 hours and 24 minutes is 10% of one day. God was telling me to tithe 10% of my day to Him. I was amazed at this. Some people may say this is petty. To me it is profound.

I say this because Poppa God says to test Him with tithing. But what kind of blessing could be so BIG, so abundant to the point that there will not be enough room to receive it. I mean after all, I’m tithing time not finances so what’s to expect? What kind of blessing could I possibly be blessed with by tithing 10% of my time? This is what He shared with me.

He let me know that he would bless my spirit, soul and body. The Holy Spirit reminded me of how my soul is divided into three distinct elements. He reminded me of how my soul is also known as my mind, my emotions and my will. He even reminded me of how I can refer to my soul as my thoughts, feelings and actions. My actions are an outward manifestation of what I may think or speak.

The Holy Spirit let me know that if I tithe 10% of my time to God each day, that I would receive a blessing that consists of spiritual healing. He informed me that my soul would be healed. Even my body. He revealed to me that all the barriers, all the obstacles and all the walls in my life that are keeping me from responding with compassion out of love towards others, especially those who are bitter towards me would be torn down, destroyed and removed completely. He let me know that He would help me be more like Jesus.

The revelation I received also included restoration for my family. It was laid on my heart to know and understand that Poppa God would rebuke the devourer for our sakes. It was made clear to me that the devourer (the devil) would not destroy the fruits of our ground. God was talking to me and telling me that He would protect us. He let me know that we would not fail to produce fruit and that all nations would call us blessed and that we should be a delightsome land.

This revelation of blessing came to me because I inquired of The Lord about tithing. I brought to His attention that I was not able to tithe financially, so He told me to tithe 10% of my time. If you are like me, and are not able to tithe financially, consider tithing 10% of your time to God. You can do this by studying His Word, fasting and praying, and by service to others. Test Him in this area of your life and you will see that He will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon you.

Malachi 3:7-12
Test Him!

By: An inmate
February 4, 2016

* Disclaimer - this article was not vetted by, approved or endorsed by the Florida Department of Corrections.  The inmate's name who wrote this is held confidential.  There is not, nor will there be any financial gain or benefit from it's publication on this site by myself or the inmate.  This is strictly for educational, religious and spiritual purposes.

My Spiritual Journey - My Declaration of Faith, Part 6

I wish to declare my faith in terms that others may relate with. With my LDS family members, I will use the Articles of Faith as published by the Mormon church as a reference point. I also use the Apostles Creed as a basis for my own. Neither of these statements below are verbatim to the originals. I used them only as a guide.

My Articles of Faith

• I believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. I believe that the first principles of the Gospel are found in Luke 10:27, where He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself."
• I believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved. Obedience to the commandments is our way of showing gratitude to our Father for the sacrifice of His Son, and in doing so we shall be blessed beyond measure.
• I claim the privilege of worshiping God according to the dictates of my own conscience, and allow all people the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
• I believe that men will be punished for their own sins, but those sins may be forgiven through the process of repentance and washed away by baptism and the blood of Christ.
• I believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and other miracles God may use to further His kingdom.
• I believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; I also believe the word of God may be found in other sources, but must be compared with the teachings of the Bible.
• I believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
• It is my belief and prayer to be honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, I pray I may seek after these things.
• I believe that we have a great obligation to serve, give and teach others about Christ and His principles, especially young people and those who may not be able to normally have access to His teachings.
• I believe the key to happiness is gratitude for the blessings we’ve been given, great and small.

My Creed of Faith

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from when he shall come to judge all people. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holiness of the church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Wrestling With Obedience

I was raised in a church who's faith was very obedience dependant. Sure, they acknowledged the sacrifice of Jesus and the saving of all mankind by His Atonement - but they also placed obedience to God's Laws as prerequisite to ultimate salvation. By ultimate salvation I mean a Celestial kind of glory, or "better" Heaven than the rest of Christ's followers might possibly attain.
This way of believing, supported by the Bible in their view, goes directly in the face of mainstream Christianity - hence the struggle I've had.
In our daily walk with God as we understand Him, we must realize and know that we can only do our best and if we are making that sincere effort, asking God for help, that's all we can do.  For me (and many) obedience to God's commandments is our way of saying "thank you" to our Creator and opens up special opportunities for us to follow His Spirit and accomplish His will.

My Most Significant Ash Wednesday Ever

Last night I rushed to the church to attend the Ash Wednesday service, and I got there right on time.  The irony was I didn't know why I was there, other than its a Christian tradition and that's where I needed to be.

The Pastor did a great job explaining to us the reason for the holiday.  She explained that on this day, ashes are placed on the foreheads of the congregation, marking each forehead with the sign of the cross.  Traditionally people also wore sackcloth, or clothing made from the rough material of burlap. This ritual echoes the ancient eastern tradition of throwing ashes over one's head to signify repentance before God.  In her sermon she explained that this day signifies the first day of Lent, representing the first day Christ went out into the wilderness and fasted for forty days.  At the end of the forty days will come Good Friday, the day of Crucifixion and then Easter, the day of Resurrection.

The scripture she read was 1 Samuel 15:22 - But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?  To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.  I really like this approach to the term sacrifice.  When we obey, we are giving up self-will, which is very much a human sacrifice, shown to us by the ultimate sacrifice and act of obedience - Jesus giving himself up on the cross.  He obeyed His Father.

I don't know if I fully understand the significance of the event, but to me it is a day of sorrow and repentance for the things that I've done wrong, my disobedience to God, keeping His commandments and most of all the affect it has had on those around me.  After receiving the charcoal marking on my forehead, I went to the alter to pray.  I prayed for forgiveness and the strength to follow Christ fully in the future.  When I arose, I felt the relief from the forgiveness that we receive from Jesus, but still sorrowful because those I've sinned against that are not so easily willing to forgive, and are unlikely to forget.  I struggle with regret and shame from some of the things I've done wrong.

The good news is...is that Christ is working in us and in the lives of others.  We interact, and in doing so bless and sin against our fellowman and loved ones.  It is a cycle of love, forgiveness and accepting each other for our humanness.  At the alter I also took a vow of sacrifice for the next forty days.  My sacrifice is self-will.  I made a promise to God to study the Bible everyday for this period, and I look forward to doing so.