Psalm 20:7 (NIV) "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.".

What are you trusting in?  Is it your bank account?  Is it the size of your retirement account?  Is it the "security" of your job?  The truth is that God can take any of these away at a moment's notice.

About 9 years ago, we had our first child.  My wife was working at the time, making about 45% of our household's annual income at the time.  We felt very strongly that the best decision for us was to have her stay home with our children.  We had been tithing since day one of our marriage, but losing that much of our income was going to be a struggle for us.  We had just purchased a house and weren't entirely sure where the house payments were going to come from.  We decided to keep on tithing and trust God to help us come up with the extra money.

Within 3 months of our child's birthday, I was offered another job in my company that paid what I was making previously plus the amount that we had given up when my wife stopped working.  The really awesome part of the story is that I was not even looking for another position.  God had provided !  Even more, within another 4 years, my income had doubled again.

Sometimes the benefits of tithing are not evident in monetary terms, but they do exist nonetheless, as there are many ways that God can bless us.  In addition to the monetary blessings that God has provided, we now have 4 terrific children. 

Romans 8:28 (NIV) reads " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."