The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity

October: Tithing

Tithing is the practice of giving 10% of what we receive back to God. At a deeper level, it reminds us of the presence of God within us. As with other practices, such as prayer and forgiveness, tithing is a component of our relationship with God. As such, it is less about money than it is about a deeper spirituality.

So often in our world, we find that we have divided our lives into compartments. There is our church self, our work self, our family self, our financial self, and so on. However, spirituality touches us holistically. For example, if we want to live in the presence of God full time, we know we cannot confine our prayer life to only when we are in church. Prayer is important in our family, our work, our friendships, every day of the week - we would not think of keeping prayer only for Sundays. So it is with all our "compartments". We cannot keep our financial lives walled off from God.

One of the greatest spiritual challenges in our time of fragmentation is to bring our entire lives into integrity with what we believe and love. When we love God, there is no part of our lives that is separate from God. Eventually we all realize this as we grow in our relationship with God. After all, God gives us everything to begin with. It is an act of worship to place ourselves (all we have and all we are) totally into God's care and disposal.

This brings us back to the practice of tithing. What we do with our lives, our families, our work, our church and our finances are ultimately matters between each individual and God. This is what the word stewardship means - that God has given us our life and all that is in it, and we are responsible for it's use. This month we focus on really listening to our hearts, to that place within connected to God to see what our financial lives are meant to be. Tithing is simply a time-tested discipline that countless people have found to be important and fruitful in connecting their spirituality and their tangible lives. For many, it is the goal to place their trust in God to the extent of tithing from their financial good.

What the Bible says:

"You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you..." Isa 43:4

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32

"Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Cor 9:7

"...just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve..." Matt 20:28

What Unity says:

"When we groan and sweat under the stress and strain of life, we are serving Satan instead of God. The satanic consciousness would make us believe that there is limited amount of the things necessary to life and that we must labor hard to get our share. It is true that such conditions do come upon those who have turned their faces from God... All work becomes divine for man when he affirms that he is working for God and that God is a generous paymaster... When we praise God and give thanks for His supply and support we open our mind to the inflow of the abundant spiritual essence of all things." Charles Fillmore, Keep a True Lent

"Jacob's vow to be more faithful to God and to give Him one tenth of all he received is a recognition of God as the source of all that man requires and also of the need of a constant reminder of this fact; hence the agreement to give back the tithe. Those who practice tithing testify that it leads them into an understanding of the relation of God to material affairs that they can get in no other way." Charles Fillmore, Mysteries of Genesis

"In his inner consciousness man can make and agreement of this kind (of tithing) with the Mind of Spirit and can keep it in his everyday affairs. Many metaphysicians write out such contracts and put them away in the full assurance that the terms will be carried out by both contracting parties, God and man. It is found by nearly everyone who tries this plan that the agreement is fulfilled." Charles Fillmore, Mysteries of Genesis

"The covenant of Jacob to give one tenth of all his increase was the real beginning of what we in modern times call tithing: making God a partner in all our finances." Charles and Cora Fillmore, Teach Us to Pray

"Give of your substance with the thought that it is God's money you are handling. Realize that it is His tenth that you are giving for His glory. With this thought in your mind, you will begin to attract new spiritual resources, and things will begin to open up in your affairs... Take God into partnership with you and you will demonstrate abundance." Charles and Cora Fillmore, Teach Us to Pray

Ideas for practice:

• As you worked on your purpose, your goals, and forgiveness in the last 9 months, what items remain unfinished? Continue to work with these items as you consider tithing.
• Select a passage or passages from above that are meaningful to you. Memorize and use them in your prayer. Throughout the day, whenever you feel fear about your financial resources, repeat them.
• Consider your current pattern of giving. Imagine yourself with the sum of your gifts in your hands. You stand before the Christ within you. As you offer it, what feelings do you have? What is the response of the Christ within? Write a dialogue resulting from your imagery. What does it mean to you? What is the Christ presence like? How does she/he respond to your thoughts and feelings?
• Many people are resistant to tithing because it is presented in a strict way. If you feel resistance, sit in silence. Welcome your feelings of resistance. Allow yourself to feel them and explore their texture. What happens in you with this exercise? Have a conversation with your inner Christ about your feelings. Listen for the response. What is the Christ saying to you? What is the heart of Christ like in this moment? Allow all these things to be, and conclude by simply listening for your heart's desire and wisdom. Do this as many times as it takes to feel a true openness and clarity from the wisdom within you.
• Continue to meet with your prayer triad. Discuss any resistance you have to tithing. Share stories of when you have given something and it was a joyful experience for you. Share any other experiences you have with the practices listed above.