Hard to tithe

Leighton Farrell was the minister of Highland Park Church in Dallas for many

years. He tells of a man in the church who once made a covenant with a former

pastor to tithe ten percent of their income every year. They were both young and

neither of them had much money. But things changed. The layman tithed one

thousand dollars the year he earned ten thousand, ten thousand dollars the year he

earned one-hundred thousand, and one- hundred thousand dollars the year he

earned one million. But the year he earned six million dollars he just could not

bring himself to write out that check for six-hundred thousand dollars to the

Church. He telephoned the minister, long since having moved to another church,

and asked to see him. Walking into the pastor’s office the man begged to be let

out of the covenant, saying, "This tithing business has to stop. It was fine when

my tithe was one thousand dollars, but I just cannot afford six-hundred thousand

dollars. You’ve got to do something, Reverend!" The pastor knelt on the floor

and prayed silently for a long time. Eventually the man said, "What are you

doing? Are you praying that God will let me out of the covenant to tithe?" "No,"

said the minister. "I am praying for God to reduce your income back to the level

where one thousand dollars will be your tithe!"