The Tithe Is the Most Important Financial Decision You Make Every Month
The Tithe Is the Most Important Financial Decision You Make Every Month
Category: Financial Maturity and Discipline | Read Time: 10 min | By: Raymond Ihim | Updated: March 2026
Key Takeaways
- The tithe is always 10 percent of your income. It does not change with income increases. It scales.
- There are four distinct types of giving: the tithe, offerings, alms, and firstfruits. Each serves a different purpose and goes to a different place.
- Saying you want to "increase your tithe to 30 percent" is a misunderstanding of scripture. Anything beyond 10 percent is an offering, and that distinction matters both biblically and financially.
- Tithing belongs at the top of your budget, not what is left over at the end of the month.
I want to be honest with you about something I lived through before I ever understood it on paper.
There was a season in my life when I was doing everything "right" financially, working hard, tracking spending, trying to get ahead, and I was still stuck. The numbers did not add up. There was always too much month left at the end of the money. I could not figure it out. What I did not understand then was that I was managing money as if it were entirely mine. It was not. And until I brought my finances into alignment with that truth, no budget was going to fix the real problem.
This article is not a motivational piece about generosity. This is a financially grounded, biblically rooted examination of why the tithe is the most strategic decision you make with your money every single month, and what the four types of biblical giving actually are, because most people, including many believers, are confusing them.
What the Tithe Actually Is
The word tithe comes from the Old English word meaning "one tenth." That is not a metaphor. That is a definition.
Malachi 3:10 does not say "bring a generous portion." It says, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse." The whole tithe. Ten percent. Not nine. Not eleven. Ten.
Leviticus 27:30 is equally direct: "A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord."
The tithe is not a gift. It is a return. You are giving back what was never yours to begin with. That reframe changes everything about how you approach it.
"You cannot out-give God. But you can absolutely under-give Him, and call it something it is not." Raymond Ihim, Founder, Lionhood Financial Coaching
The "Increased Tithe" Myth You Need to Unlearn
Here is something I hear regularly, and it needs to be addressed directly.
People say things like, "I want to increase my tithe to 20 percent" or "I tithe 30 percent now." That is not tithing. That is generosity, which is wonderful, but it is not the tithe. The tithe is fixed at 10 percent. Always. It does not increase. It scales.
If your income goes from $50,000 to $100,000, your tithe goes from $5,000 to $10,000. That is the tithe doing exactly what it is designed to do. It grows with you. You do not need to "increase" it. You need to honor it consistently at every income level.
Now, if you feel called to give 30 percent of your income, that is a beautiful thing. What you are actually doing in that case is tithing 10 percent and giving 20 percent as an offering. There is a distinction, and it is a biblically meaningful one.
What about the so-called "reverse tithe," where someone gives 90 percent and lives on 10 percent? That is not a reverse tithe. That person is still tithing 10 percent. The remaining 80 percent they are giving away is an extraordinary offering. And yes, there is a profound blessing that comes with that level of giving. But it needs to be understood correctly so the person is standing on the right biblical foundation, not a misapplied label.
Clarify what you are giving and why. Your faith and your finances both deserve that precision.
The Four Types of Biblical Giving
Most financial conversations, even in the church, collapse all giving into one category. Scripture does not. Here is the framework:
| Type of Giving | Biblical Definition | Where It Goes | Key Scripture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tithe | Exactly 10 percent of all increase | The local church or storehouse (where you are spiritually fed) | Malachi 3:10, Leviticus 27:30 |
| Offering | Any giving beyond the tithe, given freely | Church, ministry, mission, causes as directed by the Spirit | 2 Corinthians 9:7, Exodus 35:21 |
| Alms | Giving to individuals in need, the poor, the marginalized | Directly to people in poverty or crisis | Proverbs 19:17, Luke 11:41 |
| Firstfruits | The first and best portion of new income or increase | An act of consecration, often to your local church | Proverbs 3:9-10, Exodus 23:19 |
These are not interchangeable. Each carries a different spiritual posture and a different direction of giving. Understanding all four positions you to give with clarity, not just emotion.
Step 1: Put the Tithe at the Top of Your Budget
This is where most people get it wrong. They budget their bills, their groceries, their car payment, their subscriptions, and then they give from whatever is left. There is almost never anything left.
The tithe is not a line item at the bottom of your budget. It is line one.
Proverbs 3:9-10 says, "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing." The order is not accidental. Honor first. Overflow follows.
When I finally restructured my own budget and moved the tithe to the top, something shifted. Not just spiritually, though that was real. The discipline of committing that 10 percent off the top forced me to manage the remaining 90 percent with more intentionality. I stopped spending carelessly because I knew my numbers had to work within a real boundary.
Pro Tip: If you are paid biweekly, calculate your tithe based on each paycheck, not at the end of the month. Waiting until month-end introduces delay, temptation, and the possibility that the money gets allocated elsewhere. Automate it when possible.
Step 2: Separate Your Tithe From Your Offerings
Once the tithe is protected as its own non-negotiable category, you can build an intentional giving plan for offerings, alms, and firstfruits.
Ask yourself three questions:
- Where am I being spiritually fed? That is where your tithe belongs.
- What ministries, missions, or causes am I called to support? That is where your offerings flow.
- Who in my immediate world is in genuine need? That is where alms apply.
This is not a guilt exercise. This is financial clarity applied to your calling. You are not randomly scattering money. You are deploying resources with purpose.
Watch Out: Do not let offerings become a substitute for the tithe. Some people give generously to outside causes while neglecting their local church. Offerings are in addition to the tithe, not instead of it. Malachi 3 is clear: the storehouse comes first.
Step 3: Budget the Rest of Your Income as a Steward
Here is a reframe that changed how I think about money entirely.
You are not the owner of your income. You are the manager of it. Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." That includes your paycheck.
Once the tithe is off the top, you manage the remaining 90 percent with the same stewardship mindset. This means budgeting with a plan, not just spending what feels available. Track every dollar. Give every dollar a name before the month begins.
Tools like QuickBooks are built for exactly this kind of intentional financial management, whether you are a household or a small business. When you can see where every dollar is going, you make better decisions with the portion you have been entrusted to manage.
Step 4: Honor the Tithe With Every Increase
This is the part people skip. When income increases, the tithe increases. When you get a bonus, the tithe applies. When your business has a profitable quarter, the tithe applies.
Deuteronomy 16:17 says, "Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you." Proportion. Not a flat rate. A percentage that honors whatever increase you receive.
This is actually the beauty of the tithe from a financial design standpoint. It is a proportional system. It scales with your life. The person earning $30,000 and the person earning $300,000 are both giving 10 percent. Neither is disadvantaged. Neither can claim the other has it easier.
If you have been inconsistent, if you tithed when it was comfortable and stopped when it felt tight, that is the pattern to break. Financial lack is not always about income. Sometimes it is about alignment. Luke 16:10 puts it plainly: "Whoever is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much."
When It Feels Impossible to Tithe
I know what some of you are thinking. You are behind on bills. You are carrying debt. The math does not seem to work.
I have been there. Not hypothetically. I have sat in that chair and looked at a budget where there was no room. What I can tell you from experience is this: obedience before comfort. Not recklessness. Not ignoring bills. But a genuine, committed step of faith that puts God first in your finances, even when the margin feels razor thin.
Malachi 3:10 closes with one of the most remarkable financial promises in all of scripture: "Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."
God does not ask for blind trust in most areas. But this one He opens to testing. That is not a prosperity gospel sales pitch. That is the word.
Here is a practical path forward if you are not yet tithing:
- Start where you are. If you cannot do 10 percent immediately, start at 5 percent and commit to increasing it within 90 days.
- Adjust your budget before you adjust your tithe. Cut subscriptions, reduce discretionary spending, renegotiate bills. Make room.
- Work with a financial coach who understands both the numbers and the biblical foundation. That intersection is exactly what Lionhood Financial Coaching exists for.
Schedule a conversation with our team if you want help building a budget that puts the tithe first without leaving your household in chaos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the tithe have to go to my local church? Scripturally, the "storehouse" in Malachi 3:10 refers to the place where you are spiritually fed and where resources are distributed to the community. For most believers, that is a local church. Giving to outside ministries is a worthy offering, but it does not substitute for the tithe to your primary spiritual home.
What if my employer withholds taxes? Do I tithe on gross or net income? This is a personal conviction question, but here is the framework: gross income is what God blessed you with. Net income is what the government allowed you to keep. Most biblical scholars and financial coaches who operate from a faith foundation recommend tithing on gross. Gross is the full measure of your increase.
I have significant debt. Should I pay that off before I tithe? Prioritizing debt over the tithe assumes the debt problem is purely financial. Often it is also a stewardship problem. Tithing while paying down debt is not irresponsible. It is an act of faith that reorients your financial priorities. Build a realistic budget that includes both. That is exactly what a financial coaching engagement is designed to help you do.
Is the tithe a New Testament concept or just Old Testament law? The tithe predates the Mosaic law. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek in Genesis 14 before the law was given. Jesus affirmed tithing in Matthew 23:23, saying the Pharisees "should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former." The principle carries across both covenants. The New Testament adds to it with Paul's instruction in 2 Corinthians 9:7 to give as one has decided in the heart, not under compulsion. The tithe is the floor, not the ceiling.
The Bottom Line
The tithe is not a religious obligation you check off to avoid guilt. It is a financial and spiritual posture that acknowledges who actually owns everything you have been entrusted to manage. Ten percent is the starting point. It does not change. It scales. And everything beyond it, offerings, alms, and firstfruits, builds on top of that foundation.
If your finances feel stuck and you have not examined whether the tithe is honored first in your budget, that is the place to start. Not because it is a magic formula, but because financial integrity begins with alignment, and alignment begins with where your money goes first.
Put it at the top. Trust the process. Build the rest of your budget around it.
Ready to restructure your finances around what actually works? Connect with Lionhood Financial Coaching today.
Raymond Ihim is a banking leader with extensive expertise in risk management and financial services, and founder of Lionhood Financial Coaching. He has helped individuals and small business owners build generational wealth, eliminate debt, and establish financial stability through his "Make More of Your Money" podcast and practical financial coaching programs.