{"id":9327,"date":"2024-02-11T13:35:46","date_gmt":"2024-02-11T08:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/11\/tithing-the-generosity-habit\/"},"modified":"2024-02-11T13:35:46","modified_gmt":"2024-02-11T08:05:46","slug":"tithing-the-generosity-habit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/11\/tithing-the-generosity-habit\/","title":{"rendered":"Tithing – The Generosity Habit"},"content":{"rendered":"


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When it comes to giving,\u00a0Marvin Kehler<\/a>, a businessman and Christian leader, doesn\u2019t think it is complicated.<\/em><\/h3>\n\n
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\u201cIt all starts with God putting a desire in your heart. Once that happens, God begins to supply the means to fulfill it<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Marvin and his wife Katherine have applied this simple philosophy throughout their personal and professional lives. God has honored their unconditional willingness to give of their time, talents, and resources by providing them with more opportunities to give than they ever could have imagined. Looking back on Marvin\u2019s early years it\u2019s easy to see why giving has become such a natural part of his and Katherine\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

Planting the Desire<\/strong>
There was not a lot of money around when Marvin was born in the small town of Altona, Manitoba in 1938. Like most Canadians, Marvin\u2019s parents were still struggling through the midst of the Great Depression. Marvin\u2019s father ran his own business but the family was still very poor.<\/p>\n

Despite their poverty, Marvin began to note how other family members always seemed to depend on his parents for help. This included some of his parents\u2019 siblings as well as Marvin\u2019s grandfather, who was a teacher and lay pastor.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen things fell apart for other family members, it was interesting how many of them ended up at our place,\u201d Marvin says. \u201cStrangely, there always seemed to be enough \u2018extra\u2019 to go around for those in need.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When Marvin was in his teen years, his parents bought his grandparents\u2019 chicken and raspberry farm and moved to Abbotsford, British Columbia. It was a tough go with little profit to be made, but Marvin\u2019s parents stuck it out, even taking jobs off the farm to keep things going. Although Marvin didn\u2019t realize it at the time, he later learned that his parents were giving 50 percent of the farm profits to Christian causes.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat had a phenomenal impact on my life. I thought that was definitely the way to do it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Responding to the Call<\/strong>
When Marvin and Katherine got married and started a new life on their own, they were determined to continue practicing the habits of generosity Marvin had picked up from his parents.<\/p>\n

They told God they were willing to go anywhere, do anything, and give whatever he asked. They got very involved sharing the gospel with as many people as possible.<\/p>\n

One of Marvin\u2019s responsibilities was helping to raise money for a Christian ministry. But he found the task so difficult and time consuming that he decided to get into business for himself so he would have more of his own resources to give.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAt first, my goal was to make a lot of money. Then I realized that was relatively easy. It was also meaningless. But giving a lot of money, that\u2019s a different story that helps our faith to increase.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

God rewarded Marvin and Katherine\u2019s willingness to obey him by blessing his business with tremendous success. After reaching his financial goals at the young age of 32, Marvin went on to get involved in many more ministries and businesses, further increasing his wealth and his ability to give.<\/p>\n

Multiplying the Means<\/strong>
It was around this time that Marvin started to look at various Christian organizations in light of his business experience. What he discovered alarmed him and provided Marvin with an opportunity to put his ideas to the test by becoming involved in the Canadian branch of Campus Crusade for Christ. Marvin willingly took on the task of serving as president, and vowed to help create an organization that leveraged every dollar they raised to its maximum potential. He looked at an investment in Campus Crusade \u2013 or any Christian organization for that matter \u2013 just like any other type of investment; the goal being to get the maximum return on your dollar.<\/p>\n

With God\u2019s guidance, over Marvin\u2019s 28-year tenure as president, he and the rest of the Crusade staff were able to help share with millions of people how they can personally have a relationship with Jesus. And God has rewarded their faithfulness by entrusting them with even greater resources, just as He promises in the Bible. (Matthew 25:14-30)<\/p>\n

In 1976, Crusade\u2019s budget was only $189,000 and it was costing them well over a dollar for every person with whom they shared the gospel.\u00a0 When he resigned from his presidency of CCC 28 years later, Canada, Crusade\u2019s annual budget was upwards of $20 million, and, thanks to new strategies, new technology and strategic partnerships, sharing the gospel costs only pennies per person.<\/p>\n

Lessons Learned<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Along the way, Marvin and Katherine have learned some important principles about life and giving. Here are a few:<\/p>\n

God Owns Everything \u2013 We Are Only Managers<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s okay to earn money,\u201d <\/em>Marvin says, \u201cbut you shouldn\u2019t try to hold onto it. God has made us like a flow-through system, not a reservoir. Money is a lot like water \u2013 the tighter you hold onto it, the more it leaks out of your hands. The temptation to hold on is always there. But you are more blessed to allow the money you make to flow through to others.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You Can Give Much More Than Your Money<\/strong>
<\/em>In addition to their financial resources, Marvin believes it\u2019s just as important that people share their time, talents and influence.<\/p>\n

He notes that many people respond to this by saying, \u201cBut I don\u2019t have anything to give:\u201d however, Marvin strongly disagrees.<\/p>\n

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\u201cGod gives us all twenty-four hours a day. We need to ask ourselves, \u2018How am I using it? How am I using it to affect my sphere of influence? Am I truly being salt and light to my friends and associates? Is Jesus being lifted up? I believe we are going to be as accountable for our time, talents and influence as we are for our possessions.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Time to Give is Now<\/strong>
Years back, a friend of Marvin\u2019s who had lost a huge fortune told him, \u201cYou can only give it when you\u2019ve got it.\u201d That made a deep impression upon Marvin.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI realized that you can only give your time when you have your health. The same goes for talent, money and influence. As the saying goes, \u2018If you don\u2019t use it, you lose it.’\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You Can Only Give What You Have<\/strong>
Many times Marvin has heard people say something to the effect of, \u201cWell, if I had money like that guy, I\u2019d give it too!\u201d But Marvin encourages people not to look to those who are wealthy but rather to look to their own situation.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat are you doing with what you have now? Are you being faithful with what God has already given you? As you are faithful, he will bless you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

On the flip side, if you feel God calling you to give but you don\u2019t have the necessary resources right now, Marvin encourages you to keep the vision of the call anyway and believe that God will supply the means at the appropriate time.<\/p>\n

Always Seek the Best Return on Your Giving Investment<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cChoosing where to give is as critical as any other investment I\u2019ve ever made,\u201d<\/em>Marvin says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He recommends that you seek out organizations whose goal is to share God\u2019s message of salvation with the greatest number of people possible so that none should perish (John 3:16<\/span>) and who have the ability to do this as effectively and as efficiently as possible.<\/p>\n

Written by Kevin Miller
Used by permission<\/p>\n\n

If you, like Marvin, are looking for the abundant, deeply satisfying relationship with God, I encourage you to pray by faith and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has given you His Holy Spirit to help you live life according to His perfect plan. Why not pray this simple prayer and by faith invite Him to fill you with His Spirit:<\/p>\n

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Dear Father, I need you. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you by directing my own life. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ\u2019s death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus. As an expression of my faith, I thank You for directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

To learn more about our Helper, the Holy Spirit, follow this link<\/a>.\u00a0http:\/\/thoughts-about-god.com\/biblestudies_\/spiritfilledlife<\/a><\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n

FURTHER READING<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u2022 Joyful\u00a0Generosity<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 A Blessing So Great \u2013\u00a0Tithing<\/b><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 You Cannot Outgive God\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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When it comes to giving,\u00a0Marvin Kehler, a businessman and Christian leader, doesn\u2019t think it is complicated. \u201cIt all starts with God putting a desire in your heart. Once that happens, God begins to supply the means to fulfill it.\u201d Marvin and his wife Katherine have applied this simple philosophy throughout their personal and professional lives. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[]},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9327"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}