Tithe yourself

“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right” Nelson Mandela

With Mandela’s birthday on the horizon, I would like to believe it is the most celebrated birthday in South Africa’s history; probably even the world over. In the past few years, the Mandela Foundation has beckoned a call to all South Africans to give of their time to help the less fortunate in honour of Mandela. This programme has grown over the years and is now known as Mandela Day. So every year, many individuals and companies look out for charities and other opportunities where they can give of their time in honour of uTata and what he stands for. If you think about the principle of tithing, this is really what it is, in a different format. This time around, everyone is asked to tithe themselves and their time.  What does it really mean to tithe people? It has been said that we should live our lives as worship to God. Translated, this means that everything about our lives should be glorifying to God. It means that as we reach out and shine His light in the world, other people’s lives are changed for the better.

In some instances it may seem like what we are doing is not even equal to a drop in the ocean given so much need, but we must never underestimate the power of anything good that we do. We must never underestimate how God can take that little we have in our hands and multiply it to meet the need of the people we are reaching out to – just as He did with the five loaves and two fish. Mandela once said “for to be free isn’t merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” He also said, “As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same.” Think back to a time when someone came through for you in your time of need. How can that not encourage you to also be there for someone else when they are in need? Our lives should be a light that shines for others to see God in it. Our lives should be not just about what we want for ourselves, but about bringing meaning and purpose in both our lives and those of others. There is a lot of need out there, are you ready to tithe yourself with whatever you can today?  

Note: I first heard of the principle of tithing oneself from a dear friend, Tseliso. Thanks my friend for the encouragement, keep it real!