How does a business owner compute their tithe?
Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of they seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year (Deuteronomy 14:22).
Honour the Lord with they substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: (Proverbs 3:9) The key word is is increase. God is the consummate businessman. He knows that a businessperson's increase is their profit, and that the businessperson had to incur costs to produce that profit. God does not expect a tithe on that portion of a businessperson's income that represents the return of their costs, but only on that portion of income that represents his pretax profit-for that is their increase.
How Does A Businessperson Compute Their Pretax Profit On A Weekly Basis?
When a person is touched by God, they want to tithe on their income but they often do not know how to compute their profit on a weekly basis. Why a weekly basis? Because they love God, and wants to tithe each week when they go to church. But for many businesspeople, that can often present a problem. Some businesspeople have sophisticated accounting equipment and can compute their profit on a daily basis, but most cannot. So what do they do? One suggestion is to establish a separate checking account as a tithe account. Then, each time the businessperson takes money out of their business for personal reasons, they could deposit 10% of that amount into the tithe account.
What If A Businessperson Is Taking Money Out Of Their Business, But The Business Is Not Making A Profit?
That is called eating your capital, and the business will not last but so long if this trend continues. In any event, if there is no profit there is no increase, and if there is no increase there is nothing to tithe on.
The Balance
And she said, as the lord they God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. (I Kings 17:12). When the widow was asked by Elijah to give him a portion of her last meal cake, she did not stop to see if she had made a profit. She unquestionably responded with the last she had, even the food out of her own son's mouth. May we all have that kind of respect for the Lord. If we do, He will honor us as He honored her and the countless millions of others who have followed her example.
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Originally published September 12, 2002.
