Sometimes you and I might think, “when I get more money I’ll start tithing.” But most people whom we know who are identified as millionaires or billionaires started out small. And many built what they have done on the tithe. I often think of the example of billionaire John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Rockefeller decided to pay an allowance to his five sons. According to his son Nelson, "We got 25 cents a week, and had to earn the rest of the money we got." To earn part of that extra money he raised vegetables and rabbits........"We always worked," according to Nelson. All the boys were required to keep personal daily account books. They were required to give 10 percent of their income to charity, to save 10 percent, and to account for all the rest.
The Rockefellers, like many of the early North American billionaires, looked upon their wealth as a sort of spiritual stewardship. Most of them believed that God gave them the money. It wasn’t theirs....they just were caretakers over it. They felt a duty to manage it for the betterment of others...... while thoroughly enjoying it themselves, of course. If every dollar they received was a gift from God, they were glad to pay 10% of it back. (If I gave you a dollar, would you give
...