and it came to past, that as the aircraft, with many Nigerians, including many Facebook users on board approached Lagos, disaster struck. There was a sudden loss of air pressure inside the cabin and altitude loss.

Danger! People yelled for help, while some others prayed furiously. They all called on God, the only one capable savior in times of extreme distress, when all positive variables are beyond our reach. The plane eventually landed safely.  This near-miss is fiction, but it is a regular occurrence when flights are threatened in the air. People remember their God!

Indeed, despite what we say about churches, tithes and giving, what matters is an individual’s relationship with God. In the end, we will be judged as individuals; not as families, churches or social media friends. We should therefore be careful in our actions so we dont lead others from God.

The words of Dayo Olawuyi the former popular MD of Dunlop are instructive: “One of my greatest mistakes was when I forgot about God. Of course, I paid the price. I thought that having achieved a particular thing in life I had arrived was all that matters. I began to feel big and forgot where I was coming from. But of course, God called me back. At that point, I realised that I shouldn’t have done that. You cannot run from God. Pray, He calls you back early.”

God is forever true

God is forever true and all things He made are good. One time-tested truth about God is that He rewards giving. But that doesn’t mean He can be bribed with giving. Motives make one offering acceptable and the other abhorrent. Also, you don’t give to God and continue to wallow in sin, believing that giving puts him under any obligation to release a harvest, just as it is true of sowing in bad soil – it is fruitless.

Some religious leaders, and I mean some –not all, abuse this process. A friend sent me a video, in which a Bling-bling pastor in the US was collecting offering to pay for a Rolls-Royce; for what? Of course some people protested.

But that does not justify a stimulus generalization – to tar all churches with that same brush. There are churches that emphasise all the good things of God, including holiness and obedience; and also focus of winning souls. Again, the choice of whom to follow is an individual decision.

But in the mix of all that, God is always true. He rewards giving and sacrifice – in cash and kind! Even science continues to prove that.  Below, from various existing compilations, are practical real-life examples of giving and reward!

Colgate Palmolive Company

“William Colgate was a tither throughout his long and successful business career. He gave not merely one-tenth of the earnings of Colgate’s soap products; but he gave two-tenths, then three-tenths, and finally five-tenths of all his income to the work of God in the world. During the later days of his life he revealed the origin of his devotion to the idea of tithing. When he was sixteen years old, he left home to find employment in New York City.

He had previously worked in a soap manufacturing shop. When he told the captain of the canal boat upon which he was traveling that he planned to make soap in New York City, the man gave him this advice: ‘Someone will soon be the leading soap maker in New York. You can be that person. But you must never lose sight of the fact that the soap you make has been given to you by God. Honor Him by sharing what you earn. Begin by tithing all you receive.’

William Colgate felt the urge to tithe because he recognized that God was the giver of all that he possessed, not only of opportunity, but even of the elements which were used in the manufacture of his products.”

Related News

William Colgate died in 1857, but left behind a company that is successful to this day and a college that bears his name.

John D. Rockefeller, Sr

His own words: “Yes, I tithe, and I would like to tell you how it all came about. I had to begin work as a small boy to help support my mother. My first wages amounted to $1.50 per week. The first week after I went to work, I took the $1.50 home to my mother and she held the money in her lap and explained to me that she would be happy if I would give a tenth of it to the Lord. I did, and from that week until this day I have tithed on every dollar God has entrusted to me. And I want to say, if I had not tithed on the first dollar I made, I would not have tithed on the first million dollars I made.”

Henry Parsons Crowell

Henry Parsons Crowell was an extraordinary Christian business man and founder of the Quaker Oats Company. He brought oatmeal to the mainstream, revolutionised marketing and merchandising methods of his time and advanced the Gospel through the Henry Parsons and Susan Coleman Crowell Trust. The Trust states that its purpose is to fund the teaching and active extension of the doctrines of evangelical Christianity.

Henry had no high school diploma or business qualifications. At a time when the Quaker Oats Company was struggling, he brought his business problems to the Lord.  Many business people and corporate giants came to Christ as a result of their association with Henry and his wife. The more money Henry gave to Christian causes, the more he prospered.

Strive Masiyiwa

Strive Masiyiwa is a Zimbabwean born businessman who founded Econet Wireless. South African based Econet Wireless is now a global telecommunications group with operations, investments and offices in more than 15 countries. A born again Christian, Strive Masiyiwa was quoted as saying that he reads his bible for at least 4 hours a day – if he’s busy! He tithes 10% of his annual income to his church. Together with his wife, he personally pays the school fees for over 22,000 Zimbabwean orphans. According to Forbes, 2015, he has an estimated net worth of US$600 million.

R.G leTourneau

He was the creator and manufacturer of giant earth moving machinery. Before the end of his illustrious career, this manufacturer will reverse the percentages and give God 90% and retain 10% for himself.

R.G leTourneau started and funded with 90% of the stock of his corporation. Before his death in 1969, he had contributed millions and millions of dollars to the work of God worldwide.

Some people are quick to separate tithing from giving. That is a subject for another day!