The Joy of Tithing

“I wasn’t the one in the room that could boast of any schooling. No one in my family was wealthy,” says Debbie.

Debbie Kirk was disinterested in school and dropped out after the 8th grade.  She began working as a waitress to make money.  

“I was working very full time, “ says Debbie, “so probably 40, 50 hours a week just managing this restaurant.  And by that time, it didn’t make sense to leave the job and go back to work to get an education.”

Debbie met someone who shared the gospel with her and after giving her life to Christ, she learned the principals of tithing.

“About 16 years old, I started giving. And the Lord really laid on my heart at that time to give 20%. I was giving like 10% tithe, 10% offering,” she says.  I remember this feeling of being like supernaturally protected.”

Over the next two years, Debbie became a night manager at the restaurant.

She says, “God just blessed me in that business.  Just by increasing in position, increasing monetarily.”

At twenty-two Debbie earned the trust of the owner and was offered a partnership.  She was making more money and as a result began giving more too.

“During my time at the restaurant, from the time that I was 16 to the time I was 22, I would have experienced about a 45 to 50% increase,” Debbie says.

Her restaurant business partner invited her to join him at his travel agency in an entry level role and she left the restaurant. However, Debbie soon realized that the company was nearly three hundred thousand dollars in debt.  Debbie used the wisdom God had given her and before long, she was promoted to manager and eventually vice-president.  Debbie convinced her partner to tithe off the business profits.

She says, “Whenever we would take the draws off of the company, we would absolutely tithe on those.”

Her partner saw her wisdom in tithing and how the company became more successful under her leadership. In total she saved the company more than three hundred thousand dollars.

“He actually compensated me even more than himself. Because he could see that the agency was turning around. And I really see that as being the hand of God and the tithe and the offering,” Debbie says.

Debbie became part owner and in 2019 they sold the company for 6 million dollars.  She says giving allowed her to give more.

“I started out by giving 20%, you know, then I would go to like 25%, and then I would go to 30%.  And before I retired, I was at 35% giving,” she says.  “I could see the hand of God and I knew that if I’m making more, I’m going to be giving more because this is what this is all about.  I recognized where everything had come from. I knew it – that God had blessed me.  I attribute that to the faithfulness of God, absolutely.  The tithe, the offering, the covenant that were with him financially. He protects us when we’re in covenant with Him.  He set up the blueprint.  So it’s obedience.”

Today she’s helping others understand the wisdom and blessing in giving to god.

Debbie says, “It’s not works, It’s like ‘God, I’m so grateful.  I’m so thankful to you for all that you’ve done.  How can I not give back?  How could I not honor you?’”