The culture of giving

Recently I had the joy to work on a mission trip for the weekend in Anderson SC at the LOT Project. LOT stands for Least Of These, and is dedicated to helping those that are the least of these. While we were there we were able to help out by making some minor physical changes to the building. The mission was not open, but we had people stopping by and asking if the ministry was open, watching the young man who runs this center relate to these people and stop what he was doing to offer help was a blessing to me. We were blessed with too many pizza pies for lunch, for seven people we had 14 pizza pies, way more than we could eat. With that we were able to meet the need of some people who stopped and needed a meal. I saw Andy give clothes, shoes, and food away even with the center closed.
What do we do with our blessings? Many people ask for more and horde what they have. The young man that runs the LOT project, told me that he will make the salary of $17,000 this year,but he is doing what God has called him to do. Of that 17K he uses some of it to help the LOT project and the people who come there, yet his needs are met, how is that for living by faith?
I know pastors who regularly live on what many would call substandard wages, if that was what they were paid, yet they do not mind keeping their pastor "humble". The church is America is the wealthiest in the world yet we fail to return our blessing from God to God, and then wonder why we struggle.American churches would not have any money issues and the ministries like the LOT project would flourish if the Christians in America would do one simple thing......give their tithe to God through their church. The culture of giving has been replaced with the culture of credit....give credit, God does not need credit, He owns it all any way, so why would He want credit. He wants you and I to give to the work of the kingdom.
God has the perfect giving plan, the tithe...10% of what you have. If you did not receive anything then you owe nothing. If you receive $100 for your work you should pay $10 to Him as a tithe, after all He is the one who made you able to work and provided the job to you.
Give it some thought and try it out for a year and prove God on this point.