The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word tithe is money. Pastors talk about it often from the pulpit. The definition means a “tenth part”. When it comes down to your finances it states in the bible, we are instructed to give 10% of them back to the church. As a matter of fact, when my wife and I do our monthly budget we give our tithe first, put money away for savings next, and then pay our bills. In this way we are giving God our “firstfruits”.

Money is valuable to me, but what I treasure more is my time and I try to make sure I maximize it daily. Consider the fact that I work a full-time coaching job with the San Francisco Giants, own a baseball training business, do public speaking events and write on a weekly basis. I need to be extremely efficient if I want to juggle all these balls and be a great husband and father to our two sons. Oh, and by the way make sure to fit God in there somewhere as well. The question I pose to you is this- Can you tithe your day to God?

So, let’s go back to what we said about a tithe. It’s 10%. That means if you are going to tithe your day to God you need to give him two hours and forty minutes of it. Yes, you heard that right. Now before you call me crazy and skip over to watching videos on YouTube, hear me out. I shared with you how much I have on my plate, so you know I have a lot of things to do on a given day. This is possible and I’m going to give you a roadmap on how to do it.

“Can you tithe your day to God?”

Billy Horton

Prioritizing your day

The first thing I do every morning is read the bible. I usually go into our office and do my best to not wake anyone else up. This is me giving God the first part of my day. I have a reading plan and a journal. I take notes about what I read that day and then write a short letter to God. Typically, this takes about 15 to 30 minutes and it gets my day off on the right foot.

Depending on what time of year it is I will either slip out of the house before everyone wakes up and head off to a morning workout at the Giants complex. This is where I get another 15 minutes of prayer with the Lord, or I may just listen to Christian music and think about how I can impact someone today. If it’s during the off season, I eat with my family, drive the kids to school and then go workout. Either way I am praying or listening to music in the car when I am alone.

During these workouts I am typically rocking out to Christian tunes and praying that God will help keep my personal temple strong. I grew up listening to 80’s and 90’s rock bands so I tend to lean towards bands like Skillet, Thousand Foot Crutch and Ashes Remain. I have often said during my workouts that I go through the trials, to build the temple, so I can share my testimony. Keeping fit and healthy is important to a long life. This gives me another 60 to 90 minutes with God.

After this I focus on being a good example of Christ at work through my words and actions. Professional baseball can be a tough place for Christian men, but moments arise when you get the opportunity to share your faith. Sometimes you can feel like you are on an island, but I try to remind myself that I am never alone because God is always with me. Every island needs a Gilligan and a Skipper. Being able to have a Mary Ann or Ginger is nice as well, but whichever one you found more attractive is not really pertinent to this blog…

If I happen to be in the off season I go back home and work in my office. I do a majority of my writing in the Fall and Winter and I get some great moments with God when I am alone in my office. This is also the time when I can meet guys for lunch and do some one-on-one ministry with them. A few months back I wrote about how everyone needs a Paul, Barnabus and Timothy in their lives. I encourage you to click on the link and check it out. We all need someone pouring into us, someone challenging us by holding us accountable and someone we are passing wisdom on to.

By the time my kids get home from school I now turn my focus to them and my wife. Again, I can worship God through my interaction with them. He entrusted me with these three human beings and I need to be good steward of what he has blessed me with. As a leader I have the opportunity to set the tone in my home with the way I act. Fathers are called to provide three major things: finance, protection and atmosphere. I need to be athletic and do a great job at all of these.

As the day draws to a close and I look forward to by comfy bed, I make sure to spend some more time with God. This includes night time prayers with Taleen and the boys. Once they fall asleep, I slip back into the office for some more time in the bible. I typically read a Psalm at night to bring me peace. It is the last thing I do before my head hits the pillow and a great way to clear out my mind.

Pastor Troy Johnson once told me it is important to start and end my day with God, so that is what I do. It is important to try and emulate Christ in my daily life. I will fail at times, but like he did as he walked to his death for our sins, I will get back up and stay focused on my mission of being a Christian. I believe that all of us can tithe our day to him. We just need to be intentional about it.

Since all of us love blessings, I will leave you with this verse from the book of Proverbs to think about when you consider tithing your time and money to God…

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

Proverbs 3:9-10

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