Give of your first fruits

I have a couple of amusing anecdotes. I used to work with this Hispanic gentleman by the name of Peter. We were talking about matters of faith when he told me that he always made sure he tithed, and God taught him a lesson one month when he was strapped for cash and bills were mounting and he told God he just couldn't make ends meet, so he dipped into the money he was going to use for tithe to pay some bills. The next day his car broke down, the cost of repair: exactly 10% of his monthly income... to the penny. So what did he do? Well, he paid his bill and then he put together enough money to tithe. He had learned his lesson, he said.
I actually just had a similar experience (which sucks) when my AC compressor blew out on my house. Cost of replacement: $1,800. Which is almost exactly how much I have in my tithe checking account. I have set up my direct deposit to set aside a certain amount of money for tithe and generous giving. And even though I have online bill pay set up with my church, it still takes months for me to get around to sending the money. Since I definitely don't make $18,000 a month, you can imagine how long that money has been accumulating.
I don't think the lesson here is "God will smite you if you don't pay up." The lesson here is that I am very blessed, and even though the culture around me is trying to tell me how much I "deserve" a luxurious lifestyle, I need to remember how richly God has blessed me, how little I really need, and how great are the needs of those in the world that don't have what little they need.