by Charity Pence
This Week’s Verse: Deuteronomy 8:18 “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” (KJV)
What do you think of when you hear about tithing? When the offering plate is passed around at church, do you just throw in a few dollars, believing that’s enough? Malachi 3:8 says, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, in what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings.” (NKJ) Basically, this verse says we are robbing God when we do not tithe. To tithe means to give God ten percent of what we have. And I don’t think God is asking much from us.
It’s easy to make excuses for not tithing. Maybe we can’t afford to. Or maybe we think giving of our time is enough. But God’s word makes clear that we are to give ten percent of our money to Him. Not only that, He has promised blessings to those who are obedient. God even tells us to test Him! Malachi 3:10 goes on to say this, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
Imagine what God could do if we were more obedient in this area. We would be blessed, and we’d have more to offer to God, which would further His kingdom. Look at it this way. The more you give to the church, the more money the church has to feed the poor, to bring the Gospel to those who have never heard it, to give shelter to the homeless. And the list goes on. God doesn’t give us money so we can buy ourselves material objects. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t believe God wants us living in poverty. And I don’t believe it’s wrong to have nice things, provided we give to God first.
Proverbs 28:22 warns, “He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.” (KJV) So what are you doing with your money?
Dear Heavenly Father, I have learned the hard way what blessings we miss out on when we do not return to You what is Yours. Please forgive me for the times I have held back what I owed to You. And show us how we can be more obedient in this area. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you are not currently obeying God’s command to tithe, search your heart to determine why. What do you gain by holding on to your money? Give to God that which is His, and watch Him move!
Power Verses:
Proverbs 28:20 “A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich [at any cost] shall not go unpunished.” (Amp)
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (NKJ)
Proverbs 11:24, 25 “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.” (NKJ)
4 comments:
I am a devout Christian. I'm in love with Christ Jesus and I'll die in peace with Him. So, when I tell you that you're mistaken about the tithe, I say it with Christian edification. The Bible does not say anywhere at all that God demands 10% of all we have. This is a falsity that's becoming man's reality in the church environment. There's one man in the Bible that said, "I will give 10% of all I have unto the Lord." That's where this is coming from. Secondly, it's not 10% of all we have in the places that DO mention a tithe. It's 10% of our "increase." And increase is defined in the Bible as being above and beyond what's already there. You'll find this meaning in the book of Genesis. Where it states, "and the rains 'increased' and the ark was lifted off the earth." This is one example of "increase" in the Bible. I've studied this subject extensively and prayed even harder about it. God has revealed the truth to me and I'm telling you now that He doesn't want nor EXPECT us to give Him 10% of all we have. He owns the cattle on a thousand hillsides, why does He need your money? And He tells us to look to Him for our needs, not each other. This is disturbing to me that false doctrine, however good the intention in delivering it, can so completely taint God's word and truth. I mean no disrespect to your beliefs. I just hope to share the truth. The church is a body of believers, not a building in need of funds to operate. Meetings were held on hillsides in Jesus' day. I feel it's healthy to question things and most definitely to test a man's words against the truth of God's word. There's a dangerous trend in churches today of people taking the preacher's word for it and not doing in depth study. I'm sad to report there's a lot being taught in the church today that doesn't line up with God's Holy word. God bless you, I'm sorry if I've caused any spiritual disturbance to you. I stand on my convictions as a believer.
I'd rather be giving to the Lord foolishly than to find out later that He did expect me to give when I wasn't. And in the meantime -- I know that God loves a cheerful giver!
Kelline,
Your point of view is appreciated, and I thank you for being willing to share it. However, this is an area we will have to agree to disagree on. I believe the Bible makes clear we are to tithe to God. Yes, God owns everything; nothing is really ours. But I'd be curious to know how then you explain Malachi Chapter 3. And that is not the only place in the Bible that discusses tithes and offerings. I'd further like to state that there are several churches that are only concerned with getting money, and that is not biblical. That is why it is important for Christians to make sure they are tithing money to a church that is using that money to further God's kingdom. Additionally, the New Testatment gives several examples of Christ followers to care for those in need. Sure, we are supposed to put our faith in and depend on God. But if you saw a person who had nothing and was clearly in need of food or shelter or clothing, would you tell that person to have faith in God and then walk away? God uses us, His followers, to meet the needs of others. I believe this is why it is important that we tithe. Finally, personal experience assures me that I am meant to tithe. My husband and I have had financial problems due to lack of work and layoffs, unexpected medical bills, etc., and it wasn't until we began tithing faithfully and with the right attitude that God met our needs.
This is a subject in which I would have to urge everyone to read their Bible, the whole Bible and not just a few select verses, and then do what God leads them to do.
Again, thank you for sharing your views.
The New Testament view of tithing as stated by Jesus: Mt. 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
And also in Acts 2:44,45 it tells of what happened when the people were filled with the fear and awe of God: Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
10% is such a little amount to give in the furthering of the Kingdom. And that's what we're here for - His Kingdom come, His will be done. How can we send and support missionaries if we don't tithe? How can the church provide a place to meet without tithes? How do we give out Bibles and do evangelical work without tithes? And the list goes on.
To me, and according to what I've shared from the Bible, a tithe is just a nice starting point from which to increase the Kingdom of God on this earth. I so don't want to be left out on that point.
Thanks for letting me share my heart.
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