Tithing

Ouch! Tithing can be a touchy subject! For some, it's a lot easier to be a Christian when you don't have to give away your hard-earned money! But there's a lot more to tithing than many people realize.
 

First of all, it's important to understand that you do not have to tithe in order to be saved. However, it's also important to know that doing so can be in your best interest.

"...No one is to appear before me empty-handed. " (Exodus 23:15)

"Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God..." (Exodus 23:19)

"Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops." (Proverbs 3:9)

" 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord...' " (Leviticus 27:30)

The firstfruits of the land and the firstborn of the livestock were to be offered to God in days of old. Not just the firstfuits, but the best of the firstfruits and the best of the firstborn herds. Ten percent, to be exact. A "tithe". One percent is not a tithe. Nor is five percent. Nor is nine percent or twenty percent. A tithe is ten percent.
 

Ten percent of the firstfruits is God's requirement. If you generously part with $5 out of your paycheck on Sunday, you're likely not tithing. You're likely robbing God...unless, of course, your check is $50.
 

Eleven percent is not a tithe. Ten percent of it is a tithe. The remaining percent is an offering. If you "tithe" on your take home pay, you are not tithing onthe firstfruits. The firstfruits is what you have before anyone else gets a piece of it...including Uncle Sam.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse..." (Malachi 3:10)

The storehouse is your church, if you attend one on a regular basis. Although there are many worthy organizations you may donate your money to, they are not the storehouse. It's not wrong at all, to donate to charities (and we don't mean to give that impression) as long as you've tithed to the storehouse. If you don't have a home church, then you should tithe as the Lord leads you. Why?
 

Because:

"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me." (Malachi 3:8,9)

If you don't tithe, you're under a curse because you're robbing God. Scary, huh? Keep in mind, that you're salvation does not depend on your tithing. Whether you tithe or not, there will be times that you will be
blessed and times that you will feel cursed. But if you don't tithe, you're definitely living under a curse. You're robbing God.

Look again at Leviticus 27:30 above:

" 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord...' "

A tithe...or ten percent...of everything belongs to the Lord. It belongs to him whether you give it to him or not. Therefore, if you don't tithe, you're robbing God.

Please understand that God doesn't need your money. That's not why he requires the tithe. He created wealth! Why on Earth would he need your money when everything in creation already belongs to him? What could you possibly have that God doesn't have? It is not your money he wants.

It's your obedience.

And your faith.
 

God knows we humans are rather attached to what little wealth we have. He wants to know if we're willing to part with it for his sake. The thing we fail to realize is that it's all his to begin with. He's letting us keep 90 % of it! But he wants to know if we will be obedient in parting with "our" income to honor his command. He wants to know if we have the faith to return to him what he calls his, even if we "can't afford" it. Or maybe we can't afford it because we're living under a curse??


" "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the Lord Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the Lord Almighty. " (Malachi 3:10-12)

If you can't afford to tithe, then you probably can't afford not to! Did you catch what he said? "Test me in this, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

Test him in this and see if he will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it! He wants you to test him in this! He's asking...no, he's telling you to test him in this! Test him and see if he doesn't open up the floodgates of heaven!

He's not promising to return your money, or to double it, or triple it. He's promising to open up the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you can't hold it all! It could be a financial blessing, although he doesn't promise it. It could be a spiritual blessing, a physical blessing, emotional blessing, or all of the above, or something entirely different!

While you can't be sure how he'll bless you, you can be sure that he will, indeed, bless you...so much that you can't hold it all in! How can you know? Because he just promised you that. Read it again. He didn't say he might bless you, or that he would like to bless you. He said he will bless you!

With that said, please be aware that we're not soliciting your money. In fact, as you've seen, the tithe is to be taken to the storehouse...your church. What we are doing is encouraging you to tithe. Not for our sakes, but for yours. We'll never know if you tithe or not. But you will, and God will.

Test him in this, and see if he won't open up the floodgates of heaven...   :0)
 

If you don't have a church that you attend on a regular basis and you would like to offer your tithes to support our ministry, please feel free to do so as the Lord leads. Your gift will be welcomed and appreciated... but please keep in mind, that if you do have a church home, your first obligation lies there.