July 2007 | Posted in • God | (0) Comments |
When we talk about tithing, what are we really talking about? As born again believers, we are taught to give 10% of our income to the Lord. Do you think the Lord needs this? Do you feel you will get a “That a boy!” when you get to heaven? It is time the church has a heart check. The tithe is not about ten percent of your income; it is about trusting the Lord 100%.
When you trust the Lord 100%, you know that the 90% of your income will produce more than all of it together. One of my favorite verses is Malachi 3:10: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” The tithe is about trust. When we tithe, we show God that we put Him first place in our finances, so we honor and worship Him with the first 10%.
When I first started tithing, I was inconsistent. I would tithe for a while and then question whether or not we should give before or after taxes. If I gave a gift to a ministry, I would count that as part of the tithe. That is not being a good steward of the tithe, which belongs in the local church.
The Lord does not need your money. His needs are met. We need to give so our needs are met. Isn’t it amazing how, when you are finally hooked up with the love of tithing, the car seems to need fewer repairs, and the electric bill is not quite so high? The tithe shows God that you love and appreciate Him, and that you want to spread the gospel all over the world.
I know that some people just can’t understand how they could tithe if they can’t pay their bills. They wonder, “How on earth could I do it if I tithed?” I have been there; I understand. However, we the church need to start living in the supernatural, not the natural. The natural way of thinking says that tithing is crazy. People have told me I am crazy. I don’t take my council from people; I take council from God.
The church should not be deceived by Satan, the ruler of the natural world. Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” The principles of seed time and harvest were created by God and are always at work in the earth. The tithe is a starting place that puts these principles into motion for your finances.
Galatians 3:14 says, “that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Jesus died on the cross so that we can receive the blessing of Abraham. I don’t know about you, but I want some of that! It all starts with the tithe. Trust the Lord 100%. I dare you to start tithing and see the power of God move in your life!
SCRIPTURES TO MEDITATE ON:
- Deuteronomy 8:18
- Mark 4:8
- Deuteronomy 28:2-8
- Matthew 6:33
- Psalm 112:3
- Luke 6:38
- Proverbs 3:9-10
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