Tithing is a response to the covenant that we have with God. It is a reminder that the ability given to us to increase and to prosper is from God.
Tithing is not between you and a church or between you and a man. Tithing is between you and God. It is a response to Him and flows from a heart of trust.
Deuteronomy 8:18
“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
Luke 16:10-11
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”
We believe that one of the top competitors for our devotion to Jesus is money (Matthew 6:24). Giving allows us to demonstrate that He is more important to us than material things.
It takes a leap of faith to write that first tithe check. There are bills to be paid, expenses you haven’t thought of yet, and your fingers shake as you pray, “God let there be enough at the end of the month.” Tithing is about trusting God and that He said you were BLESSED.
Genesis 14:18-23
”Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself”. But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth. That I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’.”
Genesis 28:2
"... of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Proverbs 3:9
"Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income."
Hebrews 7:8 (Emphasis added)
”Here mortal men receive tithes, but there (He) receives them, of whom it is witnessed that (He) lives.”
A. If you are putting the Lord first with the tithe, but overall you are going into debt, the problem is not the tithe.
The best next step is to get on a plan that brings your expenses in line with your income while still keeping God at the top of the priority list. God does not want you to borrow from your future to honor your obedience to Him today.
A. The tithe is about trusting God to know better than we do and to do more with what we bring to Him than we can imagine.
Retaining control by designating a tithe is not fully trusting God to know better or that He will keep His promises.
The opportunity to designate for specific purposes can come in the form of gifts and offerings above and beyond the tithe. The mistake we make when it comes to tithing is focusing on dollar amounts instead of the role tithing plays in our hearts.
Giving is an overflow of the recognition of what Jesus did for us — saving us from our sin — and what He wants for us — an abundant life. When we allow Jesus to guide our giving decisions, we will always be generous to the church.
Leviticus 27:30
"A tithe of everything ... belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD."
A. Giving to those in need is what the Bible calls "almsgiving"; that is different from the tithe. Giving to others is Biblical and kind, but we are not to put their need before obedience to God. The tithe belongs to God.
Proverbs 19:17
"The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the LORD, and the LORD will repay him for his good deed."
Proverbs 22:9
"Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor."
Proverbs 28:27
"Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed."
Psalm 41:1-3
"Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The LORD rescues them when they are in trouble. The LORD protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. The LORD nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health."
A. That’s not really the point. Remember that tithing is 10% of your income. If you learn to give the first 10% to God it doesn’t matter if that equals $10 or $10,000.
However, if you wait to tithe with what is left over at the end of the month you will probably find you never have enough to tithe. Tithing may require you to change some of your spending habits and even cut back on things you don’t really need. If we are all honest, we can find lots of things that we spend money on that we don’t need.
Here’s something interesting to consider: people who don’t tithe often say “I don’t have any money” and those that do tithe say, “God always provides for all my needs and more!”
Mark 12:42-44
"But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on.”
A. There are several benefits to online giving for both you and the church.
