Let me begin by saying that everything belongs to God. Everything! The hairs on your head, the freckles on your face, your money, your house, your cars, and your very soul are His. The earth and everything in it belong to God Almighty. That being said, God requires us to be givers, to give back a small portion of what He has blessed us with. So many Christians today make this concept sound like it is optional. God did not ask us to give Him our firstfruits, (tithe), He commanded it. The word tithe means tenth. The Lord commanded us to tithe in not just one place in the Bible; rather several Scriptures support this commandment. Let us examine just a few of them.
Malachi 3:8-9 asks, “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 because of you—because you are robbing me”. According to the Word of God, tithing is not optional, for if you withhold your tithes and offerings, you are guilty of robbing God. This is more applicable to those who are part of the Body of Christ. Those who are not in the Body are ignorant of the concept of tithing. God requires your tithe, not just money, but also time and talents, because He wants to grow and stretch you. By giving a tenth of all that you own, you are making a sacrifice to God. Most people that I know are not so financially well off that they would not notice ten percent of their income missing. The people who are financially secure and will not feel a ten percent pinch will feel the sting in their schedule. Most who are financially secure work long, hard hours to support that income. Ten percent of their time may be inconvenient to them. Either way, you are making a sacrifice unto the Lord.
We are to give our tithes and offerings joyfully. They are not to be made reluctantly, with a scowl on your face. God joyfully gave to you and He expects the same treatment in return. “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. When we give with a cheerful heart, God is faithful to bless us cheerfully as well. We all know that you can’t give bigger than God. The lessons learned and the joy experienced from tithing with a joyful heart, far outweigh the small amount of time or money that you part with. For when God gives unto you, He does not hold back. Sometimes He blesses you to the point where it becomes overwhelming. The Lord foretells this is His word, in Malachi 3:10, “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”. That promise can be life altering; for when God opens the floodgates of Heaven, the blessings are overwhelming. I could write an entire series of articles on what happened when God opened the floodgates of Heaven on my family and me.
There are times when God will lead you to give more than your tenth; likewise, there are times when God will lead you to give less than your tenth. Just trust Him, for He knows all of your needs, and He is faithful to be sure they are met. Sometimes, God will ask you to sacrifice so much that it hurts. Abraham was asked to sacrifice his only son Isaac, as seen in Genesis 22:2-14. For his faith and willingness to sacrifice his one and only son, God allowed Isaac to live, because God understood that there was nothing Abraham would not do for Him. The Lord also blessed Abraham with descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, one of Abraham’s greatest desires.
As you can see it does not pay to rob God, and it does pay to give. The rewards are not always monetary, but they will always bless you. Not that our motive should be for the reward, but to be obedient to the Lord. It is my prayer that you will choose the path of obedience and that the floodgates of Heaven will open upon you and overflow you with blessings. Until next time, may God bless and keep you, and may His face shine upon you.
Malachi 3:8-9 asks, “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 because of you—because you are robbing me”. According to the Word of God, tithing is not optional, for if you withhold your tithes and offerings, you are guilty of robbing God. This is more applicable to those who are part of the Body of Christ. Those who are not in the Body are ignorant of the concept of tithing. God requires your tithe, not just money, but also time and talents, because He wants to grow and stretch you. By giving a tenth of all that you own, you are making a sacrifice to God. Most people that I know are not so financially well off that they would not notice ten percent of their income missing. The people who are financially secure and will not feel a ten percent pinch will feel the sting in their schedule. Most who are financially secure work long, hard hours to support that income. Ten percent of their time may be inconvenient to them. Either way, you are making a sacrifice unto the Lord.
We are to give our tithes and offerings joyfully. They are not to be made reluctantly, with a scowl on your face. God joyfully gave to you and He expects the same treatment in return. “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. When we give with a cheerful heart, God is faithful to bless us cheerfully as well. We all know that you can’t give bigger than God. The lessons learned and the joy experienced from tithing with a joyful heart, far outweigh the small amount of time or money that you part with. For when God gives unto you, He does not hold back. Sometimes He blesses you to the point where it becomes overwhelming. The Lord foretells this is His word, in Malachi 3:10, “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”. That promise can be life altering; for when God opens the floodgates of Heaven, the blessings are overwhelming. I could write an entire series of articles on what happened when God opened the floodgates of Heaven on my family and me.
There are times when God will lead you to give more than your tenth; likewise, there are times when God will lead you to give less than your tenth. Just trust Him, for He knows all of your needs, and He is faithful to be sure they are met. Sometimes, God will ask you to sacrifice so much that it hurts. Abraham was asked to sacrifice his only son Isaac, as seen in Genesis 22:2-14. For his faith and willingness to sacrifice his one and only son, God allowed Isaac to live, because God understood that there was nothing Abraham would not do for Him. The Lord also blessed Abraham with descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, one of Abraham’s greatest desires.
As you can see it does not pay to rob God, and it does pay to give. The rewards are not always monetary, but they will always bless you. Not that our motive should be for the reward, but to be obedient to the Lord. It is my prayer that you will choose the path of obedience and that the floodgates of Heaven will open upon you and overflow you with blessings. Until next time, may God bless and keep you, and may His face shine upon you.
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