Do you tithe? I do now but my tithing used to be rather sporadic at best.
When I first became a Christian, in 1972, I started to tithe for a while but soon something came up in my life needing my more than God (or the Church). Then later I would become repentant and start tithing again.
This cycle continued on and on until I saw a TV show from Paula White which prompted me to send for some of her teachings on tithing. I was blown away by her and the others teachings. I soon learned how tithing is fulfillment of part of God’s covenant promise with me.
Malachi writes:
Mal 3:7 From the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from My statutes, and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you, says Jehovah of Hosts. But you say. In what way shall we return?
Mal 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, In what have we robbed You? In the tithe and the offering!
Mal 3:9 You are cursed with a curse; for you are robbing Me, the nation, all of it.
Mal 3:10 Bring all the tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. And test Me now with this, says Jehovah of Hosts, to see if I will not open the windows of Heaven for you, and pour out a blessing for you, until there is not enough room.
Mal 3:11 And I will rebuke your devourer, and he shall not decay the fruit of your ground against you; nor shall your vine miscarry against you in the field, says Jehovah of Hosts.
Mal 3:12 And all nations shall call you blessed; for you shall be a delightful land, says Jehovah of Hosts.
“Will a man rob God?” Yes I have; in so many ways. I gave tithes to You at times, my Lord; but at other times I withheld what was Yours so I could buy more things for myself.
Surely You won’t hold that against me? Will You? “You are cursed with a curse; for you are robbing Me”. Cursed? Me? Yes I was. My life was spent in a futile cycle of never reaching the goals I had for my life. Even though I kept back the money from God I never had what it took to make the goals become a reality. My faith in God was also weak.
Sometimes when I tithed it was not with a right heart but one of owing a due to God. Sometimes I would not give all that I should or could. I heard a teaching from a previous church that said we are to take care of our parents and that could be considered tithing.
Mal 1:6 A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My fear? says Jehovah of Hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. And you say, In what way have we despised Your name?
Mal 1:7 You offer defiled bread upon My altar; and you say, In what way have we defiled You? In your saying, The table of Jehovah, it is a thing to be despised.
Mal 1:8 And if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Bring it now to your governor. Will he accept you, or lift up your face, says Jehovah of Hosts?
Mal 1:9 And now entreat the face of God, that He favor us. This has been by your hands, will He lift up your faces, says Jehovah of Hosts?
Giving God anything but our best is an abomination to Him. We tend to cheapen up and give what we think is OK. Or in a way that still benefits us.
I knew of a person who would take you out for dinner and count that as a tithe to God. I even fell into this trap when I sent money to Africa to help some orphans. This was indeed an offering but not a tithe to God.
“Bring all the tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house”. That makes it very specific; the money is to be taken to Gods house. Then He will “open the windows of Heaven for you, and pour out a blessing for you”. Quite a blessing!
But did you catch the last part of that statement? “until there is not enough room”.
I now whole heartedly tithe of everything that I earn. I no longer view tithing as a duty to God by as a covenant blessing between me and God. I fulfill my part of the covenant and He fulfils His part.
The peace and fulfillment, in knowing that I am in rightful standing with God, fills me with peace. I enjoy giving to my Father, which is my pleasure.
I am highly favored and blessed by God.
Jim Gregg
April 28, 2009