On Tithing
One of the promises I made this year was to tithe 10% back to God. I remember listening on the radio about tithing and how the speaker would rather have 10% of God and 90% himself over 100% himself and it got me thinking.
Malachi 3:10 says:
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.
The way the verse comes off is as if God is daring us to test his faithfulness, which got me excited in a "Cool, show me" sort of way. So far, God has definitely provided more blessings that I can keep track of.
There's a few things about tithing I've found. One, you start thinking of innovative ways to adapt to meet your budget (even though I've still yet to meet mine). Two, you find out that money is only that, money. And lastly, the money itself really isn't mine, but something God's loaned to me.
The last point really hit me. Everything I have really belongs to God in the first place, so offering my tithe isn't really giving to God something that's mine. In fact, I can't offer anything that really belongs to me outside of myself. That's when it occured to me that this is what God was really after in the first place.
Malachi 3:10 says:
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.
The way the verse comes off is as if God is daring us to test his faithfulness, which got me excited in a "Cool, show me" sort of way. So far, God has definitely provided more blessings that I can keep track of.
There's a few things about tithing I've found. One, you start thinking of innovative ways to adapt to meet your budget (even though I've still yet to meet mine). Two, you find out that money is only that, money. And lastly, the money itself really isn't mine, but something God's loaned to me.
The last point really hit me. Everything I have really belongs to God in the first place, so offering my tithe isn't really giving to God something that's mine. In fact, I can't offer anything that really belongs to me outside of myself. That's when it occured to me that this is what God was really after in the first place.
4 Comments:
Hey Pat,
money is defeinitely one thing we have to juggle with. Well, most of the time it is never enough.
What i do find is that my budget tends to fluctuate. Like one week spend more, then next week spend less. More or less it balance out that way (well as long as i am not in the reds).
I am glad u make the conscious decision to give 10% back to God.
Amen to both statements. Although, to be completely clear, the reason isn't to say "Yay, look at what I'm doing." or anything like that, but just my observations.
last time i offered my tithe, God gave me a raise, no kidding! :)
Good point Pat! Money was never ours in the first place, everything belonged to God, it was His to start w/.
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