Today I'm going to share about a topic that most Christians shy away from... T i t h i n g. First let's shed the mindset of "all Christians want is our money". That is such an unhealthy thought that you need to get rid of right now. Is it gone? No? Okay get rid of it. Is it gone now? Okay good lets move on.
I believe in the Word and in the Word, God calls us to give ten percent of our income. Don't believe me? Need proof? Okay well here you go:
"One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grains from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy." Leviticus 27:30
"You must present one-tenth of the tithe received from the Israelites as a sacred offering to the Lord. This is the Lord's sacred portion, and you must present it to Aaron the priest. Be sure to give to the Lord the best portions of the gifts given to you." Numbers 18:28-29
"Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with the grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine." Proverbs 3:9
"Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. "But you ask, 'How can we return when we have never gone away?' "Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! "But you ask, 'What do you mean? When did we cheat you?' "You have cheated me of tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Malachi 3:7-10
"Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. "But you ask, 'How can we return when we have never gone away?' "Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! "But you ask, 'What do you mean? When did we cheat you?' "You have cheated me of tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Malachi 3:7-10
These are just a few... Do you need more? Okay go open up your Bible and start reading.
Not only are we called to give 10 percent but we are called to give the F I R S T ten percent. We need to give our best. I know even for me working a part time job, living in LA, paying my own schools bills, filling up my own gas, and so on and so on... I can get very stressed about my money and when that direct deposit hits my first thought usually is "Okay let me get these bills out of the way and then I'll see if I have the 10 percent left over". Right there is where I'm being disobedient. Not only am I not giving my first fruits but I am waiting to give at all. My dad always taught us "delayed obedience is disobedience". We need to let go of the worry that our financial situations are too big for God to handle. Want to see a miracle? Step out in obedience in what He calls you to do and He's going to meet your needs.
"So don't worry about these things, saying 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:31-34
I know for me personally that the job I have is not because of me. Without God I would not have my job making the money that I make. So if He is the reason for my paycheck why would I dare try to hold it back from Him? It is time to step out in obedience and give God our first fruits.
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