I NEVER BELIEVED IN TITHING…
All my life, I didn’t believe in tithing even though I knew from teaching that God wanted it. It wasn’t WISDOM on my part. I was a little kid who went to church alone and my mom gave me $1.00 to put in. It was that mentality that I took into adulthood. When I worked; maybe I moved up to $10.00.
I’m sorry…I just didn’t know.
I didn’t have 10% to give to God and my church going was sporadic at best.
I don’t believe in arguing the word of God; but it amazes me how at odds people are about the tithe. For a fact I know that if people fully understood tithing…they would tithe. I’ll state up front, I won’t “debate” it. If you don’t believe in tithing nothing I can say can change you. My job is just to plant the seed and God will do the rest.
Surviving a brain tumor and cancer, I moved closer to God. When I finally found a Praise, Prayer, Bible believing and teaching church…I had no extra money to put in church. But, I couldn’t. Most of the time, I went three or four times a week and could only afford a couple or a few dollars each time. I decided to just forget my bills and start tithing 10%. I didn’t pray about it first; I just did it. It did not work. Disasters financially based began to occur so frequently that I couldn’t believe it. I cut back to 3% for quite a while after prayer and I did that for quite a while. I also began to do a better job saving and managing my monies and I eventually moved to 5%. I stayed there for some time and eventually moved to 10%.
I ALSO BECAME A PRAYER WARRIOR…
You need to know that my life totally changed after a mere four years of tithing. Impossibilities became possible. I bought a car, then received one and gave one away. I began to send monies to people in other parts of the world by partnering with outreach ministries.
I BELIEVE…
I believe that I have a Covenant with God. A Covenant is an agreement. God agrees to do something for me. I agree to do something for Him…Love and obey Him. One of His commands to me is to “return” 10% of all my earnings to God. I give it in a church and that money goes for many things, but I am giving it to God per His instructions. I cannot tell anyone where to put their money and how much…I just do what I am instructed to do. The bible doesn’t say: “THIS IS AN ALA CARTE MENU; YOU CAN PICK AND CHOOSE!” So, I take it all seriously. A lot of people don’t, but that’s them.
I believe that I have certain “rights” because I am in covenant. I also believe that I am honoring God, I revere Hom and because He asks me to do it…I do…I don’t question it.
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There are some of the scriptures that I meditated upon:
“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 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. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
13 “You have said harsh things against me,” says the LORD.
“Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’
14 “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’ ”
16 Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.
17 “They will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession. [a] I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
MALACHI 3: 4-17
Luke 6:38 (NKJV)
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
Proverbs 19:17 (NKJV)
He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.
Proverbs 21:13 (NKJV)
Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.
Proverbs 22:9 (NKJV)
He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.
Proverbs 28:27 (NKJV)
He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.
Matthew 25:31-46 (NKJV)
31“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ” Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.‘
44“Then they also will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Romans 15:4 (New International Version)
4For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Luke 6:38 (New International Version)
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Psalm 62: 10
Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
My personal list is actually longer but I’ll add to this over time…
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* This article was inspired by an email that I received on tithing. An innocent man had a lot of questions. It came from someone I “suspect” wanted me to debate it all. I can’t do that. On Judgment Day I’ll stand alone…and so will you!
Satan will try to keep you from getting God’s best…he’ll try to convince you in your mind that tithing won’t benefit you. Don’t fall for it!
WISDOM OF GOD! 