Overview of Tithing
This is a key biblical principle that is underappreciated. Tithing affects your spiritual connection with God and financial status quo.
Matthew 6:20-21(ESV) But store your treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust can ruin them, and where thieves cannot break in and steal.Wherever your wealth is, so will your heart be.
In this text, Jesus contrasts earthly things with heavenly treasures. Tithing is the first step toward storing riches in heaven. I want us to focus on the last sentence in these lines. You may want to emphasize this: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” In other words, your heart follows the riches. If your only source of wealth is bank accounts, your heart will place its confidence in them for the future. If you have saved riches in heaven by tithing, your heart will trust God for the future. As a pastor, I’ve discovered that tithing is the result of a spiritually mature lifestyle. Every spiritually developed person I’ve ever known has been a tither; the two go hand in hand. Tithing increases your connection with God.
What is Tithing?
Tithing is God’s launching point for blessings amongst His people. Tithing is contributing 10% of your money to God via your local church. Tithing represents proportionate giving. The more your income, the larger your tithe. The lower your income, the lower your tithe. The Bible discusses tithes and offerings. An offering is a donation that exceeds 10% of the tithe.
The Bible mentions tithing about 50 times, both in the Old and New Testaments. Why would God want His people to return 10% of their income to Him?
How Tithing can bless us financially
Tithing is an act of Thanksgiving
Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV) Honor the LORD with your riches and the first fruits of all your production; then your barns will be full of food and your vats will overflow with wine.
The first fruits referenced in this passage represented the first 10% of the crop. It was presented in thanksgiving to God for the crop. Tithing is a means to glorify God by admitting that all you own comes from Him. It is a method to express gratitude to God. Do you notice that this passage combines both a demand and a promise. When a person tithes to the Lord, he receives an abundance of blessings. The promise is that “Your barn will be full of food”.
All-round blessings
Malachi 3:10b ESV [See] if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and shower you with blessings until there is no more need.
What type of blessings may you anticipate from tithing? First and foremost, you may anticipate financial blessings. All-round blessings indeed. You are spreading money seeds, and you may expect to harvest financial benefits and much more. What will your financial blessings look like? Finally, you’ll have enough to tithe, cover your necessities, and have some more to give away. Some individuals have been deviating from biblical standards for many years and are now in serious financial trouble.
Trust God
God encourages us to put Him to the test by paying the full tithe. He pledges to repay you by bestowing a big blessing. God wants everyone in our church family to be blessed by their generosity. Believe God and His word. Test God’s generosity and experience His blessings in your life.