Blessed or cursed? It is up to you

A sore subject for many people is the subject of tithing. Although I am a faithful tither now, I have not always been so. That gives me the unique advantage of knowing its advantages and disadvantages. I honestly can tell you that there are far more benefits to tithing and even beyond that, giving offerings over and above the tithe to the Lord, than not doing so.

First of all what is a tithe according to the Bible anyway? We are instructed to give God 10% of our income as a tithe. It is referred to as “first fruits”, meaning that we give God his small portion of what we earn “first”, before anything else. God covers this in detail in Malachi chapter 3 and the command is reinforced later by Jesus in Matthew and Luke. Do not think that this command is not just as relevant today as when actual agricultural and livestock products and other similar tithes were brought to the temple. God states in Malachi, “For I am the Lord, I do not change”. To me that means God still to this very day requires His tithe from us as faithful stewards or managers of the resources that He has made available to us, no matter how meager, or bountiful, or what type of offering.

Some of us may not take it too seriously, but God has some strong feelings about it. In discussing the tithe in chapter 3 God asks in Malachi: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. In what way have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation”. That seems to me to be a pretty strong warning and a clear message from on high that we are to tithe. Who in their right mind would ever want to “rob” God and then suffer a curse from our holy Creator? According to this passage not tithing is exactly equivalent to robbing God and thereby receiving a curse for it.

OK, so you want to tithe, how do you accomplish that? By giving your tithe directly to the church that you attend. Offerings above and beyond the tithe can be given to whatever good cause that we might feel led to give to such as the Katrina fund, Salvation Army, Samaritans Purse, Eagles Ranch, the poor etc.; however God requires our “tithe” to be paid directly to His “storehouse” which is the church, “In order that there might be food in my house”. Tithes fund the good work of spreading the Gospel and should be paid directly to the church and that is how God set it up for them to receive their funding.

Through the years I have experienced tremendous financial problems. At times I worried about whether or not I could even pay my utility bills and often thought I might lose my home. Remaining faithful to the tithe during these times when every single dollar bill counts is difficult; out tendency is to allow satan to convince ourselves that our family needs that money more than the church. Nothing could be farther from the truth and it is not our money anyway. Remember the Bible plainly states that the first ten per cent belongs to God and not to us. Foremost in your mind should be the understanding that hard times are exactly the times we should be adhering to this policy the most. Sound like a paradox? Not when one considers that God has not only said that He curses those who do not tithe, but importantly He also gives a promise that if we are faithful He will “pour out” His blessings upon us. Obeying God in this is the key to solving our financial problems and getting out of our dilemma.

Times are tough right now in the Keys especially for real estate people. I am involved with helping to raise money to build an addition to our church and was meeting with the pastor and his wife on this subject the other day. We discussed the hard times people were having in the Keys and how tough it was for most everyone to make ends meet right now, much less give to the church. In discussing the depth of the problem, the pastor mentioned to me that a formerly very successful couple involved with real estate was only capable of tithing $7 the previous Sunday due to just not having much income because of the economy being so bad and the real estate market being down.

Trust me God is very well pleased with that gift and I have no doubt in my mind that God will do as He has promised and reward these fine people for their faithfulness with blessings beyond measure. Be your tithe $7 or $700,000,000, God is not concerned with the amount; He is concerned with the faithfulness. I really admire those people whoever they might be who gave their $7 tithe. Such faith will surely be rewarded. Their trust in the Lord will open a floodgate of blessings and He will deliver them from their dilemma.

I have personally found that one cannot out-give God. The more I give, the more I receive in return; (not just financial returns although there has been that aspect of it delivered to me), but also inner peace and joy. The Bible states that it is more blessed to give than receive. Another paradox? Try it for yourself and see if God’s promise below is not bestowed upon you too

Malachi 3:10
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the
windows of heaven
And pour out for you such
blessing
That there will not be room
enough to receive it”.