Do you ever take your token, I mean tithe, and put it in the slot, I mean plate, and pull the lever for a big jackpot, I mean pray to God for a big return. How often do we as a church promise big returns from God if we tithe?
We recently did a short sermon series on stewardship titled “Give It Away”. This series was based on Malachi 3:10
Malachi 3:10(NLT) 10Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD Almighty, “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! Let me prove it to you!
This verse is used every year for a push in tithing. Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe that tithing is of course biblical and is absolutely relevant to this day and age. Why we are giving a tithe, I believe is often misguided. We should not being giving to God in hopes of “a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in” for ourselves. That blessing should be for the church as a whole. I think so many believe that if they give, then God will reward them financially. He may or may not. With that attitude the giving of a tithe is no better than gambling at a slot machine.
God does not need our money. In all actuality it is all His anyway. We are just called to take care of it for a little while. We are called to be stewards of what He has given us. The definition of a steward is someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else. We don’t own anything. God calls us to be stewards so that we can show Him our devotion and our surrender to Him.
It is more a matter of the heart or of attitude that whether we give or not. God knows our heart and He is looking for those of humility and trust in Him. He is seeking those that are giving not for their own selfishness but for a greater reward that only comes from God. He is looking for those that give to see what God will do in others more than what He will give back to them.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8(NLT) 7You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. 8And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
From this passage we can see that God wants us to trust Him wholeheartedly. God will provide all that we need. Not what we want but what we need. You can take that one to the bank.
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7 comments:
That's really cool. Thanks for posting that. It's something God's been teaching me lately.
I'm totally going to use that sometime.
Money? No, I'm pretty sure the tithe was always food (well, okay -- food and drink). ;)
(Sorry, I couldn't resist. I just blogged about tithing and I found you on a Technorati search.) =)
i guess that's a good question to ask ourselves if we are gambling on God or not? Tithing is not a gambling slot machine, so we need to learn to approach God in a more heart felt way http://churchtithesandofferings.com
Thanks for the comments. The biblical definition of tithing is not adhered to today. I believe today's church has used the term "tithe" which of course means tenth to give people a benchmark. We as churches do a lot of things that are not strictly biblical. The Bible has no mention of many of the liturgical practices of today nor mention of building maintenance. These are not bad things though. Are we absolutely required to give 10% of our gross to the church? No, I don't think we are but we better be giving because in that we are most certainly commanded. I enjoy giving. It gives me a great deal of satifaction to know that I have helped someone and pleased God.
Ernie: True 'nuff, it's just... I dunno. Giving in the Bible is all about providing for the poor. Even (especially) when it's giving to pastors who work full time. It just bugs me real bad when a tithe is asked for but spent on other things (not related to helping the poor). You know what I mean?
I know what you mean Travis. We are most certainly to provide for the poor but I believe that the tithe is more about our priorities. Deuteronomy 14:23 talks about giving a tenth of the possessions of the day for the purpose of teaching us to fear the Lord or to put Him first in our lives. God wants us to give to Him first. He will provide.
Also if every member of a church gave a tenth of their gross income then we could wipe out poverty, double pastors salaries and have a major building campaign.
It's about our priorities.
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