Giving (tithes and offerings)

Tithing and offerings is a source of great controversy in the day and age that we live in, and many people conveniently dismiss it as an Old Testament only issue, and it is certainly not. It has been stated (and rightfully so) that if a man/woman trust God and put Him first in their finances, God is truly Lord of their lives. The word "tithe" literally means "10th", or ten percent. A study done in the religious world some years back, and referred to by Dave Ramsey in his FPU classes stated that the average "tithe" paid by people was 2-3%, which is not actually a "tithe". They just gave what the had "left over", when it came time to give. Tithing is referred to as the "first-fruits" in 2 Chronicles 31:5.

Many people relegated tithing to a "law" issue, but to be scripturally honest, Abraham tithed to Melchizedek a long time before the Law was given to Moses (Genesis 14:20), as did Jacob to God (Genesis 28:22). Malachi wrote in 3:8-10, regarding men robbing God in tithes and offerings. Many people say that he was referring to the priest/priesthood, but actually reading the scriptures, it specifically stated "this whole nation".

Jesus spoke of the scribes and pharisees paying tithes, and omitting weightier matters of the law, and many people stop there and say that the law was more important to Jesus, but if the full scripture is read, we find that Jesus said "these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone", meaning that paying tithe was correct and important, but following judgement, mercy and faith were equally important. The bottom line is that if we aren't full of faith, mercy and righteous judgement, paying our tithes isn't going to do us much good. James the brother of Jesus stated that we can keep the whole law, and then offend in one area, and that makes us guilty in all areas (James 2:10).

This brings us to the scripture passage that I want to point out today:

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (KJV) 

6 But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 

8 And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work:

This is an amazing scripture set referring to the Biblical principle of giving to the Lord. The first scripture (V6) makes a statement that refers to giving as a crop in a field, stating that if you sow seeds sparingly that your harvest won’t be much!  I was friends with a man that had a large portion of land that he planted oats on every year, and he always OVER-seeded, and eventually he didn’t have to plant every year anymore, due to the over-abundance of his previous seeding. The oats began to show up every year without fail because he had not spared to sow over-abundantly in the previous years.  This was his story, not mine, and I use it to make a larger point about the principle of giving. We've always said that a person cannot out-give God. The more a person gives, and gives the right way with the right motive, the more God gives back to us, and not necessarily in monetary means, either. God's blessings upon His people is more than just money in the bank, but it encompasses every aspect of our lives! The blessings of God cannot be just measured monetarily.

The second scripture refers to a person giving with purpose in his heart, which means that priority is placed on giving.  In other words, giving is not just an afterthought, but rather it is purposeful and deliberate. This scripture also refers to giving cheerfully, stating that God loves for you and I to be cheerful or happy about giving!  Many people only give God what is left over, and so giving becomes an afterthought instead of a priority, and in case you didn’t know this, God wants to be a priority for you in every aspect of your life, giving included, but not just in your giving. As I previously stated, giving in and of itself cannot save a person, but we must come to God in ALL aspects of our lives, and put Him first in EVERYTHING! 

The final scripture starts by saying “God is able to make”, which means that by our giving, God has something to work with, and He uses OUR GIVING to supply us with grace (the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in our life) that we did not deserve!  Does God own "the cattle of a thousand hills"? He absolutely does (Psalm 50:10), but while He does bless us of HIS abundance many, many times, our giving to God is US SOWING SEED ABUNDANTLY, and showing Him that we are committed to this relationship with Him!

If we aren't willing to bring "something" to the relationship, but just want to "take" from His substance, that would be like saying that an man and woman will marry, but keep their lives, possessions and finances totally separate, which will never build a trusting, loving and devoted relationship in a marriage. That ends up being a contract or partnership that can, and more often than not, be terminated because of a disagreement or perceived slight. If you really want to have a deep and intimate connection that will weather the trials that come with time, you must completely give yourself to the relationship, not 50/50, but 100 %, or lock, stock and barrel, as they used to say (whoever "they" is)!

By the same token, if you want to have the grace of God in your life, give with purpose and with joy, and this will give God something to work with!  No matter how small the gift/giving, (but with an understanding of what "tithing" is supposed to be), if it is given in the right spirit and with the right motive, God can multiply it thousands of time over!  Remember that the 5 loaves and two fishes of a little boy’s lunch turned into a feast for thousands of people!  Purpose to give today, and watch God begin do His best work in your life!