Tithing as Practical DiscipleshipYet you rob me. But you ask, 'How did we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing me. 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 flood gates of heaven and poor out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Malachi 3:8-10 Are you robbing God?The tithe belongs to the LORD. It's His. It may be in your field, or your vineyard, or your checking account, or your business, or your paycheck, but it belongs to the LORD. Tithing is an Old Testament command. I know I am not bound to follow Old Testament law. But the the concept of tithing is solid and applicable today. These are the principles: 1. God created it. Whatever it is He made it. He may have used my hands, or my brain, or my skills. But He gave those to me and He deserves the credit for everything created. (Genesis 1:1) 2. God owns it. He may have loaned it to me or put it under my care, but He owns it. (Psalm 50:10-12) 3. God provides it. He may use a job, or a client, or a family member, or the state, or even the lottery! Be He ultimately determines what is provided to me in whatever way and in whatever time He chooses. Therefore, the LORD should have some say in how it's used. He could give me specific directions for how to handle all of it. But He doesn't. He speaks about the tithe. The tenth. BackgroundThe tithe is to be collected by the Levites. (Nehemiah 10:37-39) It's to support the work of the Levites. The Levites were selected by the LORD to dedicate themselves to the service required by God from His people. The LORD is entitled to take the first born child from each and every family as His own. When He brought the Israelites out of Egypt, it was necessary for Him to make a lasting impression on the Egyptians. To persuade them to let the Israelites leave, the LORD chose to use “the plague of the firstborn” to make His point. One night, at midnight, the firstborn son of every Egyptian died. The firstborn of every family of the Israelites were unharmed. The LORD used this event to claim these firstborn, and all future firstborn, as His own. Later, the LORD took the tribe of Levi in exchange. “I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine . . . (Numbers 3:12-13) The LORD traded the firstborn of every Israelite family for the Levites. The work of the Levites was to serve the LORD. They were full-time servants of God. They collected the tithe from the Israelites. The tithe was used to feed the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless, and the widows. (Deuteronomy 14:28-29) Applying the principles of tithing todayApplication of these giving principles will be different for everyone. You need to ask the LORD what He wants you to do with your resources and then give cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:6,7) Based on my understanding of tithing and giving, this is how I believe God wants me to apply what I learned. “Your mileage may vary,” but this is how the Lord has led me. Money 1. Ten percent is the minimum. I diligently give away 10 percent of my gross, pre-tax income from every pay check. I give to churches, organizations and individuals who serve the LORD full-time. Some of them are dedicated to feeding the poor and sharing the Gospel. Some of them are dedicated to making disciples and building the people of the church of God through practical discipleship. Some of them are dedicated to reaching their local communities and the nations around the globe with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ten percent is not the maximum I give. It's the minimum. Time 2. I give a minimum of ten percent of my time to serve the LORD. Like everyone else, I have 168 hours each week. Ten percent of 168 is 16.8 hours each week to serve God, minimum. From 16.8, I subtract 2.8 hours for participating in church each week. I selected 2.8 because it adequately covers my church involvement and it leaves me with 14 hours. Fourteen divided over 7 days is 2 hours a day. On average, I divide my 2 hours like this: 30 minutes, Bible reading Remember, 2 hours a day is the minimum. It's a tithe for me. Talent 3. I try to give minimum of ten percent of my talent and energy to serve the LORD. I've been told I have some talent as a teacher. I have been a professional teacher in the past. Even during that time, I tried to invest at least 10 percent of my teaching energy to passing on practical discipleship truths and principles to others. Currently, I invest about 50 percent of my teaching energy in developing practical discipleship in others. The same is true of my writing talent. God has given us all talents. Cooking, selling, making friends, comforting people, sewing, fixing stuff, financial smarts, organizing things, helping people, praying and many, many, many, many, more. List your talents. Purpose in your heart to use some part of your talent energy to serve God. The tithe is 10 percent. The Barna Group says 24 percent of evangelical, born again Christians give a tithe. Don't rob God!
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Posted on March 24, 2009
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