Tithing: a practice that's blessed

Give in the old way or in the new!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Malachi 3:1-15


TO CHEW ON:"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
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.'" - Malachi 3:10

Do you tithe? By tithe I mean give 10% of your income to God.

I know some people argue against tithing, saying that it is a form of legalism hearkening back to Old Testament times. However, I believe that it is a practice that carries on for us today (supported by Jesus in Matthew 23:23), and that when we give in such an accurate and consistent way, we benefit.

Three blessings of tithing are mentioned in today's Malachi reading:

1. Tithing supports the church (Malachi 3:10). Malachi phrases it "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse / That there may be food in my house..." Our tithes brought to the churches where we worship and are spiritually fed (the 'storehouse') means that they will flourish as headquarters for spreading the Gospel in our communities.


2. Tithing is grounds for God's blessing (Malachi 3:10). What sweet words from Him! Who of us wouldn't welcome an open heaven, and so much blessing we couldn't contain it?


3. Tithing frustrates Satan (Malachi 3:11). God says through Malachi, "I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes." For Judah He would do it in a very practical way by blessing crops and causing a bountiful harvest to the extent that she would gain an international reputation as "blessed" and known to be a "delightful land" (Malachi 3:12). Rebuking the devourer for us could be God's blessing and protection in a myriad ways from preserving our property, to keeping our machines from breaking down, to prospering us at work, to keeping our clothes from wearing out (the way God blessed the Israelites when they trekked through the desert during the exodus - Deuteronomy 8:4; 29:5; Nehemiah 9:21).

Of course our primary motive in tithing shouldn't be to get a blessing. As a sidebar article in my Bible explains:

"Nothing will keep a wise believer from tithing and giving, but he or she will never be found to tithe or give offerings just to get something in return. ... Do not be afraid to prove God with your giving; He is God and He will stand the test every time" - Oral Roberts in "God's Giving Plan Begins With Tithing," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1272.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this clear teaching about accurate, systematic giving. Help me to understand how this is a spiritual as much as a monetary matter. Amen.

MORE: Is tithing needful for salvation?
If you are looking for arguments against tithing, you’ll find lots online. There are a multitude of books and articles that insist on things like tithing was only for the support of the priests (descendants of the tribe of Levi who had no land) and the poor, that it was only given as agricultural produce (never money), that Jesus’ mention of it (Luke 18:12) means nothing for us because He was speaking in a time before His death when the law was still in effect, and more.

My position is:

• Tithing is not required. It is not necessary for salvation. We are under grace.

• Tithing is a good place to start when figuring out what part of my income/substance I should give. When I tithe, I am reminded that all I have really belongs to God. Some challenge tithing of other things as well, like one’s time.

“The old covenant required 10 percent. The new covenant does not specify a percentage, nor do we. However, the new covenant admonishes people to give what they can, and tithing still provides an instructive point of comparison” - read all of “Is Tithing Required in the New Covenant?”

• Paul talks about how ministers of the gospel deserve to be supported by those who benefit from their ministry (1 Timothy 5:18). In the Old Testament that support came from the tithe. Tithing seems like a good practical solution to support the “house” but, again, it is not a law or requirement.

• Because the New Covenant is so much better than the old one, why limit oneself to giving only one tenth? That’s the point John Piper makes on this 7-minute audio file where he answers: “Is Tithing Commanded for Christians?”

***********Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sowing and reaping

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Galatians 6:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." Galatians 6:7-8

If you have ever planted a garden, you will be familiar with the principles of sowing and reaping—principles which, throughout the Bible, also illustrate truisms about living life wisely and well. What are these principles? I can think of three (there may be more):

1. The crop we harvest will have the same nature as the seed we plant. If we plant peas, we will harvest peas, not artichokes or carrots.

Relating this principle to how we live our lives, the writer of Hosea talks of a righteous life reaping God's rain of righteousness (Hosea 10:12). When we live (sow) in a way that panders to our fleshly appetites, we reap corruption, says Paul in our focus verse today. But when we live (sow) life under the direction of the Holy Spirit, we will harvest everlasting life (Galatians 6:8).

2. There is an interlude of time between planting and harvesting. Each seed we plant has its own germination and growth-to-maturity timetable.

In life, though the eventual harvest may take a long time (Ecclesiastes 11:1) and be preceded by multiple plantings, and accompanied by anguish (Psalm 126:6), harvest day will eventually come. Paul encourages the Galatians: "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" - Galatians 6:9.

A sidebar article in my Bible explains it well:

"God has a timetable for every seed we plant. His timetable is not always our timetable. Sometimes the 'due season' means a quick return. Sometimes it means a slow return that may take years -- even a lifetime" ("God has a Due Season for All the Seeds You Plant" by Oral Roberts from New Spirit Filled Life Bible p. 1639).

3. We will harvest more than we plant. Think of the multiplication we get from one pea, bean or corn seed!

Similarly in life, our actions have the potential to yield many-fold. Jesus' parable about the sower talks about an increase of thirty, sixty and a hundred-fold (Mark 4:8). Tithes brought into the storehouse are the seed for such blessing "there will not be room enough to receive it" - Malachi 3:10.

What and where are we planting today? No doubt some of our efforts are given to planting seeds of kindness, truth, encouragement, faith, hope and love in the lives of children, grandchildren, parents, friends, colleagues. If nothing seems to be coming of our efforts, let's not give up. Remember, a harvest takes time to grow and mature. Just make sure our "granaries" are big enough to hold the multiplication our sowing will eventually yield!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for these principles of sowing and reaping from nature. Help me to gain patience and encouragement from them, especially as I look at the places I've sown seed but still see no results. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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First fruits - a custom to revive?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 26:1-15

TO CHEW ON: “…behold I have brought the first fruits of the land which you, O Lord, have given me. Then shall you set it before the Lord your God. So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.” Deuteronomy 26:10-11


It is one thing to declare that we and all we have belongs to God. It is quite another to demonstrate it with action. The Israelites found this out when they were about to enter Canaan after wandering around in the desert for 40 years.

In today’s passage they were on the border of their new home and Moses was giving them farewell instructions. When they finally entered this land of legendary abundance, they were not supposed to stop trusting God. To illustrate this trust, they were to bring part of their first picking of grapes, olives, figs, wheat – whatever this land of ‘milk and honey’ produced – to God as an offering of first fruits.

Though these first fruit offerings were used to feed the Levites and the poor, that wasn’t their main purpose. Rather it was to remind the Israelites that God continued to be their source of supply. As my old New Bible Dictionary explains it:

“Their purpose was not to consecrate it but to deconsecrate it. All was God’s until the first portion had been offered and accepted in lieu of the whole. Only then was the restriction on the human use of the remains removed.” p. 1117.

Giving an offering of first fruits is no longer part of our tradition. But reviving it might not be a bad idea. There is nothing that drives home a theoretical point like a little action to illustrate it. So if you’ve entrusted yourself to God and yet continue to worry about how your needs are going to be met, maybe you should give yourself a little object lesson and in faith present a first fruit offering of your next cheque. Just saying…

PRAYER: Dear God, “I bring my tithes and offerings into the storehouse, and I believe and confess that You, Lord, open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. I honor You, Lord, with the first fruits of my increase. I confess that my storage places are filled with plenty in the name of Jesus.” from Praying with Fire by Barb Billett, p. 91.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.