Digging Deeper into Day 29 – Help William Put His Money to Work!
Tithing is an interesting topic. The word tithe means a tenth. In order to look at tithing, a tenth, we need to first consider the whole, the entirety, the 100 percent. The word “whole” just like the word “all” denotes being all-inclusive, there are no leftovers. Mark 12:30 gives us an instruction, not a suggestion, on how to love the Lord. We are to love the Lord with “all” of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This means there is nothing left over. In Matthew 16:35, in a little more poetic way, Jesus tells us that we are to take up our cross and follow Him, losing our life and therefore, finding it!
To love the Lord with our all basically means to trust Him, totally, and to be obedient to Him, totally. When we trust and obey Him, the blessing is truly ours. It is impossible to out-give God!
Regarding tithing, God specifically tells us (Malachi 3:10) that when we are obedient in tithing, He will, “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much that there will not be room enough to receive it!” Wow! That’s awesome! God is looking for an opportunity to bless us, the key is obedience, obedience in every way, even tithing!
The reverse is true for those choosing not to tithe. Choosing to steal from God as He records in Malachi 3:8-9 is not where blessings are found and experienced. Think about it, everything is the Lord’s. One hundred percent of any dollar bill you will ever touch is actually 100% God’s. No one can do anything without God, even if they don’t believe in Him. Therefore, God is basically giving us an opportunity to express our love and our trust in Him, to Him. It has been accurately said, you can do more with 90% (blessed of the Lord) than you could ever do with 100% (not blessed).
Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31 NASB)
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s: it is holy unto the LORD. (Leviticus 27:30 KJV)
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. (Malachi 3:8 KJV)
Bring ye all the tithes in the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:10 KJV)
Today’s Challenge:
Are you up for a challenge? Memorize Malachi 3:10 then re-write this scripture making it personal to you and begin to “prove” God by tithing and see how God will bless you. Remember too, blessings are not always about money or belongings. Also, the motive is not about receiving a blessing for ourselves, rather desiring to bless the Lord with our trustful obedience which is a result of loving Him.
Today’s Prayer:
Father, in Jesus’ Name, open up our understanding to tithing and what it means to love You with our all. Help us to realize that we actually own nothing, not even the breath we breathe. Amen!
Digging deeper blogs augment lessons from My Leadership Compass: A Christ-Centered High School Curriculum. © 2021
