Tithing

I know, I know. Everybody hates this subject!

I think I once heard that it's like flossing our teeth. We all know we should be doing it but we don't like it and we don't like people discussing it, especially if we're just tucking into a luxurious meal!

The truth is, though, that it is an expectation. It's not that God said, "well if you want to give a little, you can." He commanded that we give the firstfruits of everything we have, to God - it belongs to Him.

Even right back in Genesis (13:20), Abram gave the Lord a tenth of all he had. Deuteronomy 14:22 says "you shall surely tithe" and Malachi is so bold as to say that in neglecting and witholding our tithes, we are actually robbing and defrauding God (Malachi 3:8-10).

I'm not going to stand on a pulpit and command that you must tithe and in that tithing, you must give exactly a tenth of what you earn. Who am I to say that to anyone?! I have no idea what circumstances you're in and I'm not a hypocrite. I've never tithed a day in my life.

Sure, I've put money into the offering bag at church on a Sunday morning, I've even talked myself into believing that the money I spend on donating to charities and ministries etc can be counted as my tithe, but even then it probably wouldn't add up to 10%. As a student I struggled financially and I thought to myself, "God will understand. I have to eat; I have to get to uni"

Over the past few weeks though, I've been really convicted by the Spirit. I'm working full-time now and I spend money on unimportant, wordly things every month like my mobile phone contract, driving lessons, internet, Sky TV and my unlimited Cinema card. Not to mention the books I might buy or the subscription to magazines, Christian or otherwise, meals out and general day-to-day spending.

Don't relegate God to the bottom!

I'm not saying it's wrong to treat ourselves to things we like, we work hard for our wages and we shouldn't feel guilty about spending them. What I am saying, though, is that in my life I was putting God right down at the bottom of my necessity list. I would make all the payments I had to make, get all the things I wanted to get, and then I'd put a couple of pounds in the offering on a Sunday and feel pretty good about myself. Sometimes I'd even work out how much I had after all these outgoings and then give 10% of the leftovers.

That's nice, it's good to give what we can but it's not what God asked for. He asked us told us to give the first fruits. Before everything else.  

Matthew 6:24-34 tells us not to worry about where our food or our clothes will come from; the Lord will keep us and provide for us. He is, after all, our Jehovah-Jireh - the Lord who provides!

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 

and all these things shall be added to you" 

(Matthew 6:33 NKJV)

I really love the New Living Translation of the same verse, which reads,

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, 

and live righteously, and he will give you 

everything you need."

He will give us everything we need! All we have to do is put Him first; allow Him to come first in our lives and show it, both in the way that we live and with our finances.

I remember once a few years ago, when I literally only had £20 available to me in my bank account, otherwise I would go over my overdraft limit. I was expecting my student loan installment to go in soon but had no idea when. I had taken it out to get to university the next day and went to a Sunday night revival meeting. I felt that it was the right thing to trust in the Lord and I put my last £20 in the offering bag. That night I got home and my student loan had gone into my account!
 

From crosslifeverobeach.blogspot.co.uk

Some people believe that due to Jesus' grace, we are released from the constraints of the Law, including the obligation to tithe. While I'm not discounting the fact that Jesus pardons us in the eyes of the Law, in Matthew 23:23 He specifically rebuked the Pharisees for finding loopholes in the Law and basically trying to cheat their way through it. With this in mind, I believe that Jesus still holds the Law in very high esteem and this aspect of it is still very relevent for us today.

Also worth noting, though, is that it's not necessarily just about money. I tended to focus on money here because that's what most people think of when they think of tithing, but in the New Testament, Jesus' heart seemed to be more focused on giving in the more general sense. While Jesus taught a lot about money, I think it was due to the fact that He knew that money and finances are the areas we tend to get caught up in; the areas we tend to become selfish about and, if I may say so, obsessed with.

I read somewhere that tithing was primarily meant for seeds and grains, and that not everyone was a farmer - some were carpenters, and were they expected to tithe in wood? I don't have the answers to those questions, and I'm sorry if I've just confused you all the more, but I feel it's only right to bring both sides of the equation.

From DailyMail.co.uk

In essence, our attitude towards money or material things shows where our heart is. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21 AMP) If we are able and willing to give money (or anything else, for that matter) to God, rather than hoarding and keeping it for ourselves, it proves that our hearts are generous and unselfish, and that we put nothing before our God.

Please don't read this and think that I'm condemning anybody or saying that you must tithe. Only you know what's in your heart and what your circumstances are. I'm simply sharing the next part of my journey in faith.

I hope, if nothing else, that this post has given you something to ponder and if you have any thoughts on the subject, please feel free to leave a comment.

-Lisa