The Secret to Tithing
Tithing is quite possibly one of the most preached sermons from the pulpit and one of the many reasons those seeking Christ and believers leave a church.
“That preacher is always asking for money!”
“Isn’t the church big enough, why do they need a building fund?”
“We give our tithe each week and now they want more money for mission trips, it’s never ending!”
If you have been in any church long enough, you have probably heard this from others in the congregation or even felt this way yourself.
I want to share something with you that has helped me in my walk, as it relates to tithing; but first, let’s start with some scripture.
Leviticus 27:30-32. “Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it. For every tenth part of the herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.”
Acts 2:45. “and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”
Matthew 6:24. "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
What I have learned over the years is that it’s all His! He created me and everything that I think is mine, is not. My children – they’re His. My house – His. My car – His. My income – His. My clothing… you get the point. All of the items we have in our possession are essentially loaned to us for our time here on earth. He wishes for us to use our many blessings to help other as seen in Acts chapter 2.
So then, if all our worldly possessions actually belong to the Lord, why are we so stingy when being asked to return some of it to Him?
He gifts us with some incredible teachers and pastors to grow us in our faith and beautiful church buildings to meet together and fellowship with the expectation that we will take care of our pastors and our buildings. They cannot continue to serve us, without us being faithful in our tithing.
It is not our job to worry what the church is doing with our tithe. It is our job to be obedient.
When you change the way you view all the material blessings in your life, it is much easier to having a giving heart towards others; including your church.
I will leave you with one last verse: "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10
*Amy de Graaff is the Listener Engagement Specialist with The JOY FM. She and her husband reside in Newnan. She is a child of God, animal lover, adventure seeker and learning to play the drums. You can reach her at: [email protected]