Tithes are an important measure of our obedience to God. In the Old Testament, God commanded all of us to offer our tenths to Him, bringing it into the temple so that the temple workers and Levites will be provided for.
"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)
The command to tithe is a privilege for us to obey. After all, God asks that we give only a tenth of what we have, which is by far a small percentage compared to the 90 that He enables us to enjoy. When we do give, He promises to pour out so much blessing and goodness on us that we won't have enough room for it! Some, however, choose not to give their tithes today, coming up with various arguments to support their decision.
Some would say that it's an Old Testament law that no longer applies. Some would say that Jesus never spoke of tithing. Some would say that generosity is what the New Testament teaches, and not tithing. Some would say that they have so much need of their money, and 10 percent is "just too much."
No reason to not give my tithes
Friends, although the command to tithe is in the Old Testament, it is still of much avail today because God did not cancel it. Jesus even came to fulfill all the law (see Matthew 5:17), tithing included. Yes my friends, Jesus did not speak about it, but He said "give to God what belongs to God" (see Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25), our tithes included.
Generosity is indeed taught in the New Testament, actually giving us the reason to give more than just our tenth – in fact, we're told to want to give more than what He wants to receive. And yes, while 10 percent is a big portion of our income, we should remember that all that we receive comes from our good Father, "the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (see James 1:17).
Don't worry, just give your tithes
Friends, we won't lose anything when we pay our tithes to God. In fact, we gain more than just the blessings that He promised us:
● We gain the ability to discipline ourselves, especially in the area of finances;
● We get to help provide for full-time workers that preach the gospel and pray for people all the time; and
● We get to put our trust and faith in Him, that He will meet all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ.
We gain all these because we obeyed a simple command to give back just a little of the generous blessings the Lord has given us.
