Faith Before Feelings
How many times have we run out of money before we run out of bills? Or we have to determine what we pay now, and what we pay later? When we are in this situation, it can seem easy to skip the tithe (we certainly can't let our cable TV get shut off!). Our feelings tell us "I have bills to pay! I have stuff I need!". We feel bound to our bills. But what that says is "God, these bills are a higher priority than you are."
How many times have we run out of money before we run out of bills? Or we have to determine what we pay now, and what we pay later? When we are in this situation, it can seem easy to skip the tithe (we certainly can't let our cable TV get shut off!). Our feelings tell us "I have bills to pay! I have stuff I need!". We feel bound to our bills. But what that says is "God, these bills are a higher priority than you are."
In other words, it requires an activation of our faith to give the tithe first. Giving the tithe first says "God, I am going to be obedient to you, and trust you for the rest." Faith is being obedient to God when we cannot see the outcome. Faith is knowing that it may require the supernatural hand of God to meet our budget needs.
Think about it:
The first animal was to be given to God; there were no guarantees that more animals would be born.
The first of the crop was to be given to God; there were no guarantees that more crops would come up.
God told Abraham to give his firstborn son, and at Abraham's age, it was a certainty that there would be no more children!
When we give to God first, we are saying to God "I trust you". Do you think He will let us down? In my own experience, the answer to that question is unequivocal - NO! God will always come through! Why? Because it is His promise!
"Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, -- Deut 7:12-13
So when Satan comes at you and puts the thought in your mind "you're going to go broke if you tithe", you can respond: "No I won't, because God's Word says that God is going to bless me, and He will rebuke the devourer for my sakes!"
The House of God
Our scripture said to "bring your firstfruits into the house of the Lord, your God." It didn't say "give your firstfruits to whom you feel led". That means we don't give our firstfruits to a TV ministry, or to a missionary, or to some other organization as our "tithe". Now don't get me wrong, giving to worthwhile ministries and supporting missionaries are important, but we are not to take away from our giving to the house of the Lord in order to do so.
We've all heard Christian say "I gave to so-and-so ministry (or person) as my tithe." Think about it; would you send part of your mortgage payment to another bill? I'm sure they would understand. Thankfully, God does not foreclose on us (!), but we should heed the point: The firstfruits belong to God, and it belongs in His house! Paul echoed this to the church at Corinth:
For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? -- 1 Cor 9:9-11
The church is the place that we go for spiritual feeding, for ministry to our families. It is where we turn when we are having difficulties. It is where we turn when we have a financial need. But more than that, the church is a place where we come and communally worship the Lord! And guess what, our giving is a form of worship. That's why giving is a matter of the heart:
God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. -- 2 Cor 9:7-8
When our hearts are turned to the Lord, we are fully aware that all that we have is a gift from Him. He is the source of our provision. When we give the tithe, it is an act of worship, acknowledging God as our provider. And God promises us, that when our heart is in this place, He will direct to us "all sufficiency in all things", so we will "have an abundance for every good work!"
Robbing God?
Many of us are familiar with this scripture:
"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. -- Mal 3:8-9
This scripture is often used to beat the flock into tithing, but let's look at the reality of what God is saying here:
The tithe belongs to Him
He considers it robbing from Him if we withhold it (the same as not paying something you owe)
OK. Those two points need no expounding on. We get it! But there are two additional points that we should look at:
- If we withhold the tithe, we are cursed with a curse
- If we give the tithe, we are the recipients of a blessing!
No comments:
Post a Comment