IT’S NOT ALL YOURS. All the resources we have come from God. He has appointed us to be managers of his family business. Therefore, He owns everything our time, our talents, our gifts, and our physical possessions. He even owns the money in our pockets and our bank accounts. Did you know that, as managers of his family business, He asks that we return 10%, for example, 1 dollar for every 10, back to Him for the benefit of His cause? How effective have you been in doing so?
From a biblical perspective, we are looking at how to manage effectively the resources God has given us while prioritizing What Really Matters.
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Asking For God’s Guidance
Holy Father, as managers of your property, open our understanding of your requirement and help us take the proper measures to see that we manage your resources in harmony with what you would have us do. In Jesus Name Amen
God is the ruler and owner of everything. Everything that we own, everything we possess belongs to him. He has given it to us to be used for our benefit. However, the tithe belongs to the Lord. God reserves and expects that we return to Him a specific portion of what He has given us. That portion is called the tithe.
What is the tithe? The dictionary defines tithe as “a tenth part of something” or “ten percent [10%] of something.” Most likely the dictionary obtained its definition from the Bible.
In the Bible, we discover that all that we have belongs to God. And God asks that we give back to Him a tenth part of everything we obtain from Him. Simply put, tithing involves returning ten percent of our income or increase to God.
In other words, if you gain a one hundred dollar increase or earn one hundred dollars, God expects that you return ten dollars of the one hundred dollars back to Him. The remaining 90% he expects you to manage effectively and wisely.
When we look at the tithing principles in Leviticus 27:30, 32, that God gave to the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai, we learn that the tithe is holy and belongs to God.
Leviticus 27:30
30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.
32 And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord. (Leviticus 27:30, 32)
Of all the resources He gives us, God asks only for His 10%. And in showing our gratitude to him for what he has done for us, we also thank God by giving Him offerings.
These offerings are separate from the tithe. The tithe is the bare minimum test of our love, faith, and commitment to God. The amount of tithe is not optional. The Bible does not express that we have the option of giving less than 10%.
An example of tithing is found in Genesis 14:18–20 and Hebrews 7:1–9. Both talk about Abram’s meeting with Melchizedek, and they tell what Abram does when he meets him.
Genesis 14:18-20 is the first time that the Bible talks about tithing.
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.
19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. (Genesis 14:18-20)
Hebrews 7:1-9 is the last time the Bible talks about tithing. The Bible in Hebrews 7 refers to the same meeting between Melchizedek and Abram. (Split)
In Hebrew 7, the word tenth carries the same meaning as tithe in Genesis 14.
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,”
3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.
5 And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham;
6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.
8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.
9 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, (Hebrews 7:1-9)
In referring to Abram and his encounter with Melchizedek, we can see that “tenth” and “tithe” are used interchangeably. They both mean the same thing.
Notice also that in Hebrews we find that both Melchizedek and Jesus are not from the family or tribe of Levi.
Why is this significant? It shows us that the Bible’s principle of tithing did not originate with the Levites. It shows that tithing precedes what Moses wrote in the laws regarding tithe and it shows that tithing did not end at the death of Jesus on the Cross.
The incident with Jacob in Genesis 28:13, 14, 20–22 also confirms that the principle of tithing existed before Moses instructed the Israelites to return a faithful tithe.
13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,
21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.
22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” (Genesis 28:13, 14, 20–22)
Jacob left home, running away from his brother Esau, who was angry with him for stealing his inheritance. On the run and tired, Jacob laid down to rest and fell asleep. While asleep, he had a dream. In the dream, Jacob sees stairs reaching from the earth and extending into heaven with God standing at the top of the stairs.
God promises to be with Jacob and eventually bring him safely back home. That night, Jacob had a conversion experience that changed him forever. In this experience, he promises God saying, ‘The Lord shall be my God. . . . And of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You” (Genesis 28:21, 22)
Like the Sabbath, tithing was not something that originated within the Hebrews’ Legal System or even their religious system.
The Lord claims the tithe as His, and His claim was honored and recognized by Abraham long before Israel became a nation. Hence, though many may believe otherwise, the Biblical principle of tithing did not begin with Israel as a nation, nor did it with Jesus’ death on the Cross.
So, if it is our responsibility to return a tenth of what God gives us back to him, how do we do it and where do we return it? Find out more on Day 3: Where Is the Storehouse?
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