HELPED BY GIVING: The practice of giving not only helps the one in need but, to a greater degree, also helps the giver. How so? How does taking a portion of what I have and giving it away help me?

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, Increase our faith. Give us the mind to return to you that which you have asked of us.   In Jesus Name Amen

God is the owner and ruler of everything He doesn’t need our money.  King David, in Psalm 24:1, under the inspiration of God, tells us that:

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1)

Yet God asks that we set aside 10% of what we earn or obtain and give it back to him as tithe. Then he asks that we give a liberal offering according to how he has blessed us.  Why does He ask us to give these offerings? 

Though God can do it himself, he has asked us, his people, to give tithes 10% of our income and a generous offering to help sustain his work.

God does not leave us ignorant regarding this. Leviticus 27:30 and Numbers 18:21 and 24 lets us know God’s plan for the tithe.

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. (Leviticus 27:30)

Numbers 18:21 and 24

21 “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.

24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’” (Numbers 18:21, 24)

As we have seen already, the tithe is 10% of all the money we get from work or gifts. The tithe belongs to God.

For sure, God doesn’t need our money. But because the tithe belongs to Him. He has the right to tell us what to do with it.

What does God want us to do with His tithe? He wants us to use it to support His work on this earth.

God has given us the responsibility of taking care of the needs of His workers and preachers with His tithe, that portion of our earnings that belongs to Him. 

In the Old Testament, the tribe of Levi were the teachers and temple helpers. They would be considered the ministerial staff for God’s people.

In the Old Testament, we find that God didn’t give the Levites the large amounts of land that He gave to the other tribes of Israel. God gave the Levites certain cities, which include the cities of refuge. The cities of refuge were a place where a person could flee and be protected if they committed involuntary manslaughter. 

God also gave the Levites enough land around these cities for their own personal gardens. Also, the Levites were not exempted from tithing. They, too, were responsible for returning 10% of all their increases to support other Levites. So, the Levites return tithes to support the ministerial work, as well. 

So, the Levites were the ones who officiated in the temple. They were the spiritual leaders. They were the ones ordained to preach and teach the people about God.

God does not need our funds, but he asks us to give for the benefit of His work.

What is interesting is that although God requires that we return 10% of our income to support his work, and additionally, he expects us to give a generous offering for the upkeep of his local church, and He wants us to be responsible for helping those that are in need, Acts 20:35 tells us that there is a benefit in giving.

35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35)

Here is what the Book Patriarchs and Prophets says about the benefit of giving:

God has made us His stewards. The property which He has placed in our hands is the means that He has provided for the spread of the gospel. To those who prove themselves faithful managers, He will commit greater trust. In 1 Samuel 2:30, The Lord says, “Them that honor Me I will honor.”

 “God loveth a cheerful giver,” and when His people, with grateful hearts, bring their gifts and offerings to Him, “not grudgingly, or of necessity,” His blessing will attend them, as He has promised in Malachi 3:10—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 529. Adapted 

Thus, returning tithe helps strengthen our relationship with God and our faith in God. When we return the tithe, we learn to trust God more.

It takes faith to give 10% of all the money we get and give it back to God, though technically, our money belongs to Him anyway.

Our faith only grows when we put it into practice.  So, returning tithes and offerings is the means God has established for increasing and developing our faith.

Putting our faith in action through returning tithes and offerings will certainly help us in the end times when we are placed in the position of not being able to buy or sell. Read Revelation 13; Revelation 14 to find out more about this.

During this time, everyone will be in opposition to those who are loyal to God. So, this will be a time when we will need to have total trust in God and His love.

Therefore, being faithful in our financial obligation to God by returning a regular tithe develops that trust.

Moreover, returning the tithe gives us the privilege of enjoying tangibly God’s blessings now. Because, as part of the tithe agreement, God promises us blessings so large that we won’t have enough room to store them all!

With that surplus, that extra blessing, we can help people and further support God’s work.

The Bible tells us that we get more of a blessing when we give than when we get.

So, it is true: we can’t beat God’s giving no matter how we try. The more you give, the more he gives back to you.

I want to return an honest tithe as God has asked us to do, but I am not certain about how. 

If I am paid by the hour or by a salary, do I pay on the gross or the net? And what if I am self-employed or own a business, how should I pay tithes by gross profit or net profit?

Find out more on Day 5: Tithing on the Gross or Net Income?

If you want to return tithe and do not have a church home, consider giving online @ Adventisgiving.org in the name of my local Church: Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church, 7902 Wheatly Street in Houston, TX 77088

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 Some argue that they are not pleased with how their tithe money is used, so rather than return the tithe, they give as they see a need. Yes, there may indeed be times when this does happen, but does this justify doing contrary to what God has asked us to do?