“The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives” (Deuteronomy 14:23 TLB).
Whatever you want God to bless, you have to put him first in. So if you want God to bless your finances, you have to put him first in your money. This is the principle of tithing: You give the first 10 percent of your income back to God.
Here are four verses that explain the promise, the purpose, the place, and the day for tithing.
First, Proverbs 3:9-10 gives the promise about tithing: Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. (NASB). God says that if you honor him with the first part of your income, he will bless you financially.
Dee and I decided over 24 years ago that if we’re going to be in debt to anybody, we’re not going to be in debt to God. God gets paid first, right off the top. If I make 10 bucks, the first dollar goes back to him. If I make a hundred bucks, the first 10 bucks go back to him. It all comes from God in the first place, and I want his blessing on the rest of it.
Why does God tell us to tithe? Deuteronomy 14:23 says, “The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives” (TLB). God doesn’t need your money, but he wants what it represents: your heart. He wants you to trust him.
Where should you tithe? Do you tithe to United Way? Or do you tithe to your brother who’s been out of work for three years? No. That’s charity. Tithing is an act of worship. It goes to God.
Malachi 3:10 says, 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test 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 a blessing until it overflows. (NASB). The storehouse is the temple or the place where you worship God.
When are you supposed to tithe? You do it on the day you worship. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 16:2, 2 On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. (NASB). When you give to God on the first day of the week, the first part of your day, and the first part of your money, you’re declaring, “You’re really number one in my life.”
Notice that the verse says to “put aside.” You’ve got to plan this! Tithing should not be an impulsive thing. You’ve got to plan for it so that you are honoring God’s plan and purpose for tithing. Then you can watch how God blesses and uses you and honors his promise in your life.
Talk It Over
- What does it mean to you practically to give God the first part of your income?
- Why do you think God wants you to tithe to your church and not another cause?
- How do you need to plan today so that you can be faithful in tithing?
