I am so glad the pandemic is over and behind us! What a crazy time of life it was during Covid. We were locked in our homes, told to wear masks to banks and stores, and toilet paper was nowhere to be found!
One of the only bright spots during COVID-19 was the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which sent $1,200 per adult to eligible individuals. That $1,020 really helped during a tough time!
Wait, Jamie… don't you mean $1,200?
No, I meant what I said. I only got to keep $1,020. God got the other $120.
Yes, I tithed off of the $1,200. God always gets 10%, no matter what.
One key thing a man of God does is to generously give his tithe back to God as an act of worship. We need to show our thanks to God for allowing us to spend His money.
Is that an odd way to word that sentence?
After all, we work hard and earn our money. But the reality is that God allows us to earn money. He supplies the job and expects us to be good stewards of the money. Part of being a good steward is tithing.
Tithing is when we give God 10% of the money He gives us back to Him via our local church. It is God's will for all men to tithe 10% of our paycheck, not the leftover part. We give God 10% before the government helps themselves to some.
Sounds like a drag, right? After all, times are tough, gas is expensive, inflation is high, people are struggling, and we need every dollar we have. Why do we have to give 10% back to God?
Because He said to do it!! There is no other reason, and there should be no argument. We should gratefully give it to God, realizing He blesses us by allowing us to keep the other 90%.
We all want God to bless our finances.
There is only one way this can ever happen.
No man can expect to grow and prosper in God's kingdom if he isn't tithing. Why?
Because the Bible says that a man who doesn't tithe is a man who is stealing from God.
Malachi 3:8-10 says
"Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob Me.
But you ask, 'How are we robbing you?'
In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing Me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." (NIV)
We need to be faithful and give God 10% of our money. We need to do it happily, thanking Him that He provided us with the other 90%. Seriously, a man of God cannot afford not to tithe.
Make it a habit. Put it in your budget. One great way to ensure you avoid the temptation not to tithe is to set up direct payment online with your church. Most churches today have online giving. It's how I give. I set up auto-tithe so that I am never tempted not to tithe, and it goes right from my paycheck into the church.
Tithing isn't optional. It is a command that comes with a blessing or a curse. I want to be blessed by God and show Him my gratitude for all He has given me, so I tithe. I encourage you to do the same. Make tithing the first thing you do every payday.
Comments