tithing

My earliest memories are sitting in the back pew of a church. I was four years old. I remember the minister preaching Truth hard and loud. Some would classify his sermons as “hell fire and brimstone.” He always explained that the wages of sin, is death. Eternal death in hell.

A few years later, I accepted Jesus into my heart. I can honestly say the pastor’s messages scared the hell out of me! Even at that young age, I knew I was a sinner. You see, I was a convicted cookie thief who would later lie about it. “Convicted” because I had been found guilty by my mother. I knew dishonoring my parents and lying were both wrong. They were sin. I had learned that in church.

We went every time the doors were open, it seemed. As a result, I witnessed many signs and wonders. People got healed, repented of their sins, and had significant reformations in their lives. I learned how to minister to people and how to witness to pre-Christians (unbelievers). I had friends who believed in God like I did. I got to know them through the fellowship events that were held. I saw the Spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore I saw the supernatural. I learned about tithing and what a joy it was to give.

The supernatural is to get people’s attention for what God wants to do next.

So, why church? Why is it important?

People can find God there and accept Him. (Jer. 29:13)
People can get prayed for and find healing. (Mark 16:18b)
People can find friends who will become a community with them. (Acts 2:46)
People can learn how to minister. (Eph. 4:11)
People can give their tithes cheerfully. (Mal. 3:10)
People can learn how God is relevant in their lives.

The church I wrote about in the beginning is still there and thriving. At least 56 years and counting. The church should preach the entire Word of God (The Bible). A good, balanced church will do and be all six things listed above. I should mention that by the time I was seventeen, I finally realized that it was about having a two-way relationship with God, and that was the real reason to accept him. Not just to have “Fire Insurance!” Meaning, not to only escape eternity in hell. Realizing this has made life with God an exciting adventure.

Do we still need churches? Yes! As long as they are doing the work of God, for God, by God’s power, for His Glory and kingdom.

Believe it or not, there was a time when jobs were posted in a newspaper. A newspaper is a set of thin papers with black ink printed on them, which came off on to your hands, and the paper contained news, ads, and was the social media of the day. One would pour over the listings and usually circled the jobs with red ink which looked promising.

These days, jobs are posted online by individual companies or via websites that advertise opportunities to work. Even with the new ease of finding whose hiring, it can still take a lot of effort and energy getting noticed, in the crowd, and getting your foot in the door.

I have worked 46 years of my life, and I have never had any trouble finding a job. The longest I have been unemployed is four months. One time, after moving to a new city, I found a job in two hours. So am I just lucky? Maybe, but I contribute my success to one simple thing:

My first tithe was 10 cents. I was eleven, and had earned a dollar. My parents and my church taught, lived, and preached about tithing. In case you don’t know what tithing is, it is this:

Returning to God the first 10% of your paycheck. It is important to pay the tithe first, and then live on the rest. Yes, it can be difficult to do, especially if times are extremely tough, but I assure you it is worth it. You are returning to God what is his anyway. Tithing tells God, “I trust you.” and a loving father likes to be trusted.

⁸“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings [you have withheld]. ⁹You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, this whole nation! ¹⁰Bring all the tithes (the tenth) 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 [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it. ¹¹Then I will rebuke the devourer (insects, plague) for your sake… Mal.3:8-11 (AMP)

You cannot out give God!

Tithing, and being happy to do it, thrills God, because He loves a cheerful giver. You give the tithe to your local church, or to the ministry where you are getting fed spiritually. Then, if you want to give above your tithes it is called an “offering”.

It all starts by going through the “Help Wanted” section of a newspaper, or website. By asking God for a job isn’t that what you are saying to him? “God, your help is wanted.” Then, when He answers, what better way to thank him every time you hold that paycheck in your hand, but to return back 10%. Come to think of how times have changed, I guess we no longer hold paychecks in our hands either. I miss holding that document that expressed the fruits of my labor. “Thank you God, for your love and faithfulness to provide for me all these years.”