“Bring 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. Then I will rebuke the devourer (insects, plague) for your sake and he will not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field drop its grapes [before harvest],’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi)
That’s quite an exchange! We are blessed far beyond the tithe we bring, so bring it with joy and love – it all came from the Father in the first place. This writing is Not going to be accompanied with the many scriptures that discuss the tithe… this focus is slightly different. My belief, thinking is that the tithe encompasses far more than the work of our hands our job. This word… tithe, evokes all sorts of reactions. Guilt. Anger. Embarrassment. and a host of other reactions. Then there are those who say concerning tithing… certainly, of course.
Personally, I do fall into this latter category – or so I thought. Personal story: I was brought up tithing. When I was a very young girl I received a weekly allowance, $.50. (Do know, that this amount went quite far back in ‘those days’.) From that allowance I was to tithe ($.05) to Sunday School and save the same amount (in a pink piggy bank). The remainder of the money I could spend any way I wanted. However, we also bought our own (Christmas, Birthday) gifts for others … with a little help from Mom.
The point is that tithing was always part and parcel when it came to money. Have I kept to this my entire life? For the most part – and that isn’t a brag. ‘Most part’ is not ‘always’.(OK, yes, it did verge on pride but never completely got there.) Earlier this year the Lord dealt with me about this The point was, I consciously chose to tithe from my salary on the net not on the gross. Sadly, nowhere (though I thought I had a fairly good rationale for my thinking) in scripture does it say ‘bring in the net tithe into the house…” (Malachi 3: 9-10). The Lord doesn’t see our ‘kinda obedience’ in the same light as we do. Bottom line, I have started trying to ‘make up’ for my slight. No, He didn’t ask me to, but it is the right thing because even this will never be sufficient.
All that to say… finances aren’t the only thing we are to tithe! Tithing includes everything. Example: if we look at our day, how do we ‘spend’ those 24 hours? If you work then 8 are consumed in working, 8 for sleeping which means you have 8 hours at your disposal. Does 10% go to the Lord? Do you study, pray, become involved in those activities associated with the Lord? 10% of the net would be 48 minutes… on the gross would be 2.4 hours or 2 hours and 24 minutes (if my math is correct). Do you spend 2.4 hours a day on the things of the Lord? Actually… do you spend the net of 48 minutes?
Some of you go way beyond the tithe when it comes to your giftings, your charitable acts, and the time spent on the things of the Lord. Some… not so many. If you are upset with this, the question is – do you want to change anything? You really can spend as much time as you want with the Lord, on the things of the Lord. It is always your choice. But never do it out of sheer ‘obligation’ because you won’t be doing it from the right motive – Love. I don’t believe that the Lord is seeking reluctant children to spend time with. But I do believe He totally enjoys those who seek Him.
So, what do you believe about the tithe? That it’s no longer an obligation or responsibility? That it’s financial only? Or that tithing encompasses everything about – You.
