“Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel
should live from the gospel”
(1 Corinthians 9:14).
Those who live to preach the gospel must be sustained by the gospel, that is, by the church. How? Through having every church member return ten percent of what they earn. Tithing is used for the support of the ministry and the fulfillment of the mission. However, the central issue is not money. The biblical principle is to acknowledge that God owns everything, and in gratitude, the believer returns a part to be used for His glory.
Thus, tithing id not just for preaching throughout the world or to sustain the ministry. It is the personal responsibility of each worshiper to faithfully recognize and administer their life and resources according to God’s will.
The Lord expects our complete consecration of what the we have and are. He wants us to know how much we appreciate His blessings and how much gratitude we feel for His mercy. he expects not only our faithfulness in the return of tithes, but also our generosity in the giving of offerings.
Not only should we faithfully render to God our tithes, which He claims as His
own, but we should bring a tribute to His treasury as an offering of gratitude. Let
us with joyful hearts bring to our Creator the first fruits of all His bounties – our
choicest possessions, our best and holiest service
(The Faith I Live By, p. 245).
David asks, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” (Psalm 116:12). He himself answers, “I will pay my vows to the Lord now in presence of all His people” (Psalm 116:14).
When we return our tithes to God, we recognize that the Lord has enabled us to acquire all that we have. God does not need our money, for He is already the Owner of the whole universe: “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine” (Haggai 2:8). Instead, we need to give tithe as an act of worship and an attitude of trust and faithfulness.
The promise of Malachi 3:10 is impressive: ” ‘Bring all the tithes
into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house,
and try 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 such blessing
that there will not be room enough to receive it.‘ ”
This does not mean guarenteed employment or economic prosperity,
but it does mean blessings according to His good pleasure
until they abound. I do not know what they are,
I just know there are a lot of them.
I encourage you, try God today!
May the Lord bless you…