Thought of the Day !!

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD Almighty, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!"
Malachi 3:10 (NLT)

Tithing literally means giving ten percent of what you have. Those who have more will obviously tithe more than those who have less. My own personal belief is that this is kind of like the standard amount and anything given over this is what's called offering. Of course our offerings come in other ways as well. We offer our time, our words, our witness, our prayers, our life, etc. But this particular verse in Malachi is speaking to the tithes of the people.

God commanded the people to give back. One reason is that the tithes that filled the storehouses fed the priests, for the priests worked in the Temple and owned no land or animals. Another reason for tithing was so that the people would show their faith in God to take care of them.

How much faith do you have in God? Do you trust Him enough to give Him a full ten percent of your paycheck? Some people believe that's a whole lot...even too much. This can show a lack of faith in a God who promises to bless those who will submit to Him though.

Many people believe that they can't give ten percent because they have bills to pay. But I've known of people who've tithed faithfully and seen that over the years when they were in need, God provided.

As a pastor I know that there are those out there, especially those outside of the church, that believe I'm just wanting more money in the offering plate when I speak to people about giving more. But the truth is that our giving is directly proportionate to our faith. It's not a money matter. It's a spiritual matter. It's also not just giving to charity. It's giving to the Church (for the Israelites it was the Temple). And by the way, the Church is the Church as a whole and not one building or even denomination.

So think about how much you give. Speak to God about it. Ask if it's enough. Don't ask for help in giving. Ask for increased faith. And with increased faith, you'll gladly give more of your money, your time and your efforts.

In the love of Christ,
greg