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| Source: devotionsfordisciples.com |
Oh, how my kids just loooove to test me. Even before they could talk, they seemed to enjoy stepping (or crawling, climbing, or scooting) over any boundry I placed, even the literal ones I secured (for their own safety, mind you!) at the top of the stairs.
Testing is really an undermining of an established authority. In fact, we are taught in the Scriptures to never put God to the test. Christ quoted this truth to Satan during His wilderness testing with temptation (see Deut 6:16, Luke 4:12). However, there is ONE place in the Bible where testing God is not only allowed, but even encouraged.
The only time we are called to test God is with the practice of tithing:
"Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need." Malachi 3:10, emphasis mine
So what exactly is tithing?
Tithing is giving ten-percent of your earnings and income to God. It comes from a Hebrew word that literally means "a tenth." Tithing is first mentioned in the Bible when Abraham gave one-tenth of the spoils of war to Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem (see Gen 14:18-20). It is mentioned many times thereafter in the Old Testament.
Some believers like to say that since the tithe is not explicitly commanded in the New Testament, it no longer applies to Christians today. I find this argument ill-informed for several reasons. For starters, when we see Jesus condemning the Pharisees who tithed, he was actually condemning their self-righteousness for tithing. At another time, we see Jesus rebuke the Pharisees who tithed while neglecting mercy, justice, and compassion for others (see Luke 18:10-14, Matt 23:23). It seems Jesus took tithing as a given; He spoke out against its misuse at the heart level. When Jesus preached about matters of the law, He always seemed to "up the ante" of Old Testament law. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, He restated the Old Testament command "Do not murder" and expanded it to include being angry with a brother. Similarly, while the Old Testament law forbade committing adultery, according to Jesus, one had already committed adultery with a woman if they had lusted after her in their heart (see Matt 5: 21-22, 27-29). Far from negating the command to tithe, I strongly believe that the new covenant ushered in by Christ established it as the biblical minimum for giving!
Unfortunately, we live in an age where Christian giving is at an all-time low. Interestingly, this is also the same era when we have unprecedented wealth as a nation and as a church. It saddened me to recently learn that Christians today give less per capita than during the Great Depression.* Here's some other eye-opening giving statistics taken from Relevant Magazine and HealthResearchFunding.org:
- Tithers make up only 10-25 percent of normal congregations
- Only 5 percent of the U.S. tithes, with 80 percent of Americans only giving 2 percent of their income.
- 37% of people who attend church every week and identify themselves as Evangelical don't give any money to their church
- The average donation by adults who attend U.S. Protestant churches is about $17 a week
- If you make less than $20K annually, you're eight-times more likely to give more than someone who makes more than $75K
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| Source: sharefaith.com |
Kind of discouraging, isn't it? We are a vastly wealthy Christian nation that doesn't give. Something is very wrong at the heart level with this, dear friend!!
But let me share with you another set of statistics. In fact, multiple sources I found all agree on this:
Generous givers are better off financially than their non-tithing counterparts
Statistics show that tithers have less debt, fewer car payments, lower credit card bills, and owe less on their mortgages than non-tithers. And before you jump to the conclusion that tithers just give because they have excess income, the data shows that tithers are distributed almost equally across all income brackets.**
"Tithers carry much less debt than most people and are financially better off than Christian non-tithers—80% of 'tithers' have no unpaid credit card bills; 74% have no car payments; 48% own their home; and 28% are completely debt-free." Christianity Today
Now, I find this information especially interesting, given our verse from Malachi above: "Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need."
Tithe and be blessed. God's word is crystal-clear on this point, dear friend.
Of the people with whom I have had the opportunity (or the courage!) to ask about tithing, many of them have said something to the effect that they can't afford to tithe. My answer to them, and to you, dear reader, is that you cannot afford NOT to tithe! The statistics above speak for themselves and underscore the truth of God's Word (as if it ever needs to be substantiated!).
So, let me close with a few simple questions:
Will you take some time out today to consider following the command to tithe, if you do not already do so?
For those of you who have the desire to tithe, but a spouse who is not yet on-board, will you endeavor to pray for them to see the truth and respond to God in obedience as a couple?
Do you want, more than anything, for God to "pour down blessings" on you "until there is no need?"
Will you trust God in this area, dear friend?
Will you test Him in this?
Oh, I hope that you will take the step to trust God and test Him! Just you wait to see what He will do as you bring your full tithe to the church!
I can't wait to hear all about it 😊
*https://www.sharefaith.com/blog/2015/12/facts-christians-tithing/
**http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2013/may/inside-look-at-church-attenders-who-tithe-most.html
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