Tithing

A tithe is the tenth of our income that we set aside as an offering to God. If we do not tithe, we are essentially "robbing" God as can be seen in Malachi 3:8.

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. (Malachi 3:8 KJV)

Those of us who faithfully tithe will surely be blessed.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:10 KJV)

So, do you know what happens when we don't tithe?

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. (Malachi 3:9 KJV)

I initially learned about tithing during my childhood. Sadly, though, after becoming an adult and getting to the point in which I was generating an income, I repeatedly either tithed incorrectly or did not tithe at all. I would either give only a few dollars or nothing at all.

I used to think that with my "tight" budget there was absolutely no way I could ever afford to pay 10% of my earnings, before taxes, I might add, to the church in the form of tithes. After all, I had bills to pay and I needed money to live off of or in my case, party with, until my next paycheck. Reflecting back on my life when I had that line of thinking, I found myself to always be in a never ending cycle of financial stress.

I was the guy who would blow his money and have nothing to show for it afterwards. In the words of the late Isaac J. Moore, Sr., "I didn't have a pot to piss in or a bucket to throw it out of." I was also guilty of trying to "play Clark Gable when I ain't able".

Thank God those days are over! Once I got my act together and started tithing my 10%, I started to see the blessings pour in. It was as if God was multiplying that 10% and giving it back in the form of blessings galore. For example, even in these bad economic times, I have not really been forced to cut back on anything. In fact, God has blessed me with the means to do more in the past couple of years than I've ever been able to do in my life and it just keeps getting better.

I've made up my mind that as I get increases in income, I am going to continue to increase the amount I give back to God in the form of tithes and offerings. After all, 100% of our income comes from God anyway. I think he was very merciful to only ask us to show our obedience with 10%. What do you think?