Have you ever given an offering while thinking that you could have
put the money to better use elsewhere? Or even that it would be better if you
hadn't given the offering. Well it would have been. That's right, you were
wasting your time giving grudgingly. You see, God wants you to be cheerful in
your giving. That means you should be happy even to the point of being giddy to
have an opportunity to give to the Lord.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Not that the Lord likes cheerful giving. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says:
"God loves a cheerful giver." That means He is committed to the whole
concept of giving because you want to and because you know it is God who blesses
the giver and God who gives the increase.
1 Corinthians 16:2
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in
store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
Leviticus 27:32
And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of
whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.
Now the word "tithe" is from the Hebrew "Ma`aser" meaning "tenth
part" or one tenth of your gross increase or wages is tithe to the Lord. That
means that one tenth of all our increase or all that we earn or attain belongs
to God and is to be given to the church on the first day of the week or once
each week.
It might seem more appropriate to discuss church attendance since
you have to actually be in church to give your tithe. However, please bear with
me because I believe you'll get a blessing by following the line of reasoning of
this message. Failing that, perhaps the Lord will appeal to your heart through
the power of His Spirit. Either way, I believe you'll get a blessing. You see
tithing, much like baptism, is a matter of obedience. If you don't get baptised
you may argue you can still be saved but at what price would you neglect this
ordinance. Simply put, you would lack the commitment it takes to live a truly
committed Christian life. Virtually all the sold-out, on-fire-for-Jesus soul
winners I've known have been baptised in water one way or another.
Now if God gave a commandment to be baptised then you know there
will be a blessing to go with it. Like-wise everything we do for or because of
the Lord will carry a blessing with it. If you are not getting blessed and you don't believe that you are
missing the whole point of obedience, look at it from the Lord's point of view. You may say you are doing the Lord's will
to please Him but if you please Him, He'll please you. If you could just grasp
this simple truth then we'd be halfway home. Just as disobedience carries a
curse called the curse of sin, so obedience carries a blessing.
If we know there is a benefit in doing something it usually makes
us much more willing to do it. But where is the benefit? Notice that nowhere in
the bible does it say that if you give $100 you will get $110 or $120 in return.
If that were the case there would likely be hundreds of people in every church
giving their tithe just to get a return on their money. That wouldn't be faith
and God is interested in seeing us exercise our faith. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says
that God gives the increase, not the pastor. If we rely on a spiritual God then
we must know that the blessing we receive will be spiritual and not carnal.
Whether that spiritual blessing will translate itself in physical or financial
ways depends on a number of things but in the final analysis the spiritual
blessing will be greater. It has greater value because it is manifested toward
the whole creature and not just toward carnal desires or financial gain.
Remember that you have one tithe to give and that is so that God
might bless you and see to your needs. If you choose not to give it you will
miss the great blessing that He has in store for you. No, there is no one to
twist your arm and make you give your tithe and as I said that if you never
really wanted to give it then you were wasting your time giving grudgingly. But
if you are a cheerful giver and render to the Lord that which is appropriate you
will release all the blessings which God has in store for you according to your
needs. Remember that the next time you go to Him in prayer and ask your self
what your chances are that your prayer will be heard. Remember also that there
are three possible responses that the Lord gives to prayer: "Yes", "No", or
"Wait".
Malachi 3:10-11
10 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.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not
destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before
the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
What do you want to hear from the Lord when Satan is eating up all
the sweetness in your life? Yes, No, or: "You'll have to wait, I'm busy right
now." Don't be too busy to pay the one tithe you have to give.