By Ed Gibson
Honor the LORD with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine (Prov. 3: 9-10).
I was taught to tithe as a child, and early on I had the conviction that the first ten percent belonged to God without question. So tithing has always been kind of my “default” setting. Because of this, I probably developed more of a mentality of obligation than was really healthy. I would look at the tithe as just something that I needed to do to have peace with God and to walk in covenant with Him.
In college the Lord clearly revealed to me to increase my “tithe” beyond a tenth. He gave me a percentage amount that would henceforth be my “tithe.” I did not know why, but obeyed in faith that He would always provide for me. Since that time I have experienced great blessing in my life. I have always had an abundance, though not always an abundance of finances.
A few years ago the Lord was dealing with my fears about finances. I had just come through a financial trauma (our house flooded), and I was wanting to reduce my financial obligations by getting a smaller house, a lower overhead, and a more comfortable position. While considering this, the Lord led me to look at some building lots for sale. I resisted...I did NOT want any more financial stress. I did NOT want to live outside of my comfort. But I knew this was God’s direction to me. As I obeyed Him and began to investigate building a new house, He encouraged me one morning. It was on my early-morning run. I was just a few steps away from my house when, in mid-stride, He spoke to my spirit, “I am the God of Opportunity.” I KNEW that He had spoken to me. 'Nuff said... He spoke, and my faith rose.
I realized that my hope and my expectation had not been in my covenant relationship with Him, but in my ingenuity, and in protecting myself. I wanted to walk in faith, but I had some fears that were not yet dealt with. I was feeling a little bit on my own, like I kind of had to watch out for myself. But God was revealing to me that He took my faithfulness to Him as something very serious. He was in no way casual about His commitment to my success.
Over the years, the Lord began to teach me to have a positive expectation when I tithe. He began to show me that even though the tithe belonged to Him, and that I was tithing in obedience, when I showed my trust in Him, He would in no way, shape, or form let me go without everything I needed and even an abundance of everything that I needed.
Since the day that the Lord revealed to me that He is the God of Opportunity, I have had tremendous increase in every area of my life. I have not gone without anything for sure, but more than that, I have truly prospered.
Now I know that when I tithe, I should have the kind of positive expectation that a faithful son has of a Father. The Father is never going to let the son go without every blessing that the child needs. But even more, the Father wants the BEST for His kids.
Now I tithe with more faith and expectation than ever!
Respectfully, is the tithe in effect during the New Covenant / New Testament? If yes, what other parts of the Old Testament Law are also still in effect now?
ReplyDeleteGood question. Here's the authors response:
ReplyDeleteTruly, the tithe is not really a matter of law, but of covenantal living as it predates the giving of the law. Abraham demonstrated tithing, as did Jacob... They understood themselves to be joined to God in covenant, and that as they practiced giving God their first and best, that they could expect His protection and blessing.
Genesis 28:22 NKJV
22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
The New Covenant allows Christ's life to be lived through us so that we are able to fulfill the heart of God's law. New Testament living certainly does not mean disregarding the law, but the supernatural ability of the believer in Christ to walk in fulfillment of the law. Without Christ any attempt at fulfilling the law is completely fleshly, but in Christ we can by revelation walk in accordance with the spirit of the law, though not bound by the letter of the law.
The truth is that as we trust God with the Tithe (His Tithe) we are merely recognizing that all that we have belongs to Him and that we trust Him to meet our needs better with the 90% left in our account, than we could if we withheld the tithe.
As regards Old Testament Law, we live a life of freedom from the bondage of sin, of the flesh and of the law, this is because a life in the Spirit exceeds any attempt at fleshly fulfillment. So, instead of just stopping at "thou shalt not kill..." we have Jesus' commandment to "love one another, as I have loved you..." a mandate that is utterly impossible without the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
Truly the law is history, but only because it is obsolete in its outward, fleshly observance. A life in the Spirit supercedes the limited existence of a life under the law.
Thoughts?
-Ed
give and it shall be given to you, pressed down,etc. with the amount you give so shall it be given back to you with increase (as God knows your need or you ask, believing, no doubting, expecting to receive your request);
ReplyDeletetithe belongs to the local storehouse, where you are fed; it is the manner God has always used to provide for his priesthood;
GIVE ABUNDANTLY WITH JOY, FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER, NOT OUT OF A LAW BUT FROM THE HEART AND IN THE SPIRIT.
Most Christians are taught to DIVIDE the Old and New Testaments - THEY ARE ONE, the roots of our faith and understanding begins in Genesis when there was "no law", only Noah and Abraham and their families. Seed time and harvest, sewing and Reaping started in Genesis.