Why is not giving your tithe stealing from God?
Here
is a beautiful story by: Bo Sanchez that explains it.
The Story of A Generous Business Partner
One
day, a very wealthy man was walking on the road. Along the way, he saw a beggar
on the sidewalk. The rich man looks kindly on the beggar and asked, “How did
you become a beggar?”
The
beggar said, “Sir, I’ve been applying for a job for a year now but haven’t
found any. You look like a rich man. Sir, if you’ll give me a job, I’ll stop
begging.”
The
rich man smiled and said, “I want to help you. But I won’t give you a job. I’ll
do something better. I want you to be my business partner. Let’s start a business
together.”
The
beggar blinked hard. He didn’t understand what the older man was saying. “What
do you mean, Sir?”
“I
own a rice plantation. You could sell my rice in the market. I’ll provide you
the sacks of rice. I’ll pay the rent for the market stall. I’ll even give you
food allowance everyday for the next 30 days. All you’ll have to do is sell my
rice. And at the end of the month, as Business Partners, we’ll share in the
profits.”
Tears
of joy rolled down his cheeks. “Oh Sir,” he said, “You’re a gift from Heaven.
You’re the answer to my prayers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He then
paused and said, “Sir, how will we divide the profits? Do I keep 10% and you
get the 90%? Do I keep 5% and you get the 95%? I’ll be happy with any
arrangement.”
The
rich man shook his head and chuckled. “No, I want you to give me the 10%. And
you keep the 90%.”
For
a moment, the beggar couldn’t speak. When he tried to speak, it was gibberish.
“Uh, gee, uh, wow, I mean, huh?” He couldn’t believe his ears. The deal was too
preposterous.
The
rich man laughed more loudly. He explained, “I don’t need the money, my friend.
I’m already wealthy beyond what you can ever imagine. I want you to give me 10%
of your profits so you grow in faithfulness and gratitude.”
The
beggar knelt down before his benefactor and said, “Yes Sir, I will do as you
say. Even now, I’m so grateful for what you’ve done for me!”
And
so that was what happened…
He Forgets Where The
Blessings Came From
Each
day, the beggar—now dressed a little bit better—operated a store selling rice
in the market. He worked very hard. He woke up early in the morning and slept
late at night. And sales were brisk, also because the rice was of good quality.
And after 30 days, the profits were astounding. At the end of the month, as the ex-beggar was
counting the money, and liking very much the feeling of money in his hands, an
idea grew in his mind. He told himself, “Gee, why should I give 10% to my
Business Partner? I didn't see him the whole month! I was the one who was
working day and night for this business. I did all this work! I deserve the
100% profits!”
A
few minutes later, the rich man was knocking on the door to collect his 10% of
the profits. The ex-beggar opened the door and said, “You don’t deserve the
10%. I worked hard for this. I deserve all of it!” And he slammed the
door.
If
you were his Business Partner, how would you feel?
Friend,
this is exactly what happens to us…God Gave You Everything.
I’ve
got an announcement to make: God is your Business Partner.
And
your Business Partner gave you everything.
God
gave you your life—every single moment, every single breath, every single
second…
God
gave your talents—your ability to talk, to create, to earn money…
God
gave you your body—your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your hands, your feet,
your heart…
God
gave you your mind—your imagination, your emotions, your reasoning, your
language…
In
the Old Testament, your Divine Business Partner only asks that you give 10% of
your profits.
But
I’ve noticed that many don’t want to tithe. Because they feel they own
everything they earn.
Big mistake.
Some
Christians believe that they don’t need to tithe because it’s an Old Testament
Law.
They
say that in the New Testament, God tells us to give as the Spirit of God leads
us to give.
I
totally agree. But does that mean we should give less than the Old
Testament?
The
story I gave you above is the Old Testament Version.
Let
me share with you my second version…
Here’s
The New Testament Version
In
the New Testament version of my story, it begins in the same way. The rich guy
tells the beggar that he wants to do business with him. And after the beggar
gets flabbergasted, he asks, “Sir, how will we divide the profits? Do I keep
10% and you get 90%?”
Instead
of the rich man saying, “Just give me 10%,” he says, “You decide how much you
want to give me. Give according how grateful you are.”
Wow.
Tell me. Will that guy just give 10%?
Here’s
my interpretation: Giving 10% is the starting point of grateful giving. A lot of people think that 10% is the
maximum. I don’t think so. I believe 10%
is kindergarten. 10% is like a kids bike with training wheels—it’s for someone
who doesn’t know how to be generous yet but would like to learn. And as you
learn to give 10%, God will teach you to give more generously.
Do You Want Blessings To Flow?
It’s
easy to give once in a while. Even a selfish man can do that. But for
happiness, life, blessings, and abundance to flow into your life, you need to
give faithfully.
There
are three bodies of water in Israel and all three are connected to each other.
The first is the Sea of Galilee, the second is the Jordan river and the third
is the Dead Sea.
Both
the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River are filled with fish. But the Dead Sea
is called dead because there’s no living thing in it. No fish. No shrimp. No
plants. Even some bacteria have a hard time living in it. Because it’s 8.6
times saltier than any ocean in the world.
Why
so?
Let
me give you the difference between these three bodies of water. The Sea of
Galilee gives water to the Jordan River. The Jordan River gives water to the
Dead Sea. The Dead Sea gives water to… no one.
All
that water that it receives gets trapped—and the only way the water escapes it
is through evaporation, leaving all the chemicals and salt in the Dead
Sea.
Here’s
the lesson: If you don’t give, you die.
What
Kind Of Sea Are You?
Friend,
you can be the Sea of Galilee or Sea of Death. It’s your choice.
The
only way for blessings to flow in your life is if you give.
This
is the law of God’s universe. This is how nature works.
Do
this experiment with me. For the next five minutes, inhale. Inhale as much as
you want. And as many times as you want, but don’t exhale for 5 minutes.
Cool?
Try it. (Is your insurance policy up to date?)
Here’s
another experiment. For the next 7 days, eat. Eat anything you want. Eat as
much as you want. But don’t visit the toilet. Just for 7 days.
What
am I saying?
The
universe is designed for you to inhale and exhale, to earn money and to give
money away.
3
Most Frequently Asked Questions
People
ask me about tithing a lot.
Here
are the 3 most frequently asked questions.
Q1:
“Where Should I Give My
Tithe?”
Answer: Give to the
spiritual family that feeds you spiritually, Church, prayer meetings you
attend, places where you go for a retreat, etc. etc. Think about it. You want
to support the spiritual body that supports your spiritual life. You want to
feed the spiritual community that feeds you spiritually.
Q2:
“Should I Give Based On Gross
Or Net?”
Answer: This
is really up to you. How grateful are you?
And let me answer this question with another question: How do
you want to be blessed? Based on gross or based on net? But giving based on net
is fine. If you’re a business person, give 10% based on your net profits. If
you’re a salaried person, give 10% based on the cash that you receive each
month.
Q3:
“Can I Give My Tithe To My
Poor Relatives?”
Answer: We should help
our poor relatives. I suggest you create an Alms Fund apart from your Tithes to
do this noble work.
Let me tell you why: Imagine if every Christian will do
that—give their tithes to poor relatives. Do you think the spiritual family
that nourishes you spiritually will survive? Do you think it’ll be able to do
God’s work of building His Kingdom on earth? I doubt it.
Overcome
Your Fear
The
Bible talks about giving the “first fruits” to God.
In
other words, your tithe should be your first expense. That means the moment you
receive your income, set aside your tithe and give it to God. Some people spend
first and give to God whatever is left. Believe me, nothing will be left.
Hey,
I know it’s scary. If you’ve never tried tithing before, it’s terrifying. I
heard one guy tell me, “Goodness Bo, if I tithe, will I have enough money at
the end of the month?”
When
someone is tithing for the first time, I tell them, “Just try it out for six
months. That’s what God says. The Bible says, “Test me”, says the Lord. So test
Him! And see what will happen in the first three months. See how God will
stretch your finances. See how He’ll cause promotions to happen. See how
unexpected gifts and opportunities will come your way.
Aspire
For Greatness!
Let
me digress.
Many
people believe that to be a Christian, you have to think small, dream small,
act small, live small.
These
are remnants of a wrong brand of faith given to us by Spanish colonial powers
for 333 years. That foreign Government worked with the Church to teach us to be
content with our small place in life—to be subservient—so that we won’t become
an Andres Bonifacio or Jose Rizal.
We
need to throw these vestiges away, because God has a great plan for your life.
He wants you to aspire for greatness! Be
the best that you can be. And earn as much money as you can.
Why?
Because it’s not for you! It’s to be given away. Earn as much as you can (in a
fair and honest manner) so that you can give as much as you can.
The
Biggest Reason Why I Want To Earn More
I
started tithing ever since I was a 12-year old kid. After more than 30 years,
I’m still tithing. For me, it’s the only way to live a happy and peaceful
life.
If
you want to be happy, TITHE.
Through
the years, God has returned to me whatever I gave to Him, multiplied many times
over.
Today,
God has blessed my businesses so much, I don’t need to earn anymore. I can just shut down all my businesses and
live on the interest of my investments. If I wanted to, I could just simply go
around the world and live from beach to beach, but I don’t want to do
that.
First
of all, I love my customers. I want to keep serving them.
Second,
I want to give more. The ultimate purpose of wealth is to love.
I’ve
come to realize that the only money that you keep is the money that you give
away.
YOU CANNOT OUT GIVE GOD
The
practice of tithing and offering has always been a controversial subject
between the laity and the ministers. But, to the Chosen Seed of God, it is not
so.
From
the beginning of time, it has been God's plan that His people should offer to
Him the best — their First Fruits. Most people do not even realize what the
word TITHE means. TITHE means A TENTH, or 10% of one's increase or income.
Out
of the 66 books in the Holy Scriptures, 34 of them deal in one way or another
with the subject of giving and receiving. Out of 72 references to giving, 48
show God's unequivocal promise of His abundant blessings to the giver —
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the
same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again"
(Lk.6:38).
Can
anyone accuse God of not keeping His promise? Believe that He more than keeps
His Word. Also believe in proportionate giving, and that the minimum amount
being one-tenth of one's earnings or income, or to use the Biblical expression,
the tithe.
No
one has really given to God until he has first paid his tithe.
Many
Christians suffer materially, physically and spiritually because they have been
misappropriating that which belongs to God. Hope you are not one of them.
WHY TITHE?
TWELVE REASONS FOR TITHING
1. Tithing is
scriptural — ordered and approved of God in the Old and New Testaments.
2. Tithing teaches the
true worshippers of the Lord Jesus Christ to put God and His work first.
3. Tithing teaches us
to recognize and acknowledge God's ownership of our lives.
4. Tithing is an act of worship.
5. Tithing gives us more confidence in our
prayers to God.
6. Tithing invokes God's blessings upon the
tithe-giver.
7. Tithing tends to increase
the tithe-giver's ability to give more than just a tenth of his or her income.
8. Tithing gives the
tithe-givers an opportunity to receive from God His blessings as they give Him
their tithes.
9. Tithing creates a
commanding position of stewardship in the lives of Christians.
10. Tithing increases
the tithe-giver's influence over others to follow his example to practise
tithing.
11. Tithing is giving in
a systematic manner rather than an emotional or spasmodic giving.
12. Tithing causes the
tithe-giver to give freely and spontaneously rather than waiting until an
appeal is made.
CHRISTIAN GIVING
Christian
giving must be a free and spontaneous act which is guided by the leading of the
Holy Spirit. This is one of the New Testament principles of giving. "For
if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath,
and not according to that he hath not" (2 Cor.8:12). Giving is also a
personal matter and should not be publicised. "When thou doest alms, let
not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth" (Matt.6:3).
The
Bible clearly shows us that our tithes and offerings must be brought to God's
house and given to the Levites (the Ministers called of God to minister His
Word). In other words, we are supposed to bring our tithes and offerings to our
respective home church in which we are ministered the Word of the Lord.
However, some of you may not have a home church. Or some of you may say that
you are unwilling to give to the church you are attending because the ministers
do not preach the Word of God. Let us first assume that you are correct in what
you say, but let's find out why you give tithes of time and energy which are
not used for God. In the land where you live there are many who do not believe
that a true Prophet of God was sent to get God's people back to His Original
Word. They do not believe that in this last day there is a true Church which is
made up of true worshippers who are members of the Bride of Christ. They would
rather believe that anyone who claims to be a Christian, whether a Methodist,
Lutheran, Anglican, Charismatic, etc., is part of the Bride of Christ and will
meet Christ in the coming Rapture of the Church. Unfortunately for them, Christ
is not coming back for any "Tom, Dick or Harry" Christian. He is
coming back for His very own.
Read
Haggai 1:4-7 and learn a lesson from the passage. In particular, verse 6 shows
us that all our efforts would be futile if we do not first consider the house
and the work of the ONE true God. Some Christians believe that by giving their
money to the poor, they have obeyed the commandments of God to bring their
tithes and offerings into God's store-house. While the giving of money to the
poor is a noble act it does not fulfill the commandments of God concerning
tithing and freewill offerings. We read in Galatians 6:6, "Let him that is
taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things."
In other words, you are supposed to give of your substance to the man of God
who tends to your spiritual needs and feed you with fresh manna from heaven.
GOD OR SATAN
We
are living at the end of all ages, and it behooves us to be careful where we
give our tithes and offerings. There are many wolves in sheep's clothing who
are roaming among the flock of God to seek (like their master --Satan) whom
they may devour. We know by the Word of God that we cannot serve God and Satan;
we must love one and hate the other or hold to the one and despise the other.
It is true that we cannot take our money with us. However, we can "send it
on ahead" as the old saying goes, which means that in God's eyes we could
make worthy use of our money.
Wouldn't
you hate to stand before God and find that you had been putting your tithes and
offerings in bags with holes in them. Surely you would not want to stand before
God to discover that you had been helping the Devil propagate his false doctrines
and theologies instead of serving God as you had intended. So remember this
well — if you are giving your gifts to a certain place where you know by the
Scriptures that they are not being used for God then they are being used for
Satan.
Avoid
the curse that falls upon the robbers of God, and do not miss out on the
blessings of God by being foolish with your tithes and offerings.
CONCLUSION
From
the study of the Word of God we understand that:
a) TITHING is a COMMAND OF THE LORD.
b) It is ESSENTIAL TO THE CHRISTIAN
EXPERIENCE.
c) EVERY CHRISTIAN is duty bound to TITHE.
d) THE TITHE of the Lord BELONGS TO GOD and
not to us.
e) A TENTH of the
income of children of Israel went to the PRIEST. "Do ye not know that they
which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they
which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord
ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" (1
Cor.9:13-14).
f) We are NOT to take
GOD'S TITHE and GIVE TO THE WIDOWED OR THE POOR.
g) TITHING is a New Testament Teaching.
h) BLESSINGS OF GOD ARE UPON EVERYONE WHO
TITHES.
i) We are to BRING
ALL THE TITHES INTO THE STOREHOUSE OF GOD, THE CHURCH, that there may be
Spiritual Food in due season under the MINISTRY.
j) Those who
substitute some other things for tithings are under the influence of Enticing
Spirits.
k) Those who refuse to tithe are ROBBERS OF
GOD.
l) We are to PUT GOD
FIRST. Whatever we owe, God comes FIRST, our family second and ourselves last.
m) Abraham, gave
TITHES. As his descendants we also should GIVE as WITNESSES THAT JESUS CHRIST
LIVES.
May
your dreams come true,
Stay
Blessed!
(Article collected from various sources)
