Obey God, regardless (4)

Why did God command His people to give Him the first tenth of their income? He tells us: “So that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands” (v. 29 NIV). That means tithing doesn’t cost, it pays! When you give God the first tenth of your income, He promises to bless “all the work of your hands.” So the question is not does the church need your tithe, but do you need God’s blessing? God’s work won’t go broke if you don’t tithe, but how well will you do if you disobey Him? Paul wrote, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income” (1 Corinthians 16:2 NIV). You say, “I thought tithing was only the rule under Old Testament law. Did the New Testament Christians practice it too?” Consider Paul’s words: “Each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income.” That’s proportionate giving! And since the only “Bible” the New Testament believers had was the Old Testament, what sum of money do you think they gave to God? Certainly not less than a tenth! Jesus told the Pharisees: “Woe to you, teachers of the law…You give a tenth…But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter [tithing], without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23 NIV). Question: would you give God less under grace than you do under law? The tithe is the minimum, but only your love for God and His kingdom can determine the maximum.