THE CONVICTION OF TITHING

A reader wrote in about tithing; to ask whether it was right to tithe an entire paycheck.

Well let’s begin with a scriptural reference of tithing : Malachi 3:10 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.
Of course tithing has always been a basic Bible principal, since the beginning of time. However, let’s look at what actually is a tithe. The Bible says that it is 10% of what you have received. Nevertheless, we must take a closer look at the principal.

The wonderful and undeniable thing about God is this: each of us as human beings is individually unique in our being and in our relationship with God. As unfair as it may appear, every individual may have different requirements of the Master. Example:
When Jesus was speaking to the rich man in the book of St. Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. . . .He was simply testing that man’s loyalty to see what was more important; faithfulness to the Lord’s principals or his money. After all, God has no use for money; it was merely a test of character.
In the old testament, a similar incident took place in the book of Genesis 22:2
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. . . .As you can see, here is another example of a test of obedience and a test of faith for that father Abraham. Surely God didn’t really want Abraham to kill Issac, his only son and by the way; (his promised by God son). As you read further in the chapter you will find God’s real reason for such an unreasonable request.
Genesis 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. Genesis 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

Now to address the initial question: it should be perfectly clear that each of us have a personal accountability to our selves in whether or not we choose to establish a relationship with the Lord. At that point it is what’s in our heart that determines the criteria that God requires of us. We are all not the same. What it may take for one will not even apply to another. Perhaps tithing an entire paycheck is what God requires of one individual, and from another He requires only the tithe. It is now important to know the leading of the Spirit concerning your individual convictions and relationship with God, and what is required of YOU.

The question now is Conviction. What’s yours? Will it take all, or just a tithe? Time to look inside your self.

Always remember, YOU ARE BLESSED!