What Giving Can Do.

“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.” -Malachi 3:10 

We get so caught up in what gaining can do for us, it is easy to lose sight of what giving can do.  Giving your time, money, and energy.  Losing yourself in the Lord.  Letting go and letting God be the light and life of your life.  Bringing the tithes reminds us what giving can do.     

Tithing under Jewish law was a part of many commandments and ordinances that constituted the worship of God, and salvation.  In this time period, when you tithed, you brought the best of your land to the Lord.  It was another avenue of sacrifice.  The same as if you were to offer a lamb, bullock, or meal offering on the altar.  You were instructed to take something that you had possession over, that brought value to you, and give that to God.  It was an act of giving, in faith.  Today, tithing has taken a mainstream definition in Christianity.  The monthly offering of ten percent of your wages is considered “tithing”.  The idea is if I give ten percent of the thirty-five hundred, I made this month, then I have “done my part.”  Then I can spend the next 29 days of the month focusing on wonderful “me.”  Dedicating myself to making thirty-five hundred and one dollars the next month.  Essentially, the tithe becomes an insurance policy against further giving.  While it is certainly not wrong to give to your church, this kind of tithing is a shallow sentiment of what tithing is.  If the undercurrent of tithing is sacrifice, we should not stop at ten percent.  We can tithe a lot of things, in a variety of ways (outside of our ten percent we give regularly).  It can be your time, your energy, your expertise.  It can be something you do for God, or something you stop doing for God.  The Pharisees tithe “mint and rue” but left off weightier matters.  They gave their bit, when the time came, as expected; but then left off the major reason for giving.  They left off love, they left off sacrifice, they left off devotion.  The tithe was there in practice, but not in full participation.  The appearance kept, but not the experience.  Furthermore, the tithe is there to keep us humble, remind us He is God, to teach us sacrifice, and to allow us the opportunity to prove God in our life.  Prove Himself in our lives when we give.  Give our time, our money, our energy, our prayers, ourselves.  The blessings of God are far more profitable than the money of man.  When He proves Himself in our life, we gain a deeper relationship with the Almighty.  A greater understanding; how’s that for an investment?  

The scripture says that wisdom is justified of her children.  If you want to know wisdom, look to her children.  Are not the children of wisdom the practitioners of the Word?  The Word champions devotion, diligence, and sacrifice to God above; not idols below. Would you build your own kingdom, when God’s kingdom lie waste?  Would you lay up treasures on Earth, and not in heaven?  Would this be wise?  Consider your tithes, consider your offering; not so you can see what your giving; rather what you could be giving.  Let your life be an example of what giving can do.