October 2023
"The earth, and all its fullness, is the LORD’s.” (Psalm 24:4)
This verse expresses something about God’s personal nature and how He handles His possessions. Our God is not a self-centered God! Look at how He freely shares the beauty and resources of this planet with us. He does not withhold oxygen or water or light out of fear that He might need it somewhere else. He does not require a monthly fee for use of the body we live in, even though it, too, belongs to Him (see the rest of verse 4). He is an extravagantly generous God Who created an entire universe for us to discover and explore – with no tickets to purchase, no entry fees to pay and no taxes for using His property.
One way our family gives thanks to Him for His generosity to us is by giving back to Him a tenth of the financial favor He has shown to us. We do not give the “tithe” out of obligation, as if it is owed to Him like a tax. Nor do we give it with a grunt of resentment, thinking the tithe spent on us would give us a better lifestyle.
Instead, we give gladly for three reasons:
First, we give out of APPRECIATION.
When someone gives us a gift, it is the right thing to do to say, “Thank you.” But, when God lavishes us with His love and grace and forgiveness and friendship and promise of an eternal home, words alone, to us, seem insufficient to express our gratitude.
I know how lost I was when Jesus found me and how broken I was when He saved me. The changes He has made in me are measurably remarkable, and I want to be like the one leper who returned to Him and gave thanks for His healing!
The thank offerings of the Hebrews were given for just that reason; words alone were inadequate to express their gratefulness for God’s provision.
Nothing we could offer Him would ever be enough to thank Him properly, but when I look to the Scriptures for an amount He asks, the tithe is mentioned far more than any other amount.
So, we tithe with a truly grateful heart!
Lynn Hardaway,
Network Missionary