Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts; “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts.-Malachi 3:10-12
There is much debate in the church world today about tithing: should we, or should we not? So I thought I would add my two cents worth to the debate.
In my opinion, only a non-tither is debating the issue because God promised that in tithing, we could put Him to the test and find Him faithful. And if you are a tither, and you have put Him to the test, then you know He is faithful and this is not an issue for you. However, if you tried it, was inconsistent with it, or did not bring “all” the tithe into the storehouse, than I can imagine your confusion on the topic.
I first heard the message of tithing when I was 16 years old. I remember thinking, I could really stand to be blessed, so if I ever get a job, I will tithe. From that day to this day, whenever I have wanted or needed a job, I got one and I have always tithed. And God has always provided for me.
When I was in the military I began to feel lonely and desirous of a godly husband. I can still see me standing in the living room praying to the Lord about it, when these words flowed from my heart and lips: “Father, you promised me that if I would tithe that you would open the window of heaven for me and pour me out a blessing that I would not have room enough to receive. Well God! I’ve been faithful in my tithing and my giving, so where is my blessing?” Immediately, I heard in my spirit, “Call Wade!”
Wade is my current husband of over 30 years. A marriage blessed beyond my wildest dreams. But at that time, he was also serving in the military and we had met once before in Sicily, in an airport about a year before this. Now, I can’t possibly give you all the details in this short post, but suffice it to say, God aided me in finding him. Actually, I went back to work that Monday and was talking casually with a fellow believer who (it so happened) knew him from a previous base. So I called, and the rest, as we say, is history.
Over the years we have seen God do some wonderful things in our lives, in our finances, and in the lives of our children; because we are tithers and have taught them to tithe. As a matter of fact, one of my criteria for a husband was for him to be a tither.
Just this week, I was speaking with a new believer who works in the same building I work in. She asked me if she should tithe on the net or the gross? She asked me if it was ok to pay it in two installments? I told her how I tithe and what I believe the Bible teaches about tithing. She was excited to hear it and said she would start paying it correctly. I know she’ll be blessed because of it and because of her heart; but mainly because He promised!
I can go on and on about the benefits of tithing that I have personally experienced over the decades of my tithing. If someone started preaching tomorrow that they heard a “word” from God and He does not expect us to tithe anymore, I would call him a lying spirit and continue to tithe. Even if I had at one time highly regarded him as a man of God.
Should believers tithe? Only if they want to obey God and be blessed in the process. More in another post! Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 