Tithing...a Way of Life

Your obedience in tithing is the thing that ensures you to receive the blessings of Malachi 3:8-12.  If you are robbing God of your tithes, you nee to understand that these promises cannot come to you.  No matter how much prayer, fasting or believing you do, you cannot receive these blessings because the Bible shows us that only our OBEDIENCE ensures the blessings are operating in our life.

Many people are not obtaining what God wants for them due to sheer disobedience.

The Hebrew word "maasrah" means "the tenth."  This alone shows us that God has determined what our tithe is.  It is a tenth of our increase.  Tithing is not giving what we want to God and calling it "our tithe."  It is already predetermined and preset at 1/10th of your increase.  Increase is your GROSS pay not your NET.

I've been asked many times..."do I tithe on my gross or my net?"  The answer is simple, do you want a GROSS BLESSING or a NET BLESSING?

Anything required by God is required by FAITH.  We are told in Proverbs 3:9-10 to "Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so that thy barns be filled with plenty and they presses shall burst out with new wine."

Look at the words "honor the Lord" in verse 9.  The literal meaning here is "to mark out a place for God."  It has the connotation of digging a hole to be filled.  How do we honor the Lord?  By digging a hole for God with our substance or the first fruits of our increase.  Then we are giving God a place to pour into our life.

If there has been increase to you, you must tithe from that increase.  Make sure you have dug a hole so God can say, "because of that hole and because you have honored me, I will fill it for you!"

Why do this?  So that your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats may burst out with new wine.

That which is not of faith, is sin.

The problem with many Christians is that they do not understand that whatever God requires of you is required by FAITH.   According to Romans 14:23, anything that is not of faith is sin.  Tithing is done by faith. 

Anyone who adds up their bills FIRST to see if they will have 10% left and then pay tithes, even though it is 10%, is not tithing.  Tithing is a FIRST FRUIT; it must be done before anything else by FAITH.  It must be FIRST to be accepted by God.

God is a covenant God and a covenant keeping God.  he is the one who says, "IF and THEN."  He does what He promises He will do based upon our meeting His conditions.  "if you do this, then I will do that."  If you obey Him, He will keep the terms of the agreement or covenant.  If you disobey Him, then you cannot expect Him to honor the terms of the agreement because you are a covenant breaker.

Some Christians wonder what God being a covenant God has to do with their financial situation.  Once you are born again, you have a new RELATIONSHIP with God.  This relationship is much different than the one you had before.  With this new relationship, God has already DETERMINED TO BLESS YOU.  He paid a price for your soul and since you accepted His gift of salvation, you are now qualified to receive all the other blessings He has in store for you!

More to come on this subject...