God is very clear in scripture that He isn't interested in us bringing to him anything other than the best. Nearly the entire book of Malachi is filled with God's words to those who would try to "cheat" God by bringing less than their very best as an offering to Him. In Malachi 1:6-14, He tells us that our blemished sacrifices mean nothing to Him, and "cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord." He could go on to give example after example of why He deserves to be honored and respected enough for us to bring Him our perfect sacrifices. But does He really need to? Have we not seen that God is God, and plenty worthy of everything??
Thankfully, animal sacrifices aren't required of us today. But that doesn't mean that God stopped asking for us to give to Him. In Malachi 3:10, God says "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." The whole tithe, you say? Hmm. So, that's 10%, right? Gross or net? Monthly or weekly?
I think we've missed His point. Perhaps we need to back up a second. First of all, what is a tithe? Well, the word actually means a tenth. So, yes, 10% is a tithe. But 10% of what? Well, 10% of whatever earnings you have. So, if you earn $100, you would tithe $10. Simple. Often people ask, "10% of net or gross?" Well, let's stop and consider for a moment what God is really asking you to do. He isn't necessarily concerned with the money. And I don't think He's concerned with the math. But if you examine scripture closely, you'll see where He's going. In Malachi 3:8 it says, "Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me." How? Because all the money you earned on that pay check isn't yours in the first place. It all belongs to God - not a tenth, not a portion, all of it. So when it's time to pay your tithe, what you're actually doing is accepting the gift of 90% from God, not giving 10% to God. When you look at it like this, it kind of changes things, doesn't it? Alright, now let's get technical for a second. When you look at your pay stub, you'll notice that the government has taken it's portion, and you've probably paid for insurance on this check. Before you curse about it, consider changing the way you view your check. Those deductions, while they seem painful, are done on your behalf as a courtesy. I assure you that if you opted not to have taxes deducted from your pay check, you would be very sore come April 15 when your tax bill was due. God is not concerned with your tax deductions and your insurance premiums and your stock options. God is concerned that you test Him in this. As you write your tithe check this month, be aware of what God is asking you to do - live with the 90% He's gifting you with, and He will keep only 10% in His church.
In preparing for my ladies group this morning, and the brief discussion we had on giving, I felt God tugging at me on this subject. He led me to some fascinating numbers, and I really felt convicted after this brief period of research. See if you feel the same way...
The average annual income in Guatemala (a place near and dear to my heart) is $2,630. That's less than one of my husband's paychecks - after taxes! The average annual income in the United States is $41,400. And the average annual income here in Sugar Land, Texas is $86,231. Truly I live in a blessed community. Now, the bottom 85% of the world's population earns $2,182 a year, or about $5.98 per day. The top 10% earns $25,400 a year. The top 5% earns $33,700 a year, and the top 1% earns $47,500 a year, or about $130.14 a day. Most of the people I know would fall into the top 1/10 of 1% in earnings. "Wealthy Americans" are considered to be those making $150,000 a year or more, despite the average American being in the top 2% of the world's wealth. Of those considered "wealthy", only about 1% of them gave a full tithe. Only roughly 1.9% of American wealth is given annually, even though a tithe is 10%. In general, the more money a person makes, the less likely he or she is to tithe. 37% of regular church-goers did not give at all last year, and only 3-5% of church-goers gave a full tithe. The average church-attendee gave $643.67 in 2004.
The numbers are discouraging. They tell a very different story than the one God illustrates in the Old Testament. He doesn't want our half-hearted attempt at giving. You think God needs your money?? I doubt the God who parted seas, started plagues, sends angels, and miraculously placed His son in a virgin's womb needs the 3-5% we've been offering. No, what He wants is our hearts. He wants our hearts to give - generously, and cheerfully - to show that we understand that the money we earn every month isn't really ours at all. It's all His. And we graciously accept 90% of that money as stewards and investors of His wealth. We can't give God 10% of our money. We don't have any. He just lets us keep some of it.
As a personal testimony, I just want to share with you a brief story regarding tithing. In years previous, my husband and I were reluctant to tithe. Like most Americans, I think we just felt that the tithing was really a way to ensure our pastor got his new car, kept his nice suburban home, and sent his kids to Christian private school. We felt convicted at times to give to ensure our church could maintain programs that we used, keep lights on, and continue special activities. But, we just never really felt the need to give regularly. We were cheerful and generous, but not tithers. We didn't offer God the blemish-free sacrifice He wanted. After reading Malachi, we felt very convicted. Test me in this. It became clear that, at the very least, we knew that God had been faithful to His promises thus far and we had no reason to believe He wouldn't be faithful in this. In January of 2011, we began to tithe - a full tithe - every two weeks. When the paycheck came in, the first check we wrote was to the church. Honestly, it was painful at first. We had grown so used to spending that money on our own selfish desires, it was very hard to part with it. After a time, though, we weren't even aware that it was "gone." And despite the 10% decrease in our available funds, we were noticing that our lives were so incredibly blessed! My husband got a raise, which even after 10% tithe more than made up for the difference. We were able to pay off debt and create even more margin in our budget. But then something really amazing happened. We began to notice that our overall charitable giving went up! We had money left over at the end of the month that we were able to give to other organizations and charities that could benefit from our gift. We couldn't stop giving! And the more money we gave away, the more money God seemed to give us. My husband and I both were able to go on foreign mission trips. We gave to the cause nearest and dearest to our hearts - Living Water International. We were able to begin a relationship with a child from WorldVision and in our partnership were able to give clean water and medicine to a rural community in Guatemala. We have made anonymous donations to other local charities and causes - all in addition to our regular tithe! We took God up on His challenge - and He did everything He said He would. I would encourage you to do the same. Your money will not go to waste. In fact, you will find yourself blessed beyond belief. Even if God chooses not to give you a single dime in exchange, you can rest assured that what He will do in your life and in your heart will be worth every single penny and then some. It is by far the best, safest, and easiest investment you can ever make - In God We Trust.
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