God and My Money (Part 3 – The Purpose of the Tithe)
During this series, we encourage you to get your priorities in order.
Simply put…
- Put God first
Jesus said, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
- Save part of your income before you spend it to build up savings and a wealth portfolio
“The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” (Proverbs 21:20)
- Budget and plan well
“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)
- Live within your means by managing your expenses. Cover your essentials first before you spend on the nice-to-haves.
“The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.” (Proverbs 10:16)
The God and My Money series is designed to help you structure your money in the correct order, while…
- Honoring God,
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10)
- Being a blessing,
“Give freely and gain even more; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:24-25)
- Living a contented life, while
“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)
- Building towards a fruitful financial future.
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23)
Today, I Want to Explain the Purpose of the Tithe
A few weeks ago, we looked at…
WHAT IS A TITHE?
The Hebrew word that’s translated as tithe word literally means a tenth. The tithe is GIVING 10% OF YOUR INCOME TO GOD.
WHAT IS TITHING?
Tithing is the practice of returning the first 10% of our income to God.
“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” (Leviticus 27:30)
A tithe of everything from the land, whether the grain from the soil or the fruit from the tree (10% OF EVERYTHING YOU EARN OR RECEIVE), belongs to God (IS HIS), and it is holy (SET APART) to God (FOR GOD’S PURPOSE).
Now, I am not going to get into a debate of whether the tithe is still relevant under the New Covenant or whether you must tithe on your gross or net income. However, I will show you the purpose of the tithe.
So, with the backdrop of what a tithe is, I now want to look at
What is the Purpose of the Tithe?
“The purpose of the tithe is to teach you to always put God first in your lives.” (Deuteronomy 14:23)
How clear is this! God’s word tells us THE NUMBER ONE PURPOSE OF THE TITHE is to teach us to PUT GOD FIRST IN OUR LIVES.
Giving to God is therefore to help you get our priorities in the right order…
- Giving God first place in our hearts and lives,
- Honoring Him.
- Trusting Him.
- Looking to Him as our source, our helper, and provider.
How are You Handling Your Money?
Does God feature in your budget?
Do you give God your first and best, or does he get the sloppy leftovers, that’s if there is anything left over at the end of the month?
The way we handle our money is a good picture of where we are really putting God first in our lives.
Look at your own bank statement. It shows your priorities. Your budget shows where God features.
The evidence will show you if God is first.
I want to encourage you, MAKE JESUS THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33 NLT)
Put First Things First
What is the first thing we should do every day?
- Start your day with God. Read His word. Pray. Seek Him.
What is the first thing we should do each week?
- Go to Church. Go worship God. Fellowship with fellow believers. Grow in your faith.
What should we do when you get paid each month?
- Give God your first and best.
Now, you may be thinking, “Clinton, you don’t understand. You don’t know my situation. If I gave first to God, this would be a massive change in my life!”
“Ah! For me to do that, I’d have to stop buying some things that I really want!”
“Ah! For me to do that, I’d have to reprioritize my life completely around God!”
Yes! Yes, you would! You may have to sacrifice something to put your God first.
But it is worth it. Put God first.
The discipline of giving to God is often neglected.
You need to teach this principle to your children while they are young.
Let’s face it, if you can’t give R1 out of every R10 you receive when you are young, how are you going to give R1,000 in every R10,000 when you begin to build wealth?
You need to develop a habit of putting God first and giving to God.
Giving to God should form the backbone of your approach to managing your money.
When you give your first fruits to God, you are showing that you are putting him first, even with your money.
When you put God first, you are honoring Him. You are also trusting in him to be your provider.
Remember, God has all power and authority. He can fix anything. He can bring light into your dark world. He is in control. He is our protector and our provider, so give him first place in everything. Put God first. Make him your number one priority. Put him first in your budget.
By the way: God does not need your money, but THE PURPOSE OF GIVING TO GOD is a tangible way of PUTTING GOD FIRST.
Why don’t you make the decision and say, “God today, I will put you first in my life and first with my money.”
Where Do You Stand Today?
- Maybe you are in bondage to debt…
If you are in bondage to debt, I pray that God will give you wisdom in the way you handle your money. I pray that God will break the bondage of debt and set you free. Lord, please do a miracle. Nothing is too complicated for You. You can fix what is broken. You can make a way. Lord, please set your people free. I ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
- Maybe today you have realized that God is not first in your life…
If you have never surrendered your life to God and if you know that you need to put God 1first, why don’t you call on God and make a decision to put Him first? This decision will impact your life and your eternity. Call on Him. As you do, I know you will experience His presence and His blessing like never before.
If you want to start or restart your walk with God, click here to pray a simple prayer we have set up for you.
- Maybe you have decided that from today you are going to put God 1st with your money!
If you want to put God first with your money, I pray that God will inspire you to be generous in your giving. Lord, I ask that as your children give, You will bless them, and use the money to impact our world with the Good News of Jesus, and to help the poor and needy.
When you give to God, you are saying…
- Lord, I put you first,
- Lord, I honor you,
- Lord, I am supporting your work, and
- Lord, I am ready to help the needy.
I want to encourage you to put God first with your money. Give Him your first fruits.
