Tithing
Gen 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Deu 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Tithing
Mathematically it is a tenth. “…and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee” (Gen_28:11).
Scripturally it is a law. “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase” (Deu_14:22).
Morally it is a debt. “…Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings” (Mal_3:8).
Economically it is an investment. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Mat_6:20). “Give, and it shall be given unto you” (Luk_6:38).
Spiritually it is a blessing. “I will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Mal_3:10).
Giving to God
Years ago it was the custom for the people to bring their gifts to the front of the church. A well-known preacher was making an appeal to the people to give for a good cause. Many came to present their offerings of love. Among them was a little crippled girl who hobbled along at the end of the line. Pulling a ring from her finger, she placed it on the table and made her way back up the aisle.
After the service an usher was sent to bring her to the preacher’s study. The preacher said, “My dear, I saw what you did. It was beautiful. But the response of the people has been so generous that we have enough to take care of the need. We don’t feel right about keeping your treasured ring, so we have decided to give it back to you.”
To his surprise the little girl vigorously shook her head in refusal. “You don’t understand,” she said. “I didn’t give my ring to you, I gave it to God!” Lovely.
“Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2Co_9:7).
A Better Kind of Indian Giver
An Indian one day asked Bishop Whipple to give him two one-dollar bills for a two-dollar note. When asked why, the Indian replied, “One dollar for me to give to Jesus, and one dollar for my wife to give.” The Bishop asked him if it was all the money he had. He said, “Yes.” The Bishop was about to tell him it was too much, when an Indian clergyman who was standing by whispered, “It might be too much for a white man to give, but not too much for an Indian who has this year heard for the first time of the love of Jesus.”
Three Kicks in Every Dollar
William Allen White, a famous newspaper editor in Emporia, Kansas, once gave a 50 acre tract of land to the city for a park. At the dedication, he made the strange statement that there are “Three kicks in every dollar.” He explained, “One kick is when you make it-and how I love to make a dollar! One is when you save it-and I have the Yankee lust for saving. The third kick is when you give it away-and the biggest kick of all is the last one.”
It seems Mr. White discovered on his own what Jesus taught 20 centuries earlier: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Act_20:35). Do you believe that? Want a big kick? Make a lot of money! Want an even bigger kick? Give your money to a worthy cause.
There is a “kick” in seeing needy people helped. There is a “kick” in seeing your money carry the good news everywhere. There is a “kick” in seeing your church touch the spiritual needs of the unsaved.
You, too, can get three “kicks” out of every dollar.
Church Is Cheaper
A woman took her two small boys and a daughter to see Peter Pan at the matinee one Saturday afternoon. The tickets were two dollars and fifty cents each. The young daughter watched as the mother pushed ten one dollar bills under the window and received four tickets.
The next day the same mother and daughter were at church. When the collection was taken the child saw her mother open her purse, take out a quarter, and put it in the plate as it passed them.
The little girl looked up at her mother and in a clear stage whisper which everyone around could hear said, “Mother, church is a lot cheaper than a movie, isn’t it?”
A Tithing Testimony
Many years ago a lad of 16 was obliged to leave home because his father was too poor to support him any longer. So he trudged away with all worldly possessions in a bundle dangling from his hand, resolving as he journeyed to set up in business as a soapmaker in New York.
When the country boy arrived in the big city, he found it hard to get work. Remembering the last words of his mother and also the godly advice given him by the captain of a canal boat, the youth dedicated his life to God, determining to return to his Maker an honest tithe of every dollar he earned.
So, when his first dollar came in, the young man sacredly dedicated ten cents of it to the Lord. This he continued to do. And the dollars rolled in! Soon this young man became partner in a soap business; and when his partner died a few years later, he became sole owner of the concern.
The prosperous businessman now instructed his bookkeeper to open an account with the Lord and to credit to it one tenth of all his income. The business grew miraculously. The honest proprietor now dedicated two-tenths of his earnings; and then three-tenths, four-tenths; and finally, five-tenths. It seemed as if his sales increased in exact proportion to his generosity, so that soon his brand of soap became a household word throughout the world.
The late William Colgate was this man whom God so singly prospered in return for his faithfulness to his Maker.
HeavenNotices a Penny
It was Christmas time, and the bell tinkled. Many people had passed by the Salvation Army kettle on the busy corner.
Then a small boy-six perhaps-looked into the kettle and asked, “Mister, what is that money for?” The tall man ringing the bell leaned over and quietly replied, “It is for girls and boys like you. But they are children that need food and clothing and toys for Christmas. The money will buy those things. Do you see?”
The tiny lad with face aglow plunged his hand deep into his pocket. Then, reenacting the Miracle of Christmas, he placed his gift-a penny-in the kettle with the rest.
“Only a penny?” you say. But it was a gift straight from a little boy’s heart. If it did not go unnoticed on the busy street corner, surely it did not go unnoticed in heaven.
More Than a Tithe
On his tenth birthday, a sensitive boy received 10 shiny silver dollars from a thoughtful uncle. The child was very appreciative. He immediately sat down on the floor and spread the coins before him. Then he began to plan how to use the money. He set aside the first dollar saying, “This one is for Jesus.” He then went on to decide what to do with the second, and so on until he came to the last dollar. “This one is for Jesus,” he said. The boy’s mother interrupted, “But I thought you gave the first dollar to Jesus.” “I did,” the boy replied. “The first one really belongs to Him, but this one is a gift to Him from me.”
Willing to Give All I Don’t Have
A new convert declared his determination to give all that he had for the Master. He said, “Pastor, if I had fifty pigs, I’d give twenty-five of them to the Lord.” “That’s very nice,” said the pastor. “If you had thirty would you give fifteen to the Lord?” “Of course I would,” said the new Christian. “If you had ten would you give five of them?” asked the pastor again. “You know I would,” he answered. Then the pastor said, “If you had two, would you give one to the Lord?” “Now Pastor, don’t ask me that. You know I have only two pigs.”