Did you know that one of the Church of God Doctrinal Commitments is tithing and giving?  We are presented with more than a few Scriptures on this topic: Genesis 14:18-20; 28:20-22; Malachi 3:10; Luke 11:42 ; 1 Corinthians 16:2 ; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 ; Hebrews 7:1-21.  My favorite of course is Malachi 3: 10, which says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”  I am always so excited to see how God can take something small and turn it into something miraculous.  After all, He is in the miracle business.

So, what is the tithe?  A tithe is 10% of the income you receive.  That is of course the most simplistic definition.  Early writings report that among the Greeks and Romans tenths were frequently dedicated out of a man’s substance to their gods, sometimes as lasting obligation, sometimes only on particular occasions; but it was customary to dedicate the tenth of the spoils of war to Jupiter Praedator, to Mars, and to Hercules.  The Persians gave to their gods the tenth of war spoils.  The part of this that fascinates me is how all of these had so much dedication to paying their tithes to gods that were not even real.  It brings us to think of the Scripture in Acts 17:23, “for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.”  Paul was addressing the Church of Thessalonica when he saw this altar and was perplexed that they did not know who they were exalting.  Those historical people paid tithes to the gods that did not exist and did not personally know, in contrast, we know our God!  We know that He is real!  And, we know that His Word instructs us to bring the tithes into His storehouse.

the CFO here at BSCOG, I often see the blessing attached to giving in connection to those that regularly tithe.  Working in the finance department within the church can be a difficult task; one sees who regularly gives and those who may not.  My prayer is that people would trust God more with their finances and they would see the miraculous happen in their life more often.  The Bible tells us, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ~Luke 6:38 NKJV.”  I often wish people would use larger measuring cups in their giving and see what happens. When we pay 10% of our income to the Lord, we always receive more than we give.  Though many times we receive spiritual blessings for paying tithes & offerings, sometimes the blessings are temporal. I like what Randy Alcorn wrote, “..tithing isn’t something I do to clear my conscience so I can do whatever I want with the 90 percent–it also belongs to God! I must seek his direction and permission for whatever I do with the full amount. I may discover that God has different ideas than I do.”
― Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions, Eternity.

When Edward Stokes Rich was 12 years old, he worked at night for a local newspaper to help his single mother earn money for his family. Whenever Edward received money, he gave it to his mother, who’d pay tithing on it.  One time his mother said, “Edward, I know that you have no overcoat, and you must walk many miles to and from work each night. With winter coming soon, it’s going to be very cold when you walk home at four or five o’clock in the morning. So, I’ll give you your tithing money and you can either pay your tithing or buy an overcoat. I’ll leave the decision up to you.” Edward hurried to the Bishop’s house and paid the tithing.  The next week Edward’s Aunt Mary came over and gave Edward a coat her sons had outgrown.  It fit him and was better than any coat he could have bought.  Since then, Edward’s decided to always pay a generous tithing.

This is just one story where God worked through a person’s giving.  There are thousands more and each time we see God being God.  He tells us in His word to test Him on this concept and that we are to be a cheerful giver.  With that said, why not test Him on his return? Get your largest measuring cup out and get happy by paying your tithes to the church you are a member of or attend, and watch the miracles come forth!