What is a tithe? A tithe is one tenth, so one tenth of what we earn should go right to God, before taxes, before any other deductions. The first fruits belong to God. Look around at how much God has given us. We should be happy to give back one tenth; it really isn't that much when you think of all we have been given.
Giving doesn’t mean getting. Giving means giving. There is no math equation where what you give goes from column A to column B and a matching amount gets placed in column C. What you give goes from column A to column B and stays with the owner of column B. If the motivation for our giving is just to receive, then we are giving for the wrong reasons. The reason we give is to help others, not to help ourselves. If God has already blessed us with enough to bless others, then that is what we should do as Christians. If God chooses to bless us further, then blessed be His holy name, thank you Father, for the name of Jesus. But if we tithe our first fruits and with the expectation of gaining in return, then we are tithing for the wrong reason. The reason to tithe is because God said so. Simple. The reason for offerings is to praise Him.
Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s and all its fullness, the work and those who dwell therein”
God owns everything and therefore it follows that we own nothing. We are only the managers of God’s possessions. The Christian owns nothing; all that he or she has is not “mine” but “Thine”. Everyone has something from God, no matter how much or how little. It is only right and natural to give something back to God when He has given so much to us. When we give, we give to further the gospel.
(It is also true then that when we steal from our neighbor, we steal from God because God gave our neighbor his possessions.)
We owe our gifts and talents to the Lord as well. Whatever we have, whether talents, or gold or gifts or money and wealth, we have only One to thank and be grateful to for all that we have, and the One we should thank is God.
