Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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TITHE — A RESPONSIBILITY AND A BLESSING

Malachi 3:7-10
" Bring the full amount of your Tithes to the Temple.... Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things"(Mal 3:10)
Abraham was the first tithe payer in record (Gen.14:20). Some people say, "We do not pay tithes because tithing is under the Law." If that is sufficient reason for not paying tithes, then we could also mistreat our parents, for the Law says, "Honor your father and mother" ( Exo. 20:12). So it is not at all an excuse.
Tithe- A Responsibility
a) To honor the Creator. Everything we have belongs to God, and we are only stewards of His goods. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof' (Psalms 24:1) "He owns the cattle on a thousand hillsides"( Psalms 50:10) " The silver is mine and the gold is mine" (Haggai 2:8) "Render unto God the things that are God's "( Matthew 22:21)
b) To escape Condemnation. "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me in tithes and offerings" (Malachi 3:8) How sad it is that people who are honest in business and who pay their debts to the banks and tax to the government, do not pay God what belongs to Him. The tithe belongs to God and a person is condemned if he spends God's money.
c) To spread the Gospel. Tithing is God's way of supporting the church and the ministry. In the Old Testament, the Levites and the priests were supported by the tithes. The Christian now has far more blessings through Jesus Christ and thus far greater responsibilities than the 0.T people. We have an obligation to support the ministries through our church.
Tithe- A Blessing
Tithing teaches us obedience, and discipline in our life. God blesses the people who pay tithes. They do not always have the most money or best clothes, but they are blessed because God supplies all their needs. The expectation of a return should not be our motivation for giving. But surely God will value our giving. God has asked us to test Him and see if He will bless us or not. Someone has remarked, "Jesus saves a person along with his purse". Let this be true in our case too. Our love for Christ is measured not by how large a portion we give, but how much we use on ourselves.

God loves a cheerful giver. I can honestly testify that the Lord has supplied all my needs according to His riches, ever since I started paying tithe systematically. Let us take up responsibility of giving the tithes honestly and accept the blessings He has promised.
Prayer:
Almighty God, you own everything. Make us aware that we are only stewards. Help us to be faithful in our giving so that we may be a source of blessing to others in need and be ourselves blessed in your sight. In Jesus' name we plead. Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Tithe is a mark of our Trust in God.

Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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