Tithing - How Much Do You Give?
Part of being a good financial manager, or steward, is giving back to God a portion of what He's entrusted to us. It's not that God "needs" our money. Rather, giving serves as a vivid and personal testimony that God owns both the material and spiritual things of our lives. It also supports the greatest, most enduring work ever conducted in this world, and that is the Lord's work.
Proverbs 3:9-10 LB “Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines.”
In the Bible, this is called tithing! It means “a tenth.” This verse tells us that we can worship and honor the Lord with our money, with our giving. Conversely, the verse implies the possibility of dishonoring the Lord by not giving. It implies that we are withholding an expression of worship that God asks us for. I believe that tithing is one of the most powerful expressions of worshipping the Lord.
We're not all great singers, or musicians or worship leaders, but we can all honor and worship the Lord by giving. And notice what we are told in Proverbs 3:9-10, we’re not to give the last and the least, but the first and the best! That's what the term "firstfruits" means.