Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Memorise: Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye
say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Malachi 3:8
Read: Genesis 14:16-20
Tithe is a tenth of your income or profit, which is entirely
God’s share of every increase He gives to you. He asked specifically for a
tenth and left the balance to us to decide how we want to spend it. The saints
and patriarchs of old paid tithes and when Jesus came, He further threw His
weight behind it. Tithe is an act of worship. It is a mark of your covenant
with God. God does not expect tithe from unbelievers no matter how rich they
are, but He requires it at the hands of all believers in Christ no matter how
impoverished they are. Some people pay tithe on big incomes but fail to pay
tithe on little ones. This is wrong. Pay tithe on all your income – big, medium
and small. Even if you earn in kobos, cents or pennies, pay your tithe. Tithe both
your main income and other smaller incomes. Pay tithe on the gifts you receive
also. Never think that God does not know how to calculate. He knows it better
than the greatest mathematician on earth.
Your tithe is a mark of dependence on God and not on your
earnings. It is a mistake to depend on your income. Your income is only a
little allowance as far as God is concerned. You need so much beyond that
salary. Depending on your income displaces God from being your source. If you
find it difficult to pay your tithe, then your income has become your only
source. Such an individual will be extremely limited. The wise who understands
this principle would rather move up to 20%, 30%, 40% or 50%. I once met an
American who gave 90% to God of all he earns and takes 10% to himself and a
business he started with 500 dollars grew to 50 million dollars in five years.
In other words, you can increase your dependence on God by giving more than 10%
of your income or profit. If your faith can carry it, you can pay your tithe on
your gross salary which the wise fellow would do. But if your faith cannot
carry it, then you can pay tithe on your net. The blessings God will return
will either be on your gross or net depending on what you gave to Him. How
regularly do you pay your tithe?
KEY POINT:
“Tithers” walk by faith while “Non-tithers” walk by sight.
Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 17-19
When God gave the Israelites the promised land, He RESERVED, for Himself, a tenth of the crops and every tenth animal. They NEVER did belong to the Israelites. In other words, the tithe was from God's increase of FOOD, not from man's income. It was a way to distribute FOOD to the Levites and priests who did NOT inherit any land.
ReplyDeleteNo one, not even the farmers, tithed on their income.
The farmers made their income by SELLING and/or barter-exchanging their crops and animals but did NOT tithe on that income.
Today, ALL born-again believers are priests. ALL of us are called to be deciples of the Lord. No one of us is higher than another. Our bodies are the Temple where the Spirit dwells. According to the scriptures, priests do not tithe.