10%

I’m a big-time bargain hunter. One of my favorite places to get a good deal is at a clearance sale. The words “75% off the already reduced price” get my shopping spree juices flowing. But, it’s got to be a good deal to catch my attention. I wouldn’t even look twice at a sign marked 10% off. That’s nothing! However, if you turn the tables, 10% feels like an awful lot when it’s coming out of my wallet. Do you know where I’m going with this?

God’s children are commanded to give 10% of our income back05is an ancient one. In the Old Testament we are told, “You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow which comes out of the field each year.” (Deut 14:22) The word tithe literally means tenth.

Why does the same God who owns everything want my money? I’m a firm believer that it’s got little to do with money and lots to do with faith. When we tithe or give sacrificially, especially when money is tight, we are in essence saying, “God, I trust you with everything. I know that you will provide for me.”

God can be trusted! In fact, tithing is the only subject in the Bible that God invites us to test him on. God declares in Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

So, this Sunday, when the collection plate is passed to you at church, I encourage you to take God up on His invitation to test Him with your tithe. Give God the opportunity to prove to you his faithfulness!