‘In addition, he required the people in Jerusalem to bring a portion of their goods to the priests and Levites, so they could devote themselves fully to the Law of the Lord . When the people of Israel heard these requirements, they responded generously by bringing the first share of their grain, new wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a large quantity—a tithe of all they produced. The people who had moved to Judah from Israel, and the people of Judah themselves, brought in the tithes of their cattle, sheep, and goats and a tithe of the things that had been dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them up in great heaps. They began piling them up in late spring, and the heaps continued to grow until early autumn. When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw these huge piles, they thanked the Lord and his people Israel! “Where did all this come from?” Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites. And Azariah the high priest, from the family of Zadok, replied, “Since the people began bringing their gifts to the Lord ’s Temple, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare. The Lord has blessed his people, and all this is left over.”’ 2 Chronicles 31:4-10(NLT)
‘For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”’ Romans 10:13-15(NLT)
‘Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. ‘ Galatians 6:7-9(NLT)
WHY?
We touched on this in Day 3, but one reason to tithe is that if we all tithed together, there would be MORE than enough resources to accomplish what God has called us to. We’ll read a verse here in a minute that shows the priests (pastors) of that time actually getting questioned because the tithes were so large – what a concept!
Imagine how many hungry people we could feed and how many lost people could meet Jesus if we all did our part and stayed faithful?
A study was done a few years back that stated that we could end world hunger in a matter of months if the entirety of the church tithed. Think about that! This is how it was supposed to work, and instead of churches closing down every year, we were meant to expand and reach every corner of the earth. That is what would happen if the church would rise up and be obedient in what God has called us to.
Why do we tithe? Because what we are capable of as a church would be limitless!
from NEXT STEPS: Give