My first answer is yes. Wait a minute. But it could be no. It depends on how you look at it. You see, I have heard a lot of talk from people who say they tithe and are still struggling. There in lies the problem. People have been duped in to believing that if they tithe, they shouldn't have any financial worries. That's just not true. You still have to be a wise steward. Tithing is not a "get out of debt free" card. Let's pick it apart.
First of all, what is a tithe? It is 10% of ALL your increase. What is increase? Could be a lot of things but one thing for sure, it is pre-tax salary. Not net. It is also a bill. The Bible says that you OWE your tithe to God. What happens when you don't pay what is owed? Bad stuff. A tithe is not just an "Old Testament" principle. Jesus said that we should pay our tithe, I choose to do what He says. In the original text, the word 'Carem' (I think that's how you spell it) is used for a tithe. That means "set apart for God's use or His destruction". That means that it is cursed. It belongs to God. Ever heard that 1 bad apple spoils the whole bunch? Well it's a Biblical principle. It's what happened to Achan in the Old Testament. Jericho was the first of 10 cities that Israel had to conquer in the promised land. A dude named Achan kept some of the spoils (that's loot) from Jericho. God had told Joshua that the gold and silver from Jericho belonged to Him and to bring it back to the temple. It was a tithe. All the stuff from the next 9 cities was free to keep. So Achan kept some of the tithe- just a little bit. Know what happened? He was killed, and his whole family. That's 1 bad apple! But his disobedience caused Israel to get their butts kicked in the very next battle. (What would a church be like if EVERYONE tithed?)
You see, tithing is more than a principle- it's a command. When you keep the tithe, even some of it, the whole thing is cursed. So tithing is the minimum. It removes the curse from your finances. The real wealth comes from taking risk and trusting God. And wealth isn't always money. Giving offerings (above a tithe), sacrificing in order to give more, and giving alms (giving secretly) brings you closer to God and causes you to trust Him at a higher level.
So tithing does "work". It removes the curse. But if you want to prosper, step it up a notch. Give sacrificially. If you would like further study on what I am talking about, listen to the "ticket to a sold out show" here. And watch for the "curse of the tithe" uploading this week.
Comments