"The Tithe"

 "To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;" (Hebrews 7:2 KJV) 

  "Remember this - a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NLT)

 I will try to be gentle in this, somewhat private message, about giving ten percent of your wages to God. As it is, there are some who say and believe that tithing is not necessary for a Christian, because we are not under the law of Moses. Well, as deep as that subject might be, it was Abraham that first established the tithe, as we can see here in this Scripture above. And why did he give ten percent of all that he had gained; because he knew that he was in the presence of the KING! 

 There are some things that I might fail to do, not on purpose, but just because I sometimes don't think before I speak. The one thing I am very serious about is tithing, which is something I learned about in our pre-marital counseling, back in 1982. We were given several books to read, one which was about money and giving. It was a book called, "Your Money Matters", which basically means, that your money really matters to God! 

 It's not that God needs your money, because He has everything already; everything belongs to God, even our very breath is His; nothing is ours, as we came into this world naked, and naked we will leave. That said, He loves to see us give, because it is giving honor and thanks to Him for what He has done! In other words, the money we have made, is money that He has allowed us to have.

 I know that there are some who think that they earned everything themselves, as if it was because they are so good at what they do, or as if they have built something from nothing. But the honest truth is plainly seen in the final result: You don't have a single cent when you leave...

"Then someone called from the crowd, "Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father's estate with me." Jesus replied, "Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?" Then he said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own." Then he told them a story: "A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, 'What should I do? I don't have room for my crops.' Then he said, 'I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I'll sit back and say to myself, "My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!" ' "But God said to him, 'You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?' "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."" (Luke 12"13-21 NLT)