“Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Take from among you a contribution to the Lord; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the Lord’s contribution'...” (rf. Exodus 35:4-5a)
As stated above, this is an example of the “freewill offering”. Indeed, it is actually the establishment of the practice. In context, the Lord is making preparation for the construction of the Tabernacle, the place of His worship for His people. Not only has He given specific instructions on how it is to be built, He is also providing the materials necessary through the gifts given by His people. They will be the resources by means of how they each respond in their hearts to the goodness each has received from the hand of God. This is a way each can show to God his/her gratitude by a tangible action.
Note that this “freewill offering” is separate from, over and above, the required tithe, as seen by no mention of the tithe. The absence of the “tithe” signifies that God has already addressed that subject. This offering is a unique action, different from that already commanded before. This offering is based solely on the need of the moment and is to be an opportunity to reveal one’s heart toward the Lord. Therefore, only as one is moved within does one give. It is as Paul states in II Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” When one is presented a need and is offered the opportunity to give to that need, the Lord is also providing a chance to disclose the degree of gratitude one feels toward Him for the blessings that the one has experienced. If one then gives “grudgingly” or “sparingly”, then it shows a great lack of appreciation for the goodness of God in one’s life. If, on the other hand, that person cheerfully gives in abundance toward the need, that person will be blessed immeasurably in return because he/she has revealed a heart full of wonder and awe at God’s grace and mercy.
Therefore, as we have learned throughout these summer months, the Lord has shown us in His Word how we are to use our funds in worship and praise to Him. We are to give of the income that passes into our hands, that which is within our power to control, the tithe, the full 10%, which belongs to the Lord. We are to never use any of that amount for our own purposes. To do such is to steal from God, an action for which we will pay dearly (no pun intended). Secondly, anytime we feel under compulsion to give any amount to the Lord above and beyond, it is considered a gift to Him, paralleling the vows of the Old Testament. Finally, if a need is presented to us, it is an opportunity to show our gratitude to the Lord by giving an amount that we deem is worthy, thus it is a “freewill offering” or in our day, a “love offering”.
In all of these truths, we must remember that no matter how much we give to God, God always gives to us more. He has promised to provide for all of our needs. He has also stated that He has given to His people “abundant life”. So, we need never to fear that we will run out of funds in order to live. As David clearly states in Psalm 37:25-26:
“I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his descendants begging bread.
All day long he is gracious and lends,
And his descendants are a blessing.”
Remember: God never made a promise that He does not intend to keep!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tithing as a Matter of the Heart
Last month we delved into the subject of tithing and saw how important, how serious God views the command He has given to His people. The first tenth of our income belongs to Him even as the taxes belong to the government (much as we don’t like the amount they take nor they way they spend it sometimes). In any case, Jesus made it very clear the perspective that God places on our giving with His “Render unto...” speech. Remember?
In this segment, we move from tithing, the required giving, to the area of giving that is over and above the tithe. This type of giving is actually divided into two forms: vows or gifts and “freewill” offerings. The first is motivated by inward compulsion, the second by outward display of need. For this month, we will deal with vows or gifts. Next month, we will tackle the “freewill” offerings.
The Old Testament is replete with examples of vows taken by people earnest in their desire to do something special for God. Some of these vows were prescribed in the Law of Moses (e.g. the Nazarite vow under which Samson was placed wherein he could not cut his hair nor touch anything dead nor taste alcoholic beverages all the days of his life.) Others were inward decisions of an action , more often than not of a monetary value, that would show to God one’s devotion to Him. Eliphaz refers to vows that Job must fulfill in Job 22:27. David throughout the Psalms made vows unto the Lord and encouraged others to do the same, though, never without the necessity of following through with them (rf. 22:25; 50:14; 56:12 just to name a few instances). Indeed, here in Psalm 76:11, note that the Psalmist, Asaph, equates the vow and the gift as being a necessary and beautiful tribute unto the Lord as a sign of one’s respect and adoration of Him:
Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;
Let all who are around Him bring gifts to Him who is to be feared.
We tend to forget in our day of “democratic rule” (though we actually live under a Republican form of government—doublecheck the old Civics books before 1985!) that we serve the King of Kings who rules the universe without any threats to His Throne. We did not elect Him to His seat. In fact, our ability to approach His Throne is by His mercy not by any merits or goodness inherent within us. Therefore, to bring Him gifts is a privilege as it would be anyone who desired to rightfully come into the august presence of so great a King!
With such a blessing upon us, we should then rightfully consider the concept of gifts and vows that the Old Testament teaches us. Have we ever been compelled to bring before God something of value to us simply because we wanted to show our everlasting gratitude to Him? If so, this is an example of a vow/gift given to God. It is over and above the tithe, something we are inwardly compelled to do out of love, respect and adoration for Him.
So often, I believe that we think we are doing God a favor by dropping a few dollars in the offering plate, alleviating our consciences, telling ourselves that we have done our duty in “giving to the church”. In fact, we have done nothing but drop “a few dollars in the offering plate”. We have not tithed. We have not given him a gift because it was not above and beyond the tithe. Therefore, whatever we had hoped to achieve in somehow pleasing God by our “giving”failed and failed miserably.
If we are to give rightly and Biblically, we must first tithe our income, for, as we stated in the last article, the first 10% belongs to God already. That portion is His by right. Then, if we feel that God has been good to us and we want to show Him in a special way our appreciation for His goodness, we decide to give a specific amount above the 10% already set aside for Him. This specific amount then would truly be a gift unto the Lord, a parallel to the vows that were so important to the Old Testament saints. We would be in agreement with them in their understanding of just how great God is to His people and how much they desired to show in some small way their gratitude for the blessings He bestowed upon them.
After all, why do we hold so tenaciously to our money? Is it not because it is the closest thing to a god that we can worship? This is why Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Therefore, we must very careful not to set our funds before our loyalty to Christ. He must be first in all areas of our lives, including our pocketbooks and wallets. This is why it is imperative we must learn these truths, especially in terms of our giving: tithing first, gifts after tithes. When we put these into practice, then and only then will be showing the Lord through our finances just how devoted we truly are to Him.
In this segment, we move from tithing, the required giving, to the area of giving that is over and above the tithe. This type of giving is actually divided into two forms: vows or gifts and “freewill” offerings. The first is motivated by inward compulsion, the second by outward display of need. For this month, we will deal with vows or gifts. Next month, we will tackle the “freewill” offerings.
The Old Testament is replete with examples of vows taken by people earnest in their desire to do something special for God. Some of these vows were prescribed in the Law of Moses (e.g. the Nazarite vow under which Samson was placed wherein he could not cut his hair nor touch anything dead nor taste alcoholic beverages all the days of his life.) Others were inward decisions of an action , more often than not of a monetary value, that would show to God one’s devotion to Him. Eliphaz refers to vows that Job must fulfill in Job 22:27. David throughout the Psalms made vows unto the Lord and encouraged others to do the same, though, never without the necessity of following through with them (rf. 22:25; 50:14; 56:12 just to name a few instances). Indeed, here in Psalm 76:11, note that the Psalmist, Asaph, equates the vow and the gift as being a necessary and beautiful tribute unto the Lord as a sign of one’s respect and adoration of Him:
Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;
Let all who are around Him bring gifts to Him who is to be feared.
We tend to forget in our day of “democratic rule” (though we actually live under a Republican form of government—doublecheck the old Civics books before 1985!) that we serve the King of Kings who rules the universe without any threats to His Throne. We did not elect Him to His seat. In fact, our ability to approach His Throne is by His mercy not by any merits or goodness inherent within us. Therefore, to bring Him gifts is a privilege as it would be anyone who desired to rightfully come into the august presence of so great a King!
With such a blessing upon us, we should then rightfully consider the concept of gifts and vows that the Old Testament teaches us. Have we ever been compelled to bring before God something of value to us simply because we wanted to show our everlasting gratitude to Him? If so, this is an example of a vow/gift given to God. It is over and above the tithe, something we are inwardly compelled to do out of love, respect and adoration for Him.
So often, I believe that we think we are doing God a favor by dropping a few dollars in the offering plate, alleviating our consciences, telling ourselves that we have done our duty in “giving to the church”. In fact, we have done nothing but drop “a few dollars in the offering plate”. We have not tithed. We have not given him a gift because it was not above and beyond the tithe. Therefore, whatever we had hoped to achieve in somehow pleasing God by our “giving”failed and failed miserably.
If we are to give rightly and Biblically, we must first tithe our income, for, as we stated in the last article, the first 10% belongs to God already. That portion is His by right. Then, if we feel that God has been good to us and we want to show Him in a special way our appreciation for His goodness, we decide to give a specific amount above the 10% already set aside for Him. This specific amount then would truly be a gift unto the Lord, a parallel to the vows that were so important to the Old Testament saints. We would be in agreement with them in their understanding of just how great God is to His people and how much they desired to show in some small way their gratitude for the blessings He bestowed upon them.
After all, why do we hold so tenaciously to our money? Is it not because it is the closest thing to a god that we can worship? This is why Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Therefore, we must very careful not to set our funds before our loyalty to Christ. He must be first in all areas of our lives, including our pocketbooks and wallets. This is why it is imperative we must learn these truths, especially in terms of our giving: tithing first, gifts after tithes. When we put these into practice, then and only then will be showing the Lord through our finances just how devoted we truly are to Him.
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