“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 there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10).
For the Christ-follower, I do not believe the tithe is optional. Jesus said, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
And to be clear, a tithe is 10%.
Of gross income.
To your local Church.
There are no short cuts to generosity. Statistics vary, but many researchers claim that the average Christian gives around 3%. One report from 2015 states that only 3-5% of American Church-attendees actually tithe.
Do I tithe?
This year, Sarah and I are giving 12.5% of every pay check to our local church. I am adding .5% every year as our goal is to give to the point that it changes the way we live. We also give to organizations on top of this, but I don’t want to talk about that here. My goal isn’t to make us look good. This, after all, isn’t about being good or bad.
It is about obedience.
Given that “obedience” has a negative connotation these days, I will repeat again:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Where is your heart?
Optional Postscript: A few last words
For the non-believer reading this post: There is lots more to say about tithing, which is admittedly a strange topic for someone outside of Judaeo-Christianity. One thought to consider, why should someone be generous in the first place?
For the business person reading this post: Why would you want your CEO tithing? Besides the promise in Malachi 3:10 above, wouldn’t you want a leader who is faithful, and generous, with what has been entrusted to them?
For the Christian not giving the 10% reading this post: Do not be discouraged. Jesus died for us all, including you (See Ephesians 2:8-9). What’s one thing you can do to increase your level of giving? Or, would it be possible to give the full 10% for 30 or 60 days? Going back to the promise in Malachi 3:10, God says to “test him.” I have seen people do this. I have done this. And God is faithful!
Finally, here is a good article about tithing.