10% Giving = 10% Living

Just yesterday I was exposed to a teaching by a teacher named G. Craig Lewis concerning the tithe. I only listened to the first two minutes of it before I figured I knew where he was going, and my thoughts began to run rampant concerning the notion of giving.

I remember some time ago, my former pastor had come back to preach a service in the church I grew up in. He made a comment that he did not believe tithing to be a heaven and hell issue. Boy did that rock our traditional wooden boat!

Ever since I can remember, the tithe, made famous by Malachi 3, has been preached at least once every six months in the churches I have associated with. As a member of my denomination, I still send 60% of my tithe to my district as part of my "fees" to stay ordained. And the teaching of the tithe summed up is this (let's all sing along):

Before you do anything, cut God his portion; it's up to you whether gross or net

And if you do you will be blessed; a blessing so big you will never forget.

But if you don't take it out of your purse; God's holy wrath will bring a curse.

Releasing the tithe makes you a part; and try to remember it's from the heart.

So you get the idea. I want to make this short and sweet. I think that's wrong, and I think it puts people in bondage. So how do we go beyond giving God our 10%? Aren't we free to do and think better than that? Yes we are.

The only people I have had conversations with about this frustration of the tithing law are from the standpoint of trying to get out of giving at all. Of course, in all fairness, i believe that to be part of what such bogus teaching produces...a dissatisfied obligated giver that never gives from his heart, but rather out of fear of the curse. Nevertheless, freedom FROM giving is not what we are looking for here. The heart of Christ is freedom TO give.

Make no mistake, if the ten percent burdens you, it's a heart problem. The scripture lines out the the purpose of the law in Galatians 3. To paraphrase, the law was a guardian to us that kept us in check. There was a curse for those who did not tithe correctly under the law of Moses, but it can't be translated as such for those of us who are under grace. But the understanding of the law of the tithe tells me this; if I cannot release a meager 10%, how can I ever be a ridiculous giver? How can, as part of the New Covenant body of Christ, my money become community money for the furthering of the Kingdom? So the law has it's role. It can show us the condition of our heart. And what does that heart need to realize about giving?

It needs to realize that New Testament giving is meant to be a generosity from the heart. It's a widow's mite mentality, meaning not about an amount but about motive. Remember, freedom in Christ is freedom to do EVERYTHING how we are created to do it. We are now, under that idea, free to give, and that out of a glad, generous, Christ-compelled heart. In order to be that though, we have to break the shackles of the law. We have to get outside of this fear-driven bondage of cursing, and as much, get out the mentality of generous return as God's "promise" or "obligation" back to us. Not tithing under the law will not wreck my life (remember I am free from the law), but neither does tithing under the law guarantee a return on my investment in the way we understand it. It all has to be heart. A content heart. A kind heart, A heart after God.

Stop giving God your 10%, and start understanding your free to give more. Prayerfully consider your heart when it comes to money. I know mine is under Holy Spirit revision. But above all, find the freedom in Christ in all areas of your life. We may lose self along the way, but in losing self, we are in gain of Christ. Let us indeed, in the words of the apostle Paul, "count all things rubbish in comparison to knowing Christ our Lord." God bless us in our pursuit!