Last weekend, we talked about money. Specifically, what it means to tithe and give an offering. Like I taught, tithing and giving offerings honour God as they demonstrate our faithfulness to God and faith in God.
When it comes to the tithe, many of us often see it as a gift that we bring before God to bless Him with. While there is truth in that, I believe the tithe goes beyond that. Let’s take a look at Scripture – “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” (Leviticus 27:30)
A keyword that we may easily gloss over is the word “belongs”. This word literally means “to be owned by”. So, if you think about it, this verse is actually telling us that a tenth of all our harvests is owned by God. Now, if it is owned by God already, is it then a gift?
In Malachi 3, the charge that God brings against His people is that they have robbed Him by not tithing and giving offerings. Why would God use this phrase? Because the tithe belongs to God.
See, the tithe is not just a gift we give to God. In fact, it already belongs to God. What this means is that the tithe isn’t a matter of being convicted about or making a choice. This tithe is something of God’s that He has entrusted us with.
Jesus told a parable of three servants and the gold their master entrusted to them. The master wasn’t actually all that concerned about the gold per se. He was looking for faithfulness, and that’s what he commended the first two servants for.
The question for us is what will we do with what God has entrusted to us. I pray that we will always be faithful. Ultimately, as we faithfully walk with God, we will see just how faithful God is.
- Deputy Senior Pastor Daniel Khong