‘Tis Better To Give

It’s getting to be that time of year again. Christmas decorations have started going up in department stores, and it won’t be long until we begin to see those red Salvation Army kettles outside the local grocery store.

Those kettles started back in 1891 when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was trying to find a way to help the poor and needy in his community. He felt the burden to provide a free Christmas dinner to those in need, approximately one thousand people. The one hurdle he ran into, as it is with most good ideas, was how he was going to pay for the meal.

As he lay awake pondering this idea, he remembered his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England. He recalled that at the place where the boats came in at Stage Landing that sat a large, iron kettle. “Simpson’s Pot,” as it was known, was a place where those passing by could drop a few coins in order to help the poor and poverty-stricken.

McFee went on to place a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing along with a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” Before long he had the money he needed for the Christmas dinner. Within a few years the idea spread across the country resulting in 150,000 Christmas dinners for those in need. Today, the Salvation Army assists more than four-and-a-half million people over the Christmas and Thanksgiving seasons.

The Salvation Army, while a holiness denomination, was founded on this idea of caring for those in need. From the outset they took seriously scripture’s mandate to help the poor, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” (Luke 3:11), “Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.” (Proverbs 28:27), and “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). Their emphasis on this matter is what they’re most known for today.

While I could spend quite a bit of time on this topic over many weeks, as we conclude our series on money, I want us to look at one passage in particular. We looked at it during our journey through Acts, but I want to take some time to look more closely at one passage in particular.

Towards the end of Acts 20, we find Paul, having received word that he was to be arrested in Jerusalem, saying his goodbyes to the church in Ephesus. He gives them many words of advice, the kind of things you’d say if you truly believed you’d never see a group of people again. However, what’s interesting is how he both begins and ends the exchange.

It’s often stated by scholars that you can tell the most important ideas and stories in ancient writings by how often they’re repeated. With a limited area in which to write, authors in the first century had to be selective about what they wrote. Therefore, if a story is retold multiple times, it’s a good indication that the author determined it to be of high importance. Likewise in our modern conversations, if something is important, we’ll likely repeat ourselves.

At beginning of Paul’s conversation with the leaders in Ephesus, he points to his own actions and how he carried out ministry as an example for them for them moving forward. He goes on to give details and direction, explaining to them all that is about to happen. When he finishes the conversation in Acts 20:32-35, he once again points to his own ministry as their example.

At the heart of Paul’s closing statement is the relationship between the church and material goods. We’ve been speaking on this topic the last few weeks. Over the course of his ministry Paul demonstrated his detachment from material gain. He openly spoke out against others that would use the gospel message as a “mask to cover up greed.” (1 Thess 2:5). He spoke repeatedly that while those preaching the gospel should receive their living from the gospel, he chose to work by the labor of his own hands as to not be a burden on the churches he was growing (1 Corinthians 9:14-15).

Throughout his letters Paul urges those that work hard to not indulge themselves but to give assistance to those in need and to share in their burdens (Rom 15:1; 1 Thess 5:14; Eph 4:28; Gal 6:2). This is the same message he is sharing with the church in Ephesus as he reminds them of the words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35).  

The reason he’s emphasizing this is that this condition of greed is a universal human problem. There is not a human that has walked this earth that has not been tempted with greed. Jesus was offered the kingdoms of the world. If he, being both God and man, was faced with this issue, no human, not even leaders of the church, are immune. This extreme greed is a real problem within our country, from the top down, even in churches.

And here in his final words to the church in Ephesus, Paul gives them the solution. He confronts them with the problem, gives his ministry as an example, and relates to them the words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” In a roundabout way he is telling them that many of the world’s problems will be fixed if we could just live by this simple statement

The truth is, while it is better to give than to receive, each of us must receive. We cannot give anything unless we have first received it. We come into this world with nothing and everything we have, even if we worked for it, has been given to us. This model of sacrificial giving is counter to our culture. Society tells us, “He who dies with the most toys wins,” but Jesus tells us that it is better to give and there are numerous reasons why this is true.

First and foremost giving submits to God’s lordship. As we discussed a few weeks ago, God tells us to give him 10%. However, all of it belongs to him, every good and perfect gift. Through generously and sacrificially giving what he has given us we acknowledge that he is God. We acknowledge that he is in control and not ourselves. Even those in the church who have fully devoted their lives to God can attest to the fact the last fortress of the heart protects the wallet. We may surrender everything else to him but there’s something about our money that, even though we’ve turned everything else over, we hold on to that one thing. Even when we come to the point where we are willing to surrender our finances to God, we  constantly struggle with the temptation to rebuild that Fortress around our money. We try to keep it from God. However in surrendering all of it and giving as he has commanded, we acknowledge that he is Lord of every part of our lives, including money.

Next giving shows our trust in God’s provision. We all believe that God will take care of our needs. However, we can become so caught up in providing for our own needs and stashing away a nest egg for ourselves that we don’t allow God to care for us. Through our giving and providing for other people we allow ourselves to trust in God. In so doing we open ourselves up to His blessings and allow him to bless us. When demonstrate our trust in him by allowing ourselves to be in a place where we may not be able to provide for ourselves. I’m not saying to be irresponsible, but when we follow God’s leading and give as he has directed us, we place our trust in him.

I heard a story of a professor. He didn’t make a ton of money, and he hated pulling onto campus every morning in his old beater car. He’d been saving money for quite some time to buy a new, or at least new to him, car. However, sitting in church one day listening to a missionary speaker, he felt God telling him that he’d been saving that money, not for a new car, but for this missionary. He wrestled and argued with God. Ultimately he said to God, “My car is on its last leg. I don’t know how much longer I can keep driving it. I’ll give the money to the missionary, but you have to keep my car running until I can get a new one.”

After that day, he waited in dread for the day when his car would finally stop working and leave him stranded on the side of the road. To his surprise, as the mileage continued to grow, he didn’t have any more problems with the car. As the months and years ticked on and he continued to save for a new car, he began to get anxious for his old car to finally die. However, God continued to ask him for his car money, and he continued to make the same deal with God.

One day, he pulled onto campus on four bald tires. They were so worn that the belts were beginning to show. He thought to himself, “Today is the day this old car finally dies.” He walked into class confident that he would be out buying a new car that afternoon. To his surprise, he came out that afternoon to find four new tires on his car with a note from his students explaining what they had done. It’s a difficult position to be in to rely on somebody else, but it is when we surrender our ability to care for our own needs and instead trust in God to provide for us God will truly bless us.

When we give we are not only trusting in God’s provision, but we are testifying to His power. An audit of tax returns shows that Christians are among the most generous people in this country, and Nazarene even more so. I have heard stories of IRS going over tax returns and flagging a return for audit due to the amount given to charity organizations. Upon investigation they discover that the person is a Nazarene and therefore don’t cancel the audit.

Even secular observers have noticed how generous Christians are with their money. Surely they must be wondering how somebody can give so generously. Our willingness to give is a testament to our faith and trust in God. The words may not come out of their mouths, but they have to think, even if they don’t believe, that there must be something to this whole God thing if people are willing to give so much of themselves.

Finally, giving in a right spirit is an act of worship to God. 2 Corinthians 9:7 states that God loves a cheerful giver, and that should be our attitude each time we have the opportunity to give, whether it’s to the church, the orphans and widows, or those in need of food and clothing. Paul repeatedly praises those that give of themselves for the work of the gospel.  Likewise, as Christians, nothing in this world should give us greater joy than to please our heavenly father. Just as much as a song on our lips, our giving with a right attitude is an act of worship before our God.

As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, the act of giving is not to benefit God, and as we’ve discussed today, the act of giving, while it benefits others, largely benefits the giver. This excessive interest in acquiring money or material things has been the downfall of many great leaders, even those in the church. Paul’s admonition to the leaders in Ephesus is sound ministerial advice. Each of us, and especially those entrusted with the task of leading God’s flock, should focus on the needs of others. We should be more concerned with giving than acquiring. That goes for each of us but especially pastors, board members, Sunday School teachers, and anyone in a position of authority in the church. Those of us in Christ, church leaders especially, have been called to be a servant, a giver and not a taker.  

How Much Is Enough?

Having a history in computer programming, it’s safe to say that I’m a numbers guy. I also like to think that I have a good sense of humor. My wife will often say that my oldest son is just like be because “he thinks he’s funny.” It’s true, while I like to logically and systematically think through problems, I also have a lighter side that loves to laugh.

Because of this combination of humor and numbers, I found it quite entertaining when one day I stumbled upon an interesting equation that seemingly proved that girls are evil. The equation goes like this:

Obviously this equation is just for fun, and I don’t really think that girls are evil. If I did, I’d be sleeping on the couch. However, these old adages do make for a good laugh, at least for some. “Time is money,” and “Money is the root of all evil,” are clever sayings, but how true are they? One could argue that if you’re not using your time to earn money, you’re effectively losing money. Depending on your point of view, this may or may not ring true.

What about “Money is the root of all evil”? Truth be told, this is actually a misquote. While we all know that adage, “Money is the root of all evil,” the phrase actually comes from scripture, 1 Timothy 6:10 which states, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” While it may be more accurate, it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, and like I’ve always said, you can’t take a single verse out of context. This morning, I want to take a look at the context around this often misquoted verse to see if, as we understand it, money is evil.

As we look at 1 Timothy, Paul has many words of advice for the young pastor, but as he begins chapter six, the attention turns sharply to those teaching false doctrine. Paul states that people such as this are not interested in edifying Christ but only in malicious talk, controversies, and quarrels. It’s at the end of verse five that he makes the pivot from these false teachers toward the idea of money when he says that these men “think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” With this in mind, he then goes on in 1 Timothy 6:6-10 to speak on this idea of godliness and money.

The theme throughout this passage rests on the idea of contentment. The word translated here as “contentment” is only used as a noun in the New Testament in this verse and in 2 Corinthians 9:8. In that verse it’s not translated as contentment but as sufficiency or “having all that you need.” It’s brings about the idea of having enough of everything.

We often look at others, especially those in third world countries, and bemoan the fact that they have to worship in hut too small for everybody to fit in, if they even have a building at all. We take pity upon them because they have so little in the way of material things. However, if you have the opportunity to sit through even a single worship service with them, you will discover true and incredible joy. This is the kind of contentment that Paul speaks about, not that you have the best of everything, but that you have everything you need and enough of it. It’s not the material things that sustain these people, it’s their godliness, their love, devotion, and commitment to Christ that is their source of well-being.

It’s a foreign concept in our American, consumerism society. This thought that we can reach a place where we can be complete without having the latest iPhone. I’ll admit, I’m guilty of this as well. As much as I love and trust in God, and as much as I’m definitely not in this for the money, I find myself always looking to the next big thing.

I’m a tech nerd. I like getting new gadgets. I bought my first Android phone back in October of 2009. About a month later the Droid came out on Verizon. It was nearly twice as fast as my HTC Hero. While I liked the phone, the entire time I had it I longed and kept looking forward to when I’d be able to upgrade. When I was finally able to upgrade, I bought a Samsung Nexus S. It was one of the first phones on Sprint that offered 4G service. However, 4G service wasn’t available in my area. Over the years, I hopped from phone to phone always liking the phone that I had but always looking forward to the next one.

My wife has never really cared what type of phone she has. As long as it can text and do some basic things, she’s happy. A month or so ago her phone suddenly stopped working. As I began to look at the options and tried to figure out the least expensive phone I could find that would meet her needs, she made a suggestion that typically comes up whenever I look to buy her a new phone. She suggested, since I care about what phone I have and she doesn’t, that I buy myself a new phone and just give her my old one.

Right now I’m sporting a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. It’s far from the newest model, but it’s a good phone. To my wife’s surprise, I declined her offer. For the first time since I bought my first smartphone in 2009, I actually like my phone. Yes, there are better phones out there, and someday I know I’ll upgrade, but for now I’m content. I have enough.

The type of contentment that Paul is talking about goes beyond just being happy with your current smartphone or car. As he states in verse 7, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” Growing up, my pastor used to put it this way, “I’ve never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul.” We spend all of our time and energy collecting things, but the truth is, we can’t take it with us. We came into this work with nothing and we will leave this world with nothing. Everything in between is just a means to an end.

Some people have a legitimate hoarding problem. Others will deny it’s a problem at all. For many of us, we like to tell ourselves that we’re merely saving for a rainy day. It’s a noble thought. It would be irresponsible to not be prepared. Preparing for the future so that you don’t become a burden to others certainly seems reasonable, from a certain point of view. But what about from God’s point of view?

Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. […] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? […] And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, […] will he not much more clothe you? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ […] Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.” (Matthew 6:25-34). Jesus insists to us that God will take care of your needs. You are worth so much more than the birds or the grass. If he takes care of them, how much more will he make sure that you have everything you need?

With this understanding, gathering up stuff for ourselves, in light of God’s promise to take care of us, doesn’t make sense. In fact, the accumulation of wealth can become a curse in two very real ways. First, it takes us away from the place where we truly need to rely upon God. Why should I trust in him for my food, shelter, or clothing if I can take care of it myself?

Second, having money means you need to manage that money. It stands to reason that the more money you have the more time and energy is needed to manage that money and ensuring that it isn’t stolen or squandered.

John Wesley, in his sermon, “The Dangers of Riches,” asked the question, “What is it to be rich?” He goes on to explain that by the standard set by Jesus, those that have sufficient food and shelter and have something left over are rich. This is certainly a rigorous standard, and by that standard, most every person in America is considered rich. Certainly, life is a bit more complex, but we must nevertheless guard the tendency of making financial gain the primary concern in our lives.

In our society, we are constantly bombarded from all sides telling us to make sure we’re covered. I’ve been told since I was young to invest in my own retirement because Social Security won’t be there when I retire. I’m not going to argue against wise planning and preparing for the future, but amidst all the gathering and preparing, the question arises, at what point do we need to trust in God? How much is enough? If you save up enough to live on in retirement, is that enough? Do you need a little extra so you can go on vacation every couple of years? At that point, are we really trusting in God? Does our trust in him stop at just the “spiritual” things in life, or do we trust him for our physical needs as well? God promises to provide our needs, but what exactly do we need?

The time is long overdue for the church in America to start tackling these questions. We get so caught up in keeping up with the Joneses. It’s an infectious lifestyle. When you stop and look at it all, how can you justify it knowing that there are people struggling to find their next meal?

This kind of lifestyle, this unchecked desire for money, leads to a love of money. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10). It’s a dangerous path to be on, because most of the time you don’t even realize you’re on it. This desire for more things, always looking for the next thing, leads to all kinds of evil. What would you do just to get a little more? Lie? Steal? Murder?

Money can be quite useful, but one must always be wary to use the tool and not to be used by it. Financial security and striving to not be a burden on others is an admirable goal. The question becomes, how much do you need?

Paul said, “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (1 Timothy 6:8). Is that enough? If your basic needs are taken care of (food, shelter, clothing, etc.), is that enough to be content? If you have a reasonably good car, TV, cell phone, is that enough? There will always be things out there that you don’t have, but can you be content without them? Is what you have sufficient? At what point do you draw the line and say, “I have enough. This is all I need”?

 

Stealing From God

When I was young and childless, I thought I knew it all. I knew exactly what each parent needed to do in order to raise their child appropriately. I had all the world’s problems solved, but if there’s one thing that children give you, it’s perspective.

Raising children, you learn a lot about yourself as well as mankind in general. It still blows my mind that people sincerely try to say that mankind is inherently good. To disprove this notion, you need no further evidence than a pair of toddlers. As children grow up, you teach them to walk and talk and then spend the rest of their lives telling them to sit down and be quiet. However, with as much as we teach our children, there is one word that no parent has ever taught their kid but that every child knows. That word is the word “mine.”

They learn it at an early age, and this word has been the center of many toddler fights. Someone has a toy or a snack and they want it, so a fight begins with one simple word, “mine.” You don’t have to teach them. Inherently they understand, if they want it, it’s theirs.

But “mine” is more than a word, it’s an attitude, an attitude of, “what you have belongs to me.” We carry this attitude with us as we grow older. We may not scream and fight to get what we want, although some people still do. Instead we seek to undermine others in order to take what they have. Actions like this are often frowned upon, so many of us have found a way around this. Instead, we work extra hours so that we can buy more toys for ourselves. It seems as if our entire way of life is built around the act of getting more stuff for ourselves and keeping others from taking it.

We like our stuff. This isn’t anything new. People have always liked stuff. People have always wanted more, more possessions, more land, more power, etc. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve didn’t eat the fruit because the serpent told them to. Scripture says that they saw that it was “desirable for gaining wisdom.” God had given them everything they needed, but they wanted more. This desire for more and the compulsion to hold on to what we have leads us down some dangerous roads.

As we look to our scripture passage this morning, we find the nation of Israel in a difficult place. The events in the book of Malachi take place around the same time as that of Nehemiah. Israel has been exiled from their land, but God has been working in the hearts of those holding them in bondage. We see the king of Persia allowing Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the city walls. Likewise, we see King Artaxerxes encouraging Ezra to reestablish temple worship and to ensure that the Israelites are obeying the Law of Moses.

As we begin to look at the book of Malachi, this is the setting into which we are looking. We repeatedly see Malachi calling for the people to return to God and to turn away from evil. God reaffirms his love for them and his desire to fulfill in them the covenant he had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He goes through many areas in which they fall short, but I want to take a look at one area in particular which is covered in Malachi, starting with Malachi 3:6-7.

Here we see God having a conversation with the people. He’s speaking through Malachi, but as we see throughout the entirety of this book, it’s a very one-sided conversation. God tells the people of Israel something and then immediately declares the how they will respond to him.

In verse six he sets the stage for the conversation by declaring to them that he is still who he said he was. God declares to the people that he is the same God that he has always been and that they are still the sons of Jacob that they have always been. He is still the unchanging, self-sustaining, creator of the universe, and they are still the same “sons of Jacob,” deceivers and cheats, that they have always been. It is because he is unchanging that they have not been destroyed. No matter how many times they’ve turned away and have rejected him, he remains unchanging and will honor the covenant that he had made with their forefathers, that if they would return to him and follow his commands, he would be their God.

Knowing their hearts, God then declares their response, “How are we to return?” It’s a valid question. God has called them to return to him, how are they to go about doing that? Continuing on, he answers that question with a question of his own (Malachi 3:8-10).

The tithe, the scriptural basis for a tithe goes all the way back to Genesis when Abraham gave a tithe, a tenth of everything, to Melchizedek King of Salem (Genesis 14:20). Likewise, Jacob made a vow to God saying that he would give him a tenth of all that he was given (Genesis 28:22). It is first commanded in the priestly law in Leviticus 27:30-32, and here God declares that those who are not giving to him their tithe are stealing from him.

Now, I’m going to take a page out of God’s playbook and, like with Malachi, tell you what you’re thinking. Some of you are reading this and saying to yourselves, “But Pastor, the tithe is old and outdated. Besides, that’s in the Old Testament. You yourself said we don’t follow every Old Testament law.” That’s true. I stated before that under the new covenant we are no longer under the law. If you remember, I gave to you the basic guidelines by which we determine which Old Testament laws are still to be followed today.

When looking at Old Testament laws we look at three criteria in order to determine if it’s something that still applies under the new covenant. We first look at whether the Old Testament laws are reaffirmed in the New Testament. The entirety of scripture is inspired by God and carries his authority, so whether it’s found in the gospels or the epistles, if God reaffirms it in the New Testament, it’s still applicable. Next we look to see if the law is specifically denounced in the New Testament. If God says it’s no longer necessary, that’s a good reason to stop doing it. Finally, if a law is neither reaffirmed nor denounced, we look at the categories that each reaffirmed or denounced laws fall under. If laws similar to that law are either reaffirmed or denounced, that law is as well. It gets a bit more complicated than that, but this is a general rule whenever faced with laws in the bible.

When we look at this topic of the tithe in the New Testament, we don’t find a whole lot. We find one passage in Matthew 23 in which Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and pointedly talks about their hypocrisy in tithing (Matthew 23:23). Notice that Jesus is not condemning their giving of the tithe. He gives them credit telling them that they go out of their way to pay their tenth. Instead, his emphasis is on the practice of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. However, even when correcting them in this area, he doesn’t relent on the topic of the tithe. He tells them, “You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” You should have practiced justice, mercy, and faithfulness all without forgetting your duties to God.
I know that one New Testament example is not going to be enough for some people. Especially when it doesn’t specifically reaffirm the principle of tithing and the person telling you about it is obviously biased. With that, we’ll look at the big picture of what the New Testament teaches regarding giving and tithing.

It’s becoming more and more common in the younger generations to resist the idea of a ten percent tithe. Verses are quoted, such as 2 Corinthians 9:7 saying, “It doesn’t need to be a tenth, just whatever I’ve decided to give.” However, when we look at the entirety of scripture we are told, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10). “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Corinthians 9:6). “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:43–44).

You see, if you want to escape the idea of a 10% tithe to God, the New Testament is the wrong place to look. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus’ standard of love is the measure for all the law. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we’re told, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Jesus had more riches and wealth than you can ever imagine, and he gave it all so that you might be saved. This is the standard of giving in the New Testament, “to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” (Romans 12:1).

What the Israelites didn’t understand in the book of Malachi, and what many of us fail to understand today, is that, as a Christian, your life, your money, your family, your car, your house, your boat, or your camper, none of these things belong to you. “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” (James 1:7). Everything you own God has given to you for the purpose of serving him. If you want to throw off the shackles of the Old Testament tithe and look to the New Testament church as your standard, look no further than the churches in Macedonia. “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.” (2 Corinthians 8:2–4).

The New Testament standard of giving is to give generously. In today’s society nobody considers a 10% tip to be generous, yet many people get the idea that a generous tithe would equal less than 10%. The truth is, God doesn’t need your money. This church doesn’t need your money. Our God is big enough, that if every dime was drained out of this church, His mission would still carry on. It may look different, but our God is faithful and his people will see his kingdom come.

Many times we get this idea in our head that we’re hurting the church if we don’t give our money. If the pastor does something that a church member doesn’t like, they’ll withhold their tithe as a punishment. The thing about tithing is that it’s not for God’s benefit or the church’s benefit. It’s for yours. This issue of tithing goes beyond the physical and the financial realm. The rich, young ruler was saddened when Jesus told him to sell all he owned and to follow him. His love for his money, his physical comforts, his current lifestyle, outweighed his love for Christ. When people today try to argue about whether or not they should be paying their tithe to the church, nine times out of ten it’s not a theological issue but rather a heart issue.

I had one pastor put it this way. Tithing is Trusting In The Heavenly Economy. God has promised, “Test me in this 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.” Tithing is more than giving time and money to God. It’s about trusting him. It may not add up on paper, but the equation is simple and solid. 90% + God > 100% – God. God has promised to bless those who are faithful, and he has told us to test him in it, not because he needs our money, but because we need him.