2 Corinthians 9:10-11 NIV (10) Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. (11) You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Ephesians 6:1-3 NKJV Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. (2) “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,” which is the first commandment with promise: (3) “THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.”
Obedience is the act. Honor is the attitude. The blessing of God is on the attitude AND the act.
1 Samuel 2:30 NLT “…But I will honor those who honor Me…”
How can we honor God?
- With our bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT …for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
- With our praise and worship.
Psalms 66:2 NKJV Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.
- With our time.
- With our service.
- With our material possessions.
Proverbs 3:9-10 NKJV Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; (10) So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
The tithe is the way we demonstrate honor to God with our material possessions.
Leviticus 27:30 NLT “One tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD and must be set apart to Him as holy.
Common arguments people use to not tithe:
- “Tithing is under the law.”
Genesis 14:18-20 NKJV Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. (19) And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; (20) And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.
- “Tithing is under the law and as a believer I am not under the law but under grace; so, I don’t tithe.”
- “I can’t afford to tithe.”
Matthew 23:23 NLT “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law–justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
Hebrews 7:8 NKJV Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.
Malachi 3:10 NLT Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in My Temple. If you do,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put Me to the test!
Malachi 3:11-12 NLT Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. (12) “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
This overflow of blessing is awaiting the person that chooses to honor God first with the tithe.