In the gospel, God has granted to believers many precious and magnificent promises, even that we may become partakers of the divine nature. And in this life he has promised to abundantly supply all our needs.
Yet we live most of our lives suspicious of what others will do to us. If we follow that reasoning back far enough we will see that the basic spiritual problem is that we aren't sure God really will be a faithful provider of all that we need according to these very promises. In the world we feel battered by the chaos of constant change, buffeted about by the coldness of others and disheartened by failure in ourselves and the untrustworthiness of others. The result can be an increasing cynicism and distrust that poisons us to our very souls.
Yet our Father in Heaven shows how very wise and gracious he is in the governing of his household by the things he asks of us. He knows that we are still earthen vessels apt to forget how faithful he has already been in our lives. God has given a way to remember so that our hearts are taught to trust in God in the midst of the storms of life.
This way of remembrance comes through the giving of tithes and offerings. Offerings are expressions of our thankfulness for God's overflowing generosity in response to some special kindness extended to us. Or they are an expression of our desire to serve him more fully in response to his calling us into some greater service. Such offerings are occasional or missional. They are strictly over and above our regular giving.
The tithe, however, develops the practice of regular giving to God according to his sustained provision for our lives. It is a running Ebenezer charting the goodness of God to us. Because it draws our attention to his regular and faithful provision, our trust in God collects within our souls as we continue to be regular in our giving.
As a reflection of God's provision, the tithe is given as a percentage of the whole. As he prospers us, we give more generously to his work. The tithe also expresses our trust in his future provision so we give it as a first fruit, with the knowledge that God will see us through to the next paycheck. If we give only what is left over, we won't really learn what it means to trust him with our future. Nor will we give any real honor to his name.
If the question in our heart is “what percentage?” or “is that gross or net?” then we are viewing the tithe as a tax extracted from us. God, who is the possessor of all things, does not need to levy a tax to support his work, much less his existence. Rather God seeks for our hearts to overflow with gratitude in accordance to his provision in our lives. Such gratitude is gauged by the movements of our hearts that break forth into joyful service and generous giving.
The tithe is also an expression of our trust that God, having already provided for us faithfully, will likewise watch over its use in the furtherance of his kingdom. In the Old Testament, the tithe was given into the hands of the Levitical priests for their disbursement as their wage and for the upkeep of the temple. The modern counterpart of that would be contributing to the local budget of the church in which you are a member.
If we really do trust God to oversee the use of our tithe, then we ought to give it to the church as an undesignated gift so that its ministers, committees and congregation may be free to follow God's leading without impediment. We show ourselves suspicious of God's ability to build his church if it is encumbered by designation to special funds or toward some favorite ministry according to our own agendas. If we desire to give to these, then we should give to them over and above the tithe.
Likewise, those given the stewardship over management and disbursement of the tithe should remember that the indispensible requirement of a steward is to be found trustworthy. To be otherwise would prove a substantial discouragement to his people, and further, to illicit the stern discipline of our Lord.
We spend much of our lives struggling to trust God for our provision and to trust our brothers and sisters for the advance of the Kingdom. But God has given us a way to overcome our suspicions.
How do I spell trust? T – I – T – H – E.
Christopher Bortz is a member of Crozet Baptist Churrch in Crozet.