Giving To The Kingdom

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10

STATISTICS REPORT THAT most church members give less than 4 percent of their income to church and charities. Many pastors make the case that tithing—giving a minimum of 10 percent of our income to the church—is God’s mandate for our giving. Other pastors feel tithing was an Old Testament concept, whereas “proportional giving” is the principle in the New Testament. That means we give as we are able, whether that’s more or less than the 10-percent benchmark.

The powerful Scripture passage above, from the writings of Solomon, is another way of looking at giving. What does it mean to “honor [God] with your wealth”? It means to show respect, thanks, and reverence to God for what he has done in your life by giving back to him. Let’s create an analogy: suppose someone rescued you from a horrible death, showered you with gifts, adopted you into his family, and made you his personal heir. Would you think it an appropriate level of honor to give that person a piece of chocolate from a dollar store?

That kind of paints a picture, doesn’t it? Take a look at your life. What blessings has God given you? List them all. Then look at your income, your talents, your time, and your power to serve. How are you showing God honor? When you honor him appropriately, his promise is to “pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!” as Malachi 3:10 says.