I must confess that I am from the "old school". I believe the bible to be the infallible, undisputable word of God. And I believe everything it says... I believe what is says about giving. Which is why it concerns me about some people.
People who say they love God, but do not support His church. They may drop a dollar in here or there, but they do not consistenly give. And giving is God's system for finances the local church. The tithe is the specific amount. Anything over the tithe is a freewill offering. But the tithe is holy unto the Lord. It is a tenth of your income.
There are those who tithe like they tip. Little, or nothing at all. I believe in tipping a good waiter or waitress. I have even tipped a bad one on occasion, figuring they might be having a difficult day. On only one or two occasions can I think of in the last decade have I walked away without leaving anything. And on those occasions the service was so terrible that it was inexcusable.
Some church folks will tip a waitress, but not tithe unto God. A lack of tithing is a lack of heart commitment and a lack of trust. It indicates that either I don't trust God or trust the leadership He has put me under in the local church. There are those who consider themselves exempt from the biblical mandate of tithing. After all, they gave a donation to goodwill. Or they helped the pastor out by running an errand. Or they sent their tithes to an anointed TV preacher.
I guess this is burning in my heart today because I see so much more we could be doing in the local church I pastor if everyone would get on board and be a giver.
That's it for today. I often end with a salutation that says "Be blessed". But the fact is, if you're robbing God, you are under the curse.
Pastor Ronnie
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