Tithing -The Key to True Prosperity
By Rev. Robin DuMolin
If you were handed the key to prosperity would you accept it? Your reply is probably,
"Well of course I would!" Yet for most people they throw this key away,
deny that it is there, or just don't see it. I am talking about tithing. You may
be thinking, "Tithing, the key to prosperity? But tithing is just giving your
money away to a church. What does that have to do with prosperity?" Read on.
Let's start with the mechanics. To initiate the spiritual law of tithing you must
do what is called first fruits.
"Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When you are come
into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye
shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest." Lev.
23:10
This passage refers to the Feast of the First Fruits, a festival typical of resurrection-first
of Christ, then of those who are His at His coming.
First fruits is a very methodical process. You take an assessment of all your
material possessions. This includes money, stocks, vehicles, jewelry and household
items. Then you give a fair estimate of the value of each item and tally it all up.
At this point you may be amazed at how much you already have in your life to be grateful
for. After this tally, you first fruit (give) 10% to 30% of it to the person or place
that has educated you about tithing.
And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou, O
Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before
the Lord thy God. -Deu. 26:10
So, it is not simply following the mechanics that is involved in performing first
fruits, but practicing it with the heart and attitude of the above passage.
Now you have cleared the way to tithe. Without the offering of first fruits, all
intended tithes are not tithes but are considered goodwill offerings. You tithe a
minimum of 10% or a maximum of 30% of all you earn and receive on a monetary basis.
This would include your salary and gifts of money. A most common question asked is,
"What amount of my salary do I tithe on, the gross or net?" The answer
is, you tithe on your gross income.
And all the tithes of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the
fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD. -Lev. 27:30.
First, let's talk about ownership. Everything you tithe goes to the Lord. It doesn't
matter that a particular church seems to be the intermediary. Tithes go to God and
are for God. Since God is said to be the all of everything, then everything you receive
is of Him or from Him. You may believe that it is your employer who provided you
with that paycheck, but it is really from the Supreme Being channeling it through
your employer. Then you may ask, "If God is the all of everything, why does
He need my tithe money?" He doesn't need your money, but you need to give it!
You need to recognize He is the source of all your supply and that you are not alone
in all you do.
The Supreme Being wants you to be prosperous as He is prosperous. Tithing is saying
hello to the Supreme Being within. You are not the one who is tithing, by the way,
it is the Supreme Being tithing to Himself using your hands. Again, tithing is just
not going through the mechanics of giving 10% to 30 % to the church. Tithing is giving
with the same attitude and mindset of the Supreme Being.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithes of mint
and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, justice,
mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
-Mat. 23:23.
Again, tithing is not just followingthe mechanics, but is following both the letter
and spirit of this law. The above passage touches on the spirit of the law of tithing.
Tithing will increase your faith in your connection to the Supreme Being, but first
you must have faith in tithing. Demonstrating faith is exercising a spiritual muscles.
Only you can get it in shape through your attitude. One of the most oft quoted verses
about tithing is taken from Malachi:
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in mine house,
and test me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open for you the
windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing, that there shall not be room
enough to receive it. -Mal. 3:10
Notice the words that are emphasized. The emphasis and the whole message of the
words reveals very clearly that the Supreme Being wants to work with you and prosper
you. This is the only place in the bible where God asks to be tested.
Tithing is a spiritual law. It is as valid today as it was two thousand years
ago and just as effective. You'll know when you have the right attitude when money
comes in and your first thought is not, "Look how much money I have," but
instead, "Look how much I have to tithe with?"
I have reaped many benefits from tithing. The benefits have not only been on a
financial level, but also increased awareness on the mental level. You don't just
have to take my word for it. There are countless testimonies in many books, such
as Catherine Ponder's series of books called, "The Millionaires of the Bible."
Enjoy the road to prosperity through tithing. While writing this article and focusing
my attention on tithing I just received a tremendous financial increase from a totally
unexpected source.
Free tape on tithing. Please contact us by email, snail mail, or by telephone.
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version of the tape you can download and listen to now! Just
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