God as your financial partner...
It Makes a Difference!
The chief cornerstone and foundation for true prosperity in your life is through tithing. This issue we decided to include an excerpt from Catherine Ponder’s book, “Dare To Prosper!” Catherine Ponder is one of the best known authors on the subject of prosperity. If you would like to order this book, or receive a list of all the Catherine Ponder publications, please visit www.healthandwealthinc.com or call (800) 642-9355.
By the act of tithing, men make God their partner in their financial transactions and thus keep the channel open from the source in the ideal to the manifestation in the realm of things. Whoever thinks that he is helping to keep God’s work going in the earth cannot help but believe that God will help him. This virtually makes God not only a silent partner but also active in producing capital from unseen and unknown sources, in opening up avenues for commercial gain, and in various other ways making the individual prosperous. – Charles Fillmore
A woman once told me that she and another member of her family held identical shares of stock. During a time of financial stress, she decided to sell her stock; she made only a few hundred dollars’ profit from the sale. The other member of the family, who tithed faithfully from all channels of income, prayed for guidance and decided to hold his stock a little longer. A few weeks later he sold it for a profit of $6,000. This woman realized that if she, too, had had faith in the tithing law of prosperity, expecting it to prosper and protect her, guidance would have come, meeting her financial need in some other way, so that she also would have made a $6,000 profit, instead of only a few hundred dollars. Needless to say, she is now a consistent tither of all her income.
JACOB’S SUCCESS COVENANT
Truly the Bible gives us the promise of prosperity and protection when we tithe. The first instance of tithing is found in the life of Abram, who tithed a “tenth of all” to the priest, Melchizedek (and the tenth must have been a considerable amount, because Abram was described as “very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold” [Genesis 13:2]).
Abram apparently passed along his belief in the prosperity law of tithing, because his grandson Jacob knew of its power. After Jacob left his father’s house and went forth to seek his fortune in a new land, he made a prosperity covenant with the Lord: “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and Jehovah will be my God. . . . of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” (Genesis 28:20-22)
TEN-THE MYSTICAL NUMBER OF INCREASE
Throughout the Bible the tithe is mentioned as a “tenth of all,” because ten was considered by the ancients to be a mystical number symbolizing increase. As long as the Hebrews tithed and honored the Lord with a tenth of all their income, they prospered. However, it was pointed out during the Restoration Period by the prophet Malachi, that because they were no longer tithing they had fallen into hard times. During this period, corruption was prevalent in every form: the Hebrews were intermarrying with other groups who did not worship Jehovah; there was a high divorce rate; deceit, robbery, and all types of violence prevailed. Malachi pointed out that better times would again come if the people would again put God first financially:
“Bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse.... and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)
JESUS AND TITHING
Sometimes people say, “Well, I’m not under the Old Testament laws, because I’m a Christian, and I follow only the Jesus Christ teachings.” Of course as Christians we believe in and apply the spiritual teachings of the entire Bible. However, Jesus Christ also set forth the prosperity law of tithing. During New Testament times the temple (as well as the later work of the early Christians) was supported by tithes. Jesus clearly indicated His belief in tithing in parable; and once, when addressing a group of Pharisees, He made it plain that His followers should establish the right attitude toward tithing: “Ye tithe mint and anise and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone.” (Matthew 23:23)
The prosperity of any individual, nation, or organization that tithes rests on a firm foundation. Jesus might have been summarizing the power of the prosperity law of tithing when He advised: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38)
NOW IS THE TIME TO TITHE
Whatever your financial condition of the moment-even if, like the Children of Israel, you are in a financial wilderness or a state of financial dissatisfaction -you can be prosperous. You need not wait until “things get better” or until you “get out of debt” to begin living under the prosperity law of tithing. Right now, you should begin bringing divine order into your affairs by honoring God with a “tenth of all” income, as soon as you receive it. You can be assured that, like the Children of Israel, you will be led into the Promised Land of greater prosperity.
To receive a free and in-depth recording on tithing, call the Spiritual Rights Foundation, Inc. at 800-642-9355.
