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A Biblical Roadmap when Everyone Else is Lost

Gotta love those prophets.  Prophets in the Bible were those people whom God chose to communicate God's messages to people.  Sounds like an honor, right?  But God's word to the people was often difficult to hear.  The message through Malachi was no exception, but the tough truth from God is essential to our understanding of the deep and transformative purpose of tithing.  A "tithe" denotes the first 10% of one's income, dedicated to God's work, and entrusted to the organization of leaders to be used in ministry to the community.  (By the way, about trusting leaders -- corruption among religious leaders has been around from the earliest times, and ancient people had even more reason to be skeptical of religious leaders misusing their tithes.  But rather than letting this skepticism hamstring your giving, note the intense scrutiny of God over priests in Mal. 2:1-2).    

But having been returned from exile in Babylon, God's covenant people returned to their unjust ways, especially regarding their wealth.  They gave to God only what was left over, rather than the first and best tenth of what God had given them.  Now, don't let this command to give cloud your theology.  God didn't need their money: "Why should I want your blue-ribbon bull, or more and more goats from your herds?  Every creature in the forest is mine..." (Ps. 50:9-10 MSG).  But God designed his people to be a blessing to the nations, and part of that meant collecting, storing, and distributing the shared wealth of the community so everyone would flourish.  But that wasn't happening, because the people's gifts were paltry, and because the leadership lacked integrity.  

The people's attitude toward God became so arrogant that they even claimed it was "futile to serve God."  What was their evidence?  That sometimes things seem unfair.  Do you see how people place themselves on the throne of judgment, as the gatekeepers of what God should and should not be doing?  When we try to be the lords and masters of our gifts to God, they are no longer gifts to God, but rather an indirect means for feeding our hidden greed.  

But God's people are called to first honor God's name.  This is not some kind of "ancient" idea.  We honor people's names all the time.  Pastor Aaron told a story of one of his kids wanting a Seahawks jersey, but specifically one with the #3 on it and the name "Wilson" on the back.  This is a way of honoring someone's name!  We honor other names, too, from celebrities to internet personalities, to corporate names like Apple and Costco.  We honor these names with our wealth.  And while God may not need us to share our wealth, our communities do.  And when we entrust our tithe to God's storehouse, and when the "priests" (in the Reformed tradition, the pastors and elected church leaders) then God is honored.  

Dear Younger Me: Don't believe the myth that you are the final authority over your belongings.  Experience the freedom that comes in letting go of your first 10% and entrusting it into God's hands.  Here are two principles to guide you along the way:
  1. Take seriously God's lordship over your income.  This has nothing to do with financial management; it's a relational step you must take in your relationship with God if you are to experience freedom in your giving.  
  2. Feel free to test God's faithfulness by stretching your giving beyond your own comfort and experiencing how God comes through and provides for you.  

For reflection:
- What seems like a reasonable percentage of your income to entrust to the ministry of the Church?  Does 10% seem high, low, or just right?
- Consider what percentage of your income you entrust to the ministry of the Church.  In what ways is it challenging to do that?  In what ways has it been freeing?
- Consider what percentage of your income would be an emotional or financial challenge for you to give.  What amount would require you to trust?  
- God welcomes us to test him in this particular area.  How could you plan to stretch your giving in a way that helps you be on the lookout for God's activity in your life?
- How much an individual or household can give is relative to your particular circumstances, rather than on a formula.  That said, can you avoid using that relativity as an excuse and instead be honest about your spending and consider whether or not you're giving to God's ministry what God is worthy of?

Blessings,
Pastor Mike

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