PERCENTAGE GIVING

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.” Mal 3:10 NIV

Picture yourself receiving ten one-dollar bills from God. Remember, God is the owner, and you are merely a steward of what He entrusts to you. Looking at the bills in your hand, you say, “God, what do You want me to do with them?” God says, “I want just one of them back.” You reply, “Just one? Are you sure?” “Yep. Just give me one,” He says. “Well, what do you want me to do with the other nine?” you inquire. “Whatever you want,” He replies. “You mean You’re giving me ten dollars, and You want only one back—and I get to keep the other nine?” you exclaim in disbelief. You get the idea, right? Can you imagine hiring a money manager to handle your investments and telling him that he can keep 90 percent of it? That’s basically what God does with you. All He asks for His investment is one-tenth of the principal. It’s almost laughable. And to think sometimes we struggle to give Him any of it! If you truly approach your finances as if God were the owner of it all, giving a percentage back to Him is only appropriate. When it came to giving in the Old Testament, God decided that10 percent was appropriate. You say, “Should I tithe off the gross or off the net?” What kind of harvest do you want, net or gross? God told His people, “Bring the whole tithe [before any deductions] into the storehouse...Test me in this...see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”