Sunday, 17 August 2008

Ten Reasons Why I Tithe

I came across this and decided to paste it here.


Ten Reasons Why I Tithe

While visiting in a neighborhood near our church, I met a man who responded to my introduction by saying, "Oh, you are the preacher who makes everyone pay ten percent to the church."

"No, you are not talking about me," I replied. "There is no way that I can make people pay ten percent of their wages to the church if they do not wish. I do not have that authority. The people who pay ten percent, or a tithe, of their income do so because they want to."

Why do people tithe to the church? The reasons are many. As I considered my own motivation, I discovered at least ten reasons why I give ten percent of my income to the church. A study of these reasons will help us to understand the great blessing of tithing and the biblical responsibility to tithe.

1.) To Honor the Creator.

"Render. unto God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21).

Acquisitiveness is one of the basic drives of mankind. Children grasp their toys and cry, "Mine!" Someone has noted three attitudes in the parable of the good Samaritan. The priest and the Levite had the attitude, "What's mine is mine and I'm going to keep it!" The thieves had the attitude "What's yours is mine, and I'm going to get it!" The Samaritan had the attitude, 'What's mine is yours, and you can have it." There is another attitude that should permeate our thinking, even above the commendable attitude of the Samaritan. That is, "Everything we have belongs to God, and we are stewards of His goods'"

God owns the entire world and its substance. "The earth is the LORD"S, and the fulness thereof" (Psalm 24:1). "Behold, all souls are mine" (Ezekiel 18:4). "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine" (Haggai2:8). It is God who gives people the power to obtain wealth (Psalm 75:6-7; Ecclesiastes 5:19). We are not to glory in what God has given us, but to glory in Him (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Why should I be grudge God ten percent when everything actually belongs to Him? If it were not for Him, there would be no land, no seed, no strength, no income, and no life. How generous He is to tell us, ""he tithe... is the LORD'S"! (Leviticus 27:30).

2.) To Acknowledge My Heritage.

"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29).

Abraham was the first tithe payer of record(Genesis 14:20). Abraham's grandson, Jacob, paid tithes (Genesis 28:22). Scripture says that Levi, Abraham's descendant and the father of the tribe from which the priesthood came, paid tithes in Abraham (Hebrews 7:9). My heritage of paying a tithe precedes the law of Moses. As a child of Abraham and an heir of the promise of Abraham. I acknowledge my family relationship by paying tithes.

Jesus said to the Jews, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham" (John 8:39). It would be strange to claim to be a child of Abraham and yet to neglect one of Abraham's most fundamental and noteworthy acts. I pay my tithes as a spiritual descendant of Abraham, the father of the faithful.

3.) To Fulfill the Covenant.

"For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious" (II Corinthians 3:11).

In every comparison of the law of Moses and the new covenant that came by Jesus Christ, the new covenant stands supreme. The characteristic word in the Book of Hebrews is better, and everything is better about the new covenant. If the law demanded tithes, then how much more should we who are under the "perfect law of liberty" give our tithes willingly. (See James 1:25). If the law is written in the fleshly tables of our hearts and we follow God's commands not from outward rules but because of our new nature, then how quickly and how easily we should give the tenth that belongs to the Lord" (See II Corinthians 3:3-6).

Some people say, "Oh, we do not pay tithes, because tithing was under the law." If that is a sufficient reason for not paying tithes, then we could also mistreat our parents, for the law said, Honour thy father and thy mother" (Exodus 20:12). In actuality, we honor our father and mother and we give our tithes because the principles of the law are written in our hearts by the Spirit of God. We give willingly and liberally because the Spirit motivates us to give what God has said is His.

4.) To Show My Love.

"Many waters cannot quench love" (Song of Solomon 8:7).

Love is the strongest motivation in the world. I have seen bumper stickers that say, "If you love Jesus, honk you horn!" Anyone can honk his horn. But David said, "Neither will I offer.unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing" (II Samuel 24:24). Someone should print a sticker that says, "If you love Jesus, pay your tithes!"

For someone who genuinely loves the Lord, the tithe is only the beginning of his giving. He gives not only his tithe, but also offerings (plural), not grudgingly and not of necessity, but cheerfully with love.

5.) To Fulfill an Obligation.

"Ye pay tithe.:these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" (Matthew 23:23). Jesus did not criticize the Pharisees for paying tithes. He commended them. He said it was something they "ought" to have done. The word ought expresses an obligation or duty. It is one of the strongest words in the English language. To pay tithes is something every Christian ought to do.

The word ought has three meanings: (a) obligation or duty; as in, "He ought to pay his debts", (b) desirability; as in, "You ought to eat more slowly", (c) expectancy or probability; as in, "I ought to be through by Monday." Each one of these meanings puts an obligation upon the Christian. It is desirable for him to pay his tithes, he is expected to pay his tithes, and he has a duty to pay his tithes.

6.) To Escape Condemnation.

"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. in tithes and offerings" (Malachi 3:8).

How sad it is that people who are honest in business and who pay their debts to the bank, the store, and the government will not pay God what belongs to Him! Sometimes people quibble about whether they are "paying" or "giving" tithes, but both terms seem appropriate. The tithe is the Lord's and He expects us to pay it to Him; at the same time, He does not receive it until we give it to Him. He does not give us the authority to use His tithes for other purposes, but we have the power to spend it as long as it is in our hands. Nevertheless, a person is condemned if he spends God's money.

7.) To Spread the Gospel.

"So hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" (I Corinthians 9:14).

God has ordained for people to be saved by the preaching of the gospel (I Corinthians 1:21). "How shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14).

Tithing is God's way of supporting the ministry. In the Old Testament, the Levites and the priest were God's minister to the nation of Israel, and they were supported by tithes. In the New Testament, God has called people to minister the gospel. These ministers can be more effective if they do not have to provide for their livelihood by working on a secular job but can devote themselves full time to the work of God. They need time to give themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.

It is not wrong for a man to labor with his hands, nor should a minister feel too good to engage in honest labor. Yet God's plan is for those who preach the gospel to live of the gospel. When God inspired Moses to write that the people should not put a muzzle on the box that labored, God was not as concerned with the ox as He was with the principle that a laborer should receive his livelihood from his work. The application of this principle is that the minister of the gospel should earn his living from his ministry. (See I Corinthians 9:9-14).

Some ministers have endured financial hardships and deprivation in order to proclaim the gospel in needy areas. If the tithing income insures that the minister can live in a good house, drive a good car, and buy sufficient clothes for his family, why should I begrudge providing these things to a man who would preach the gospel even if he had to work on a secular job to do it? It is a disgrace to a church if the pastor has to take a secular job to supply his family's needs when there should be sufficient tithing income available to allow him to do God's work on a full-time basis. My tithing ca help to spread the gospel.

8.) To Avoid a Curse.

"Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me" (Malachi 3:9).

Someone has said, "You can't outgive God, and you can't outsqueeze Him either."

Some people put their money into "a big with holes" (Haggai 1:6). They do not give God His tithe, bit they eventually spend the money for automobile repairs, medical bills, and a thousand other things that they might have avoided if they had been faithful to God in their giving.

God said that the whole nation of Israel was cursed because they had not given God His due. God asked Israel to dedicate the gold of Jericho to Him, but Achan took a wedge of gold and hid it in a tent. It became a curse to him and his whole family.

I do not want God to curse my blessings. I want to give Him His tithe.

9.) To Enjoy God's Blessing.

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse. and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD 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). (See also Luke 6:38).

God blesses the people who pay tithes. They do not always have the most money or the best clothes, but they are blessed.

However, I am wary of those who promise, "If you give God a dollar, He will give you back four." The expectation of a return should not be our motivation for giving. And His richest blessings are not necessarily monetary.

But I do want God to notice me and remember me. He noticed that the window put money into the treasury at the Temple. He noticed what Cornelius was giving. He noticed what Israel was not giving. He knows what we give and He notices when we give.

God has asked us to prove Him and see if He will not give us His blessings. I have trusted Him, tested Him, and tried Him, and I have concluded that it is better to give God what belongs to Him.

10.) To Be Consistent.

"Be thou an example of the believers" (I Timothy 4:12).

For most of my ministry. I have lived on tithing income. How could I receive tithes and not pay tithes? I could not do so and be consistent. The Levites, who received tithes, also paid tithes on what they received (Nehemiah 10:38). Preachers who receive tithes should be most faithful to pay them.

Paying tithes will not save a person-everyone must be born again to be saved. But paying tithes will reap a blessing. Genuine Christian not only pay tithes, but they willingly pay tithes.

I paid my first Tithe yesterday










I made up my mind to start tithing
I brought out my tithes and put it in an envelop
Yesterday 17th August 2008 i took my tithes to church
Gave it to the priest to bless
He blessed it, prayed over it & also prayed for me asking God to bless the giver
I stayed for mass (service) and during offering i dropped it in the offering basket
But before i did, i prayed over my tithes and prophesied great things unto it
I'm just glad that i've started paying my tithes
God has always blessed me
And I know He will bless me in a thousand folds
Have u heard of being embarrased with blessings
Yes I'll be embarrased and bombarded with so many blessings
This is just the beginning
If u don't give tithes just think about it
Don't rob God

Malachi 3:8-9 "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say. Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed Me. even this whole nation."


Malachi 3:10-11 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house. and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes. and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field. saith the Lord of hosts."

Acts 20:35 "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you."

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 "He which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. . Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."


Genesis 28:20-22 "Jacob vowed a vow, saying, 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; then shall the Lord be my God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee."

'Of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee' (Genesis 28:22)

'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine' (Haggai 2:8)

"’The tithe. . is the Lord's.'



Matthew 23:23 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."



"What I spent, I had. What I saved, I lost. And what I gave, I have."

"That man is no fool who parts with what he cannot keep, to get what he cannot lose." Dear friend, pay tithe for the support of the gospel. It is God's way to enrich your life and further the work of His kingdom. He doesn't need your money. But you need His presence and blessing in this great partnership of life.

Wednesday, 13 August 2008

I'll never let you see the weakest me

Once bitten twice shy.
More on this post is coming soon, will update later.
I bind laziness. lol

Finally, I'm about to update. lol

I've formed the habit of not letting the weakest part of me show
My bf and I are cool now
Though its still not like it was but I'm not bothered
We talk like once in a while
He's through with school now and is preparing and studying for the mcat exams
When we started talking again I noticed he was emotionally distant
I didn't comment on that
But after some days I told him I noticed he was emotionally distant and didn't know why
He asked "how do you mean"
I told him I didn't know how but it just felt that way
He said he knows and that it was for the best for now
Hmmm
It made me wonder if exams and situations are emotionally draining or what
But the thing that amazes me is that I'm not even bothered or hurt
I'm not so crazy about him as before
Last month and the whole break thing put me through so much hurt, torture and pain that it made me stronger and a bit hardenned
I just let him be, more like I hardly contact him, when he comes to his senses he'll behave
I'm just enjoying my life and other blessings of life
I dream too much and work at it, and recently one of my dreams just came true
Things just click
I have many things to keep me busy
The difference between now and last month is that now I don't think, or wish or cry or bother myself about him
Whatever will be will be
I'll never let him see the weakest me

Tuesday, 12 August 2008

TITHES (Have you paid your tithes?)

I was in a youth christian meeting last week saturday and our topic was about TITHES.
Lots of contributions were made by everyone and we read so many bible passages regarding this topic.
It made me realise that I had never paid my tithes ever since I was born, and thats like robbing from God
I'm a catholic and i've never had the importance of this topic stressed before, i'm not trying to raise anything controversial here so plsssssssss don't attack me
We had so many arguments on whether Tithes was meant for only those working or also for students, and we agreed that as a student we receive money from parents or other sources so thats also an earning
We also argued whether the money to get our tithes from included our house rent money or bills, I was like we're not working yet so it doesn't make sense removing from ur rent or bills cos thats the same thing as removing from ur tuition fees & thats insane, God understands all and for now it includes our pocket money, when we start working we can remove from all that
God blesses us abundantly, but I also that those who paid their tithes got theirs in a thousand folds
And I made up my mind that from this onwards I'll always pay my tithes and give atleast 1/10th o f my earnings/pocket money
I can't believe i've been robbing God all this while, God forgive me!
Well our God is ever loving and ever forgiving
I want to ask you this question
Have you paid or do you pay your Tithes?

Sunday, 10 August 2008

A blogger's resolution

I've made many blog resolutions and hope i'll keep them
Decided to start blogging about life in general instead of only on my love life
I visit other blogs but i'm always too lazy to leave comments, but from now on i'll leave comments
And i'll also start replying to comments on my blog posts
Laziness is bad o. lol. right now i'm even lazy to think of what to write
Sometimes i want to blog but either laziness or blogger's block happens
Wanted to blog about paying ur tithes yesterday but oga laziness struck again

Thursday, 7 August 2008

He's back though its not like it used to be

Guess what?!
The break/space is off
Though things are not like it used to be but it'll get better in time
This past month was a period of transition for me
It was a period of self discovery & it made me stronger
It was a period when I became my own best friend
It was a period where I learnt a lot of things about myself
It was a period where I smiled a lot and looked like everything was okay with me while I was tearing up inside
More like not letting anybody see my weakness
I guess things happen for a reason
And I actually gave him his space this past month
I remember that moment he told me, I couldn't breathe
This past moment was a period where I was confused and wondered if we were really over or if it was just for a while
I guess the latter was the case
I'll watch and see what happens as time goes on
The saying "let someone free, if he's truly yours he'll surely come back to you"
And he has come back to me
Right now I'm listening to Mariah Carey's "butterfly"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQn3ModBy_w

But things are good now
I don't think I can be any more hurt than I was last month
It just made me a stronger person
Anything that doesn't kill me only makes me stronger
I appreciate what happened cos I spent lots of time alone with myself and got more insights on a lot of things
And I spent a lot of time meditating on life in general

And its kinda funny that last month was when tons of guys decided to flirt with me
But I didn't flirt back
I had him on my mind all the time
Oh my! I'm such a faithful boon

Well its good, that means my future husband will have nothing to worry about
But he better be faithful too, cos I can't tolerate cheating