Can you stand another question on tithing? Do we fall under old testament rules of 10%, or are we asked by God to give what we feel is right? And what are the benefits of a cheerful giver?
Personally, I believe 10% is the minimum standard. This is the amount God has said rightfully belongs to Him. Real blessing begins when we start giving more. Jesus said the measure God uses in blessing us will be determined by the measure we use in giving to Him. (Luke 6:38)
But New Testament giving is not based on rules, it’s based on gratitude. That’s why there’s no number clearly established. In 2 Cor. 9:6 Paul wrote that if we sow sparingly we’ll reap sparingly, but if we sow generously we’ll reap generously. God, who knows the motives of our heart, knows if we’re being generous relative to our means and blesses us accordingly. (If you only tipped your server 10% in return for the service you received during a pleasant dinner, you would not be considered generous.)
Then in 2 Cor. 9: 10-11 Paul described the benefits of generous giving.
Our supply and store of seed will be increased. That means our income will increase and we’ll have more left over.
The harvest of our righteousness will be enlarged, which means we’ll be more pleasing to God.
We’ll be made rich in every way so we can be generous on every occasion. Once we demonstrate our generosity, the Lord will funnel more resources to us. Even as we give more away, there will be more left for us.
The person who spends time studying these promises will soon realize that tithing is the antidote for greed and the solution to all our financial problems. It opens the door to one of the greatest blessings found anywhere in the Bible, perhaps second only to our salvation.