Tithing (continued)

In other words, all of us, everything we are, our plans, our lives, our possessions – they are all the Lord Jesus Christ’s, not 10 percent, not 20 percent, not even 50 percent. 100 percent! We no longer own anything. So what about giving. Since we're not under the law and the requirement to tithe, does the Lord want us to give? Absolutely!

2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Notice that the verse doesn’t give you a percentage. No, you let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart and give accordingly. Now, that’s exciting: the Creator of the Universe moving you to give and meet another person’s needs and just at the right time. You’re not giving to some entity and trusting it to give to the right person/cause/project. No, the Lord Jesus, who wants a relationship with YOU, wants you to give as he moves you (through the Holy Spirit).

Many times, my wife and I have received gifts from people who were sensitive to God’s leading and they were almost always just in time for whatever need we had. Many times, my wife and I have sensed the Lord moving us to give to others, and what a blessing it was to be used by God, again so often, just in time.

Copyright @ 2004 James R. Owen Jr. All rights reserved.

2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

1 | 2