Give

The Scripture talks a lot about the opportunity of giving to the work of God's ministry. The book of Proverbs speaks of honoring God with the firstfruits of all of our increase. In turn, the Scripture promises blessings both spiritual and material. Seeing that all the gold and silver are already God's (Hag 2:8) and the cattle of 1,000 hills (Ps 50:10), this blessing comes not from us "purchasing" it, but by being good stewards of God's money that He has entrusted us with. The act of participating in God's work through giving is found all throughout the Bible from the commandment to Israel to tithe to the Levites, who forfeited a material inheritance to serve in the Lord's tabernacle to the Corinthians and Phillipians who faithfully and cheerfully donated to Paul's ministry and other churches.

Sometimes the ministry of giving means giving more than 10 percent and sometimes that may mean giving less. It truly depends on what has been given to each believer, both in faith and finances. Ultimately, every Christian should diligently pray and seek God’s wisdom in the matter of participating in tithing and/or how much to give (James 1:5). Above all, all tithes and offerings should be given with pure motives and an attitude of worship to God and service to the body of Christ. “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).