Tithing. Does the sound of that word cause you to cringe or become defensive when you hear it? Maybe it brings on feelings of guilt for you. Or if you are someone who tithes regularly, it feels more like an obligation than a choice or privilege.
How we feel about tithing, says much about our hearts because it isn’t about the money. It’s about our willingness to give back to God, a portion of what He has given us. It’s about our willingness to trust that He will meet our needs it’s about having faith in God rather than ourselves. It’s about our hearts.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.
Matthew 6:21
Generosity – or the lack of it – reveals our heart. And it is our hearts God wants to engage.
Generosity engages the heart (Matthew 6:19-21)
Generosity reveals the heart (Luke 21:1-4)
Generosity transforms the heart (Acts 4:32-36)
Generosity aligns the heart (Matthew 5:16)
Generosity protects the heart (Acts 5:1-5)
Generosity satisfies the heart (Proverbs 11:25)
In an article by Dr. Lisa Firestone, Firestone states,
“What we are thankful for is important, but what we
give others to be thankful for is even more important.”
(Psychology Today, Nov 24, 2010)
Why? Because being generous has a positive effect on us physically and mentally. As Christians, being generous doesn’t end here on earth. It ends in heaven when we get to see the effects it has had on those we have helped. While generosity protects our hearts from being selfish, it isn’t a diet we keep meaning to start or a diet we quit after a few weeks because it was just too hard.
The generous will prosper; Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
People curse those who hoard their grain, but they bless the one who sells in time of need.
Psalm 11:25-26
Generosity needs to be a way of life. It needs to be something we do without even thinking about it. We need to make generosity a part of who we are just as it is a part of who Christ is.
Unlike generosity which can give life, joy, hope, and peace, greed is a poison sucking out of us all that is good. Have you ever seen a generous person who is miserable? I bet you’ve seen a miserable greedy person.
God does work in us so He can do work through us. We don’t tithe to our church; we tithe through our church. We give a portion of our first fruits to our churches to be used to help others. A heart of generosity is a joyful heart.
Our heart only finds satisfaction when it belongs to God.
Our challenge this week:
Declare your dependence and trust in God as your generous provider. Ask him to reveal any places in your heart where possession is king. Seek his wisdom and strength to relinquish those areas back into his sovereign hands. In doing so, you will have given your whole heart to him.
Prayer: Jesus, my heart is yours. Take it all. Take it all, my life in Your hands.
Have a blessed day!
– psg –
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