To Tithe or not to Tithe

I honestly would have never blogged on this subject if it hadn't come up last night, in all places, in the West Point High School weightroom. As me and my brother and a friend of ours were working out he asked me a question. Does grace supercede the law. I was unsure of where he was going, such as "should we still sacrifice animals?" or something like that. But he moved on to tithing and the great 10% of our possessions that is taught to us that we should give to God.

God commanded his people to give a tenth of their possessions over to him. Here's an example

The problem posed here and the reason the previous question was brought up was that this was under the old law. Are we still under the old law? Of course not, Jesus came and fulfilled the old law, hence the fact animal sacrifice is no longer necassary and we no longer need a priest to be our spokesperson to God, although Jesus did not come to abolish the law.

The problem with tithing now, is that it has become a burden on people to make sure they give a certain amount. Church leaders the world over are pressuring people to give, making them feel guilty. As my friend stated, he was tired of seeing leaders pumping people up to give a lot, only to find them regretting it when they walk out of the building. That is not the kind of giving God desires. It (not just tithing, but every aspect of service) ultimately comes down to one thing, Your heart. You see if we give 90% of what we have, but give with a regretful or a jealous heart, God is not pleased with that gift. God does not need our money to build his kingdom, although money is useful in it, but I guarantee that if every one of us had no possessions to give, God would be able to do just as much kingdom building.

The verse we discussed last night was 2 Corinthians 9:7 Man should not be "duped" into giving but man should be allowed to give what he has purposed or set aside in his heart to give. If that is 10%, 5%, or 90%, God is pleased.

I guess my point is that if you give 10% now, do so with a cheerful heart, and if you give less or more, do so with a cheerful heart, and not with a hard heart, and God will be pleased. But not only give your possessions but more importantly give your heart to God. I guarantee he will be a lot more pleased with that. Don't let anyone tell you what you should give, but give what God has laid on your own heart to give. Also, don't use this as an excuse to give less. Once again give with a cheerful heart, not a selfish one.

My friend and I both agreed on the subject, and it was an interesting conversation to have during a workout, but what better conversations to have than biblical ones. I hope to have more of those with him.

I will leave you with this prayer I found on another blog:
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me

Have a joy filled weekend!