Category
108 Offering and Tithes
Think about this: Christ loved us so much that he gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering to God.1 He made the ultimate sacrifice for you on the cross, loving you to death and beyond. Even as time marches on, His love stays constant.
It's so important for you to grasp that the biggest sacrifice has already been made. But now, you get to be a pleasing offering to God, too. Let your service, your honor, and your giving be a delight to your Heavenly Father. Know that Jesus has given you everything, and anything you offer pales in comparison to His love.
Giving to God, supporting His work, it's an expression of love. Don't see it as a burden or an obligation, but as a response to God's love and Jesus' sacrifice. It's a way of saying "thank you" for everything Heaven has poured into your life.
1Ephesians 5:2
then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
And Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them."
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,
Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.[6]And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
"Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD's; it is holy to the LORD.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!"
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.
give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."
For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze;
"But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[1] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[2]
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
"You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year.And before the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.
On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor[2] of heaven and earth;and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
Jesus[1] looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box,and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.[2]And he said, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
And they faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes, and the dedicated things. The chief officer in charge of them was Conaniah the Levite, with Shimei his brother as second,
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "
I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."
"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed[2] go free, and to break every yoke?Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,[5] when it is in your power to do it.Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it" -- when you have it with you.
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
"Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.
"When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it,you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there.
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.
Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency[3] in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
"Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you."
For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.
So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing,for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.
Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.[2]
He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk."
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages."
Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.
And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[6] you did it to me.'
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.[1]
Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God:
if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
Blessed is the one who considers the poor![1] In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[5] destroy and where thieves break in and steal,but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.
We want you to know, brothers,[1] about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will,begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints --and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,[6] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem.If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.
You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust[1] forever.
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.