March 8, 2024 Daily Dose of Discernment

Joseph said to the people, “Give one fifth of your crops to the king. Keep the rest for your own seed and for food for your families.” They answered, “Sir, you have saved our lives; you have been good to us. We are glad to be slaves of the king.” (Genesis 47:23-25)

To tithe or not to tithe, that is the question. Jesus said, “you shall love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (the Talmud even says “with all your money”). Come to think of it, the tithe is ten times less than that. It’s also half of the 20% of the harvest the Egyptians were told to give to their king after receiving seed from him, something they were extremely happy and grateful to do.

“But other churches don’t teach tithing,” some might say. They also don’t have vestments for their choir or uniforms for their staff. It doesn’t mean they’re right and others are wrong. “So my church’s policies don’t go against godly teachings on giving and submission to authority. But do I have to obey them?” The better question is, “Am I not blessed beyond measure that it is just fitting for me to give of my resources and deference gladly?” God loves a cheerful giver, not an obligated giver.