When we talk about prosperity, everyone assumes of material wealth. But what about spiritual prosperity? What about prosperity of your health? Should we not seek spiritual prosperity? Perhaps many do not obtain material prosperity because they do not seek it in the order that God desires. Perhaps, many do not obtain neither because the motivation to receive spiritual or material prosperity are selfish. However, scripture says He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.
Psalm 35:27 Let those who favor my righteous cause and have pleasure in my uprightness shout for joy and be glad and say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, Who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.
I am sadden when I hear many TV evangelist attempting to pry $1000 from the children of God promising them prosperity. If I sow $1000 into one of their ministries, will I become prosperous and rich as they claim? Is that my only prerequisite? Today, $1000 appears to be the magical amount to give.
Sowing and tithing into a ministry is a good thing. However, we should be sowing to bless the Lord and His work. We are commanded to tithe 10% or give our first fruits and offerings but to give for the sake of becoming rich or to give so we can get out of debt is giving for the wrong reasons. We tithe and offer because it is a commandment of God. We are not to tithe or offer out of desperation. If we do so then are we not really just trying to bribe God? However, when we tithe out of full surrender of ourselves, such actions will move God's heart. Many today do not tithe or offer properly thinking it is not a requirement or commandment of God thus robbing HIM yet when they get into a desperate situation, they attempt to bribe HIM.
Malachi 3:7-9 Even from the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, How shall we return? 8Will a man rob or defraud God? Yet you rob and defraud Me. But you say, In what way do we rob or defraud You? [You have withheld your] tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with the curse, for you are robbing Me, even this whole nation.
Some people say the book of Malachi and the part of tithing are for the priests. Well, are we not a kingdom and priests to our God?
Revelation 5:10 And You have made them a kingdom (royal race) and priests to our God, and they shall reign [as kings] over the earth!
Some people say they cannot tithe 10% because they cannot afford it. When we look at those who can tithe 10%, other says they are able too tithe 10% because they can afford it. When will many wake up to this revelation? Those who are able to afford and tithe 10% do so because they obey and tithe 10%. Those who do not tithe 10% are only hindering their own blessings and their own abilities. If we do not follow God's commandment and tithe 10% and make offerings how will HE REBUKE THE DEVOURER FOR OUR SAKES?
I think the amplified version has it best.
Malachi 3:10-11 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11And I will rebuke the devourer [insects and plagues] for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts.
Many read Malachi chapter 3 and think they have to give ALL of their money but in the amplified it accurately states to give the whole tenth of your income. Let us tithe as part of obeying God's commandment.
But you see brethren, it is not just about tithing. We must follow all of God's ways and commandments so that prosperity (spiritual, health, material) will follow us. We do not seek God to be prosperous as many prosperity gospel presents but it is a by product of our obedience and we shall eat the good fruit thereof.
Job 36:11 If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness and joy.
Haggai 2:9 The latter glory of this house [with its successor, to which Jesus came] shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace and prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.
Prosperity is something that follows the children of God as we obey and listen to His Word and commandments. We must listen and FULLY Obey and FULLY Surrender. We can know if we are NOT prospering or if we are hitting a ceiling that prevents us from spiritual, health, or material prosperity when we TRANSGRESS AGAINST HIS COMMANDMENTS.
Isaiah 48:18 Oh, that you had hearkened to My commandments! Then your peace and prosperity would have been like a flowing river, and your righteousness [the holiness and purity of the nation] like the [abundant] waves of the sea.
1 Chronicles 22:13 Then you will prosper if you are careful to keep and fulfill the statutes and ordinances with which the Lord charged Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage. Dread not and fear not; be not dismayed.
2 Chronicles 24:20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood over the people, and he said to them, Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord SO THAT YOU CANNOT PROSPER? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.
I may not be a billionaire or a famous entertainment star but I am prosperous in spirit, health, and even in my materiel needs. I am content. I may not be rich as some define it but even during my wilderness as we learned to fully obey and fully surrender, we had never lacked nor had we begged. Even in our lack, we were able to be the givers of those who needed help. Whether in your rich or poor, you will be tested whether you can trust God. Will you be faithful and consistent trusting HIM by tithing 10% and making offerings or will you rob God and cut the tithes instead of your cable bill because you consider the cable package too good of a great deal to lose?
Psalm 37:25 (AMP) I have been young and now am old, yet have I not seen the [uncompromisingly] righteous forsaken or their seed begging bread.
Do not seek God for prosperity for the sake of being rich. Seek God with an obedient heart fully surrendered for HIS Glory following HIS Commandments and then spiritual, health, and material prosperity will follow you as a blessing or a byproduct of your obedience. Then our spiritual, health, and/or material prosperity can be utilized for the proper needs. It can be used for His Kingdom and not for our selfish needs.
Therefore brethren, as Psalm 35:27 says, He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. Now let us humble ourselves and depart from all evil and seek His Will because robbers will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Psalms 37:27 Depart from evil and do good; and you will dwell forever [securely].28For the Lord delights in justice and forsakes not His saints; they are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked [in time] shall be cut off. 29[Then] the [consistently] righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. 30The mouth of the [uncompromisingly] righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks with justice.31The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
The bible tells us to seek the Kingdom First and all those things will be added on to us. Men assume prosperity to be material wealth. However, we are to be prosperous in every way. Let us obtain in proper order and let us seek His Kingdom first and prosper more spiritually. Then will follow health and material blessings.
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.
Fire of God
Steve Yong Kim
March 13, 2012
You said, "Some people say the book of Malachi and the part of tithing are for the priests. Well, are we not a kingdom and priests to our God?"
ReplyDeleteYes, as born-again believer, we are a part of a Royal Priesthood. We are all priests. According to the scriptures, priests do not tithe. Priests give offerings.
The Israelites took the whole tithe to the Levites and the Levites were commanded to take a tenth of the tithe to the priests. THAT tithe, the tenth of the whole tithe, is what was supposed to go into the Storehouse. The priests RECEIVED a tithe (from the Levites) but they did not tithe. See Numbers 18.
So are you saying, you are not required to tithe?
ReplyDeleteSteve said, "So are you saying, you are not required to tithe?"
ReplyDeleteYes. Tithing ended per Hebrews 7:5,12,18.
NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE pays the Biblical tithe today.
THE FIRST TITHE
Leviticus 27:30-33 defines this tithe as a tenth of crops and animals in herds and flocks.
Numbers 18 gives the ordinances, or instructions, for this tithe, and commands this tithe be taken to the Levites.
Purpose of this tithe: to support the Levitical Priesthood.
SECOND TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:22-27: aka The Festival Tithe - a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take for the yearly feast.
Purpose of this tithe: “that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always”
THIRD TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:28-29: aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe - a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.
Purpose of this tithe: to feed the poor.
The ONLY people in the Old Testament that were commanded to tithe were those who INHERITED THE PROMISED LAND WITH EVERYTHING ON IT. They got the land, house, animals, crops, etc. ALL FREE AND CLEAR. No mortgage payment or rent to pay. And THEY were commanded to tithe on the crops and animals and take it to the Levites who INHERITED the tithe INSTEAD OF the promised land with everything on it. No one else tithed. Wage earners did not tithe. Jesus did not tithe as a carpenter. Paul did not tithe as a tent maker. Peter did not tithe as a fisherman.
The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was equal percentage (a tenth). The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of equal percentage. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving ten percent.