God enables us to produce wealth. Every pound we earn represents our life, so to give our money is to give our life (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). Everything we have comes from God and he entrusts our possessions to us (Haggai 2:8; Psm 50:10-12). The Bible teaches that the first thing we do with our finances is to bring God our tithe – ten percent.

The tithe belongs to God; when we tithe we bring to him what is his. Our tithe shows that we love God and honour him as our source and provider, and that we fear him (Genesis 4:1-6; Leviticus 27:30; Deuteronomy 14:22 23; Hebrews 7:1-19). There is a difference between bringing and giving. When we tithe we do not give God anything: we bring him what already belongs to him. Once we have brought God our tithe, we give to him.

We love him and express that love in every area of life; so we are generous givers. When we give to God in our offering we consider how good he is. We calculate out of our finances what we are able to give. Since our giving to the Lord begins only after we have brought him our tithe, our giving will be generous.

How much we give is between us and God; it will be according to our means and done cheerfully in faith (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7). Our giving is a practical expression of our love for God and is part of the life of sowing and reaping (Luke 6:38). God promises to meet all our needs and bless us, and to prosper us so that we may be a blessing to others.

Roger Aubrey