Dear Joynetters, The question of Shimmy is very relevant. Tithe is certainly different from offerings and charity. MAL 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, `How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty. Here tithes and offerings are treated as separate acts. Scripture tells us that the tithe (10%) is always the Lord's property. It is the first tenth of salary or any increase you receive. Offerings are gifts above and beyond your tithe. Each time an offering is given, it must be considered as a separate event. Six steps to a proper offering: 1. Have a willing mind. It is impossible for God to guide you unless you are open to His suggestion. In Exodus 35, only the willing-hearted were allowed to participate in offerings. They were so generous that there was more than enough, and they had to be restrained from giving more. 2. Think of the good things. When it is time for you to give, don't think about what you don't have, but about what you already have. When your mind is fixed on your needs, there is a tendency to lower the amount of money you are willing to give God. Fix your mind on the good things God has provided for you. If you do this, you will have a tendency to give the amount God tells you. (E.g. Givers will begin to think about the new tires they need instead of concentrating on the car God has given them.) 3. Give cheerfully. The spirit in which a gift is given always has an effect on the person to whom the gift is given. God has no pleasure in an offering given in the wrong attitude. "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7). 4. Refuse to give when pressured. It is better to give nothing than to give an amount someone pressures you into. If someone tells you about an urgent need, this is not pressure. Pressurized giving takes place when psychological force is used to cause you to give more, or differently, than God is telling you to give. Do not feel guilty if you do not give when man-made pressure is applied (2 Cor. 9:7). If you feel pressure, wait a few days for God to reaffirm to you the amount He wants you to give. 5. Let God set the amount. When you are deciding how much you should give, several different amounts may come to your mind. Let the presence of God's peace in your heart make the decision for you. Let Him impress you with a specific amount. 6. Look for God's rewards. "Give and it shall be given unto you" (Luke 6:38) - in faith, in peace, in knowing that you are a partner in His will, and even in further material benefits. Why pay tithes at all? It is a vow made by Jacob on our behalf to accept and acknowledge the sovereignty and protection of the Lord. GE 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." Later on it was incorporated in the Law of Moses LEV 27:30 " `A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. 32 The entire tithe of the herd and flock--every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod--will be holy to the LORD. 33 He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.' " In the Book of Numbers we read NU18:26 "Speak to the Levites and say to them: `When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the LORD's offering. 27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. With love Joseph Lonth Dubai, UAE ********************************************************************** This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] To know more about Jesus Youth, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org **********************************************************************
