WHY DO WE GIVE?
God doesn’t need our money; He already owns it all.
However, He did clearly say that where our treasures are, that is also where we will find our hearts (Matthew 6:21). When we willingly set aside the first part of our income to fund ministry, it is a practical way to show our faith and help others at the same time. In the Old Testament, God said that the tithe belonged to Him and was to be immediately set aside (Leviticus 27:30) and brought to the storehouse (Malachi 3:10). Actually, the word tithe means tenth and refers to the first ten percent of all our income.
Today, we believe that the local church, which is the gathering point of the body of Christ is that storehouse. However, it’s important to remember that church is not a building, it is a people. The church’s job is to meet the needs of people through people. One way to think of the local church is as a hospital where all of us spiritually sick people come to get treatment from Jesus Christ as our doctor. However, just as a hospital cannot heal the physically sick without funds, the local church cannot heal spiritually sick without funds. When we tithe, we give to others through the church.
Giving is the only area in the Bible where God invites us to test Him. Give your tithe (the first 10% of your income) to God and see if He does not open the floodgates of heaven to bless you in ways that you never dreamed possible (Malachi 3:10).