Tithing...

[23] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. [24] You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! [25] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. [26] You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.  (Matthew 23:23-26 ESV)
Money, oh the problems it can cause. The worry about it will tear you up, at least in my case. My wife always tells me that my worry about money is probably my worst fault. I have to agree, this worry is probably the main reason I lose sleep, weather the worry is about my company's product issues and losing an account that I service, or worrying about a bill that's coming up, or worry about my 401k performance. The list could go on and on. Then comes tithing, should you tithe to the church? A tithe is an amount of monetary value, specifically 10% of your income, and some people believe that 10% is the minimum giving amount. Whether it's based on the gross, or take home, I just don't believe that is important, but it is a substantial amount, that's for sure. What does Jesus say?  Well, he basically states that the tithe is a given. If you follow Him, the tithe is important, but it's only part of the picture. From what I gather from his views on the subject, you need to come to faith in Him first, then everything that is important will follow, you'll want to do what is right, including a tithe.  Some religious people tithe just to show PEOPLE that they follow the law, and that because they follow the law, they are right in God's eyes. Jesus says, nonsense! Work on the important stuff, you, and following Him. Everything will fall into line behind Him. Salvation is not based on "works", "lest any man boast", it is based on Grace, Him. Don't do things to show people you are righteous, it is between you and Him, it's no one else's business. He knows what is in your heart.

(What image is on the Roman coin?) They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”  (Matthew 22:21 ESV)

Jesus wasn't talking about money here, he was talking about the giving of ourselves to God, that's the most important thing.  The religious people were trying to trap Him here, to get Him to say things bad about the government in order to get Him arrested based on secular, or non-church, law breaking.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  (2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV)

Here, again, I think the overall thought is that you'll do what is right, not because it's the law, but because you follow Jesus.  When you follow Him, the other stuff will eventually just fall in line.  Start giving, and eventually you'll give more and more, it will just come naturally. Clean the inside of the cup first, the outside will eventually take care of itself.  It's just the way it works when you follow Him.  I'm definitely still working on this issue, and I talk to Him often about monetary worry. I think that helping other people is just as important as tithing, and the giving of yourself could be be a bigger part of the equation when you are a Christian. This money stuff is between you and God, no one else. Just my take on the subject. Debate back and forth on the money subject need not pull the Christian community apart, let's give it to God.  He'll take care of us, he know's what is in our heart, and in Hope, for our sakes, it's in following His teachings. I have to give this worry to Him.

P.S.  Someone must have been listening during my Bible study this morning...one of those God moments I guess? In church later in the morning after my study, the sermon was about God speaking in the story about Zechariah and Elizabeth (John the Baptist's parents), after a 400 year silence from God since the Book of Malachi was written.  (Don't quote me on the 400 year silence being exactly between the two references above, I think thats what the pastor said, I was busy running a camera in the tech booth).  Anyway, in Malachi it talks about tithing and one of the pastor's points was, how can you expect God to care about your finances, if you don't care about Church finances as part of your giving abundance?  I think he was referencing Malachi 3:10, saying that if you give abundantly, God will abundantly watch out for you needs. This is all a bit sketchy to me as I'm still growing in my walk with Christ. However, the Bible states it, and as Christians we believe the Bible is the inerrant Word on all subjects.  For another take on giving, go here: http://mind-your-head-jim.blogspot.com/2010/12/four-main-keys-to-abundance.html