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2013, don't wait, firstfruits, God, move, new year, obedience, obey, possibilities, procrastination, tithing, trust
Happy New Year All!
Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve blogged. I took a bit of time off to reflect on 2012 and see what God wants me to focus on in 2013. Here are just a few things that I learned:
1. Trust God’s timetable. I spent a lot of 2012 asking God why certain things had not occurred yet. Now that He’s finally bringing some of those things to fruition, I totally see why – and I am SO glad that He waited. So in 2013, I want to stop trying to make God’s timetable my timetable – as if this works anyway.
2. Obey immediately. If you’re like me, you do what God says, but you don’t always do things when He says to do it. Following God’s instructions a week after He asks me to do something (i.e. when it’s more convenient for me) is just as good as disobedience, and who knows what blessing I might miss or who may have been encouraged had I moved when God said move.
3. Tithe FIRST. I am a faithful tither. I believe in it, but I don’t always tithe first. The Bible says to give God our firstfruits, meaning that we should tithe before we spend money on anything else, not a week or two later. Near the end of 2012, I began tithing of my FIRSTfruits, and man did God pour out some unexpected blessings! Think of it this way – would you rather God bless 100% of your finances or 50%? If we tithe before we do anything else with our money, God can bless, extend, or multiply 100% of our paycheck.
After reviewing these lessons, I realized that maybe God didn’t respond when I wanted Him to, because I don’t always respond when He wants me to. But when I put God first in my finances, my time, and my actions, it opens up many more doors. As I have started implementing some of these things over the past few weeks, I have seen positive changes, and I am excited about what God has in store for 2013 when I wait for (and move in) His timing – oh, the possibilities!
It is great that you give. That is important, and that is Biblical. But don’t confuse giving with tithing or firstfruits.
Firstfruits has nothing to do with tithing. The Biblical tithe was NEVER the first.
God defined His tithe in Leviticus 27:30-33 to be a tenth of crops and every tenth animal in herds and flocks, whether that animal be good or bad. NOT the first. NOT the best. Money could not be tithed. The tithe never came from anyone’s income.
OLD TESTAMENT
Proverbs 3:9 (KJV) “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:”
NEW TESTAMENT
2 Timothy 2:6 (KJV) “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.”
1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV) “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
Using the above principles, the New Testament makes it clear that we are to use the FIRST of our income to take care of ourselves and our family. We are talking about needs, here, not just anything we want. Then we should give generously from what is left.
When God gave the Israelites the promised land, He RESERVED, for Himself, a tenth of the crops and every tenth animal. They NEVER did belong to the Israelites. In other words, the tithe was from God’s increase of FOOD, not from man’s income. It was a way to distribute FOOD to the Levites and priests who did NOT inherit any land.
No one, not even the farmers, tithed from their income.
The farmers made their income by SELLING and/or barter-exchanging their crops and animals but did NOT tithe on that income.
Today, ALL born-again believers are priests. ALL of us are called to be disciples of the Lord. No one of us is greater than another. Our bodies are the Temple where the Spirit dwells. According to the scriptures, priests do not tithe.
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 a tenth. The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of a tenth. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving a tenth.
Hi Gary! Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment, especially a substantive one. For me personally, I have found it to be a good practice to do my best to tithe before I spend money on other things. I agree that there is indeed a difference between tithe and firstfruits, so I am glad that you made that distinction with supporting scripture. Be blessed, and do visit again.