Tithes and offerings are part of God’s system of finances. It’s a system that’s completely different from the world’s, because it’s there to help us prosper in every area of our lives.

Tithe simply means a “tenth.” To tithe is to give 10 percent of our gross income to the Lord. It may seem illogical that giving 10 percent of your income leads to prosperity, but Malachi 3:10-12 NIV explains:

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 there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

Offerings differ from tithes in that they are free-will gifts to any person or organization. It is a gift beyond our tithe, not instead of your tithe. An offering can be in the form of money, clothes, food or almost anything that God prompts you to give.

In God’s system, this is how you increase. For example, if you want new clothes, pray about it and then consider giving a portion of your clothes as seed. (Remember to sow good seed.) Then be patient and expect your harvest. If you want to get out of debt, find a way to help someone else. As Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you.”

There are promises in His Word reserved for those who act on it through tithing. Yet, a lot of tithing Christians have not learned how to claim those rights.

Malachi 3:10-11 is clear about what a tither can expect to receive from the Lord:

This verse covers a lot of spiritual ground and there’s a world of revelation waiting to be discovered within these powerful words. It all starts with the tithe.

Erick Bouwmeester