This is my definition of tithing according to my knowledge and faith. (Everything I say in this post is solely my own idea and thoughts.) Tithing is giving back to the church, essentially to God, a part of our income as a symbol of our surrender to Him and His commitment to us that He will always provide. It is usually computed as 10% of your net income if you're a business owner and 10% of your gross income if you're employed. But of course you can freely give more if your heart desires to do so.
Some people find it difficult to grasp the idea of tithing. They think that it is a very impractical thing to do since a lot of people in this kind of economy find it hard to live on 100% of their income because of the rising prices of commodities. How much more if they give away the 10% and live only on the 90%? My answer is simple. That 10% is not yours so it would be easy for you to let go of it since it is not yours. Every blessing that we receive each day comes from God. And we acknowledge this truth by giving back what is rightfully His. And by surrendering to Him our tithes, we surrender to Him our finances. So when we surrender our finances God will always prove to you that you can never out give Him. I have tried and tested this for many, many times and believe me He has never failed me. Tithing opened doors to new opportunities.
There is challenge in the Bible. A challenge for God. There is no other part in the Bible that we humans were given the opportunity to test God than the one found in Malachi 3:9-11. It says there, "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."
See? He wants you to test Him and then you watch what He's going to do. So why not test your God and witness His wonderful grace?
