Well you knew sooner or later, I was going to get to the subject of tithes and offerings. Now before you react, first recognize I am not about to pass the plate, in that my point of reference is not the Old Testament offering to The Almighty a tenth (tithe) of everything Gid gas blesses us with. We all know Mosaic law requires this act of gratitude and allegiance. I am more compelled to refer to Pau the apostle’s letter to Timothy. “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming of age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:18-19.
You see the more and more I think and pray on this, the more important it appears that tithe and offerings include the kind of life we lead as believers in Christ Jesus. I understand the money issue but I want to also be sure that the behavior, the lifestyle, the attitude reflects the living principle of what I think Jesus demonstrated and commanded us. In the final analysis, Paul’s charge to Timothy is the best description of what I’m trying to say. It is the offering of which I speak ….”pursuerighouthgneous, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith…” 1 Timothy 6:11-12. Can you imagine what life would be like if you tithed your life’s work? How much time is in a day? I’m not talking about when we’re asleep. What’s that, 14-16 hours of living-breathing-walk-around life? That means during the course of a day, approximately an hour and a half would be spent in the practice of the aforementioned areas.
Can you see yourself deliberately practicing godliness, love, righteousness and the others (in whatever combination you choose) for at least an hour and a half a day? Now faith and belief in Jesus Christ come alive in you as it was intended. Your belief in God becomes a verb and is reflected in but an hour and a half a day trying to live as He intended. I have at times struggled with this and believe that clearly for me, faith is a verb. Forgiveness is a verb, Mercy is a verb. Love thy neighbor as thyself is a verb. Judge not lest you be judged is a verb. Christ is a verb. Tithes and offerings do not preclude the necessary requirements of rendering unto God what He expects as it relates to how you live your life.
The apostles and the saints have helped me to understand this. The apostles and the saints I’m talking about are the ones that have passed among us and we remember as kind, loving, never met a stranger, sharing caring kind of folk; mama. Grandmamma and others we all knew and dearly loved. We miss the deeds of these faithful individuals. Paul says live your life so that when you die no one will be able to talk ill of you. Yeah right! But… if during the course of a day, any day people are rendered to God a spirit of faith reflected in an hour and a half f godly activity in the name of Jesus Christ, then maybe we could all see touch and feel what it means to be Christ, then maybe we could all see, touch and feel what it means to be Christ like. I am just thinking out loud here, but an hour and a half a day is not a lot of time. But if I thought more about this kind of tithe and offering to God Almighty, then maybe I would be able to see my fellow man as being made in the image of God. Maybe I could see myself that way too. How about you?
May God bless and keep you always.
The following passage is from “Spiritually Speaking: Reflections for and from a New Christian” by James Washington. You can purchase this enlightening book on Amazon and start your journey towards spiritual enlightenment.