February 5, 2017

“In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons." Exodus 13:14-15

Learning to give God the first of all your increase is a practice that will bless your life in every conceivable way!

Giving the tithe of your first increase will redeem the remaining amount!

But perhaps the greatest benefit of tithing is mentioned in the verses above and that is the positive influence your faithful tithing will have on your children.

In this closing section of God's giving instructions to His people through Moses, He assures them there will come a time when their children will ask them why they sacrifice the firstborn from their flocks. Imagine it happening like this:

A son says to his dad, "Dad, I have to ask you. Why is it that you slaughter our firstborn from our flocks? You do know we are in the ranching business, right? And this habit of yours is costing us money every time you offer one of them as a sacrifice. You do know that, right Dad?"

At that moment, the father is to say, "Son, please have a seat. There is something I have never told you and now is the time. You see, Son, there was a time when we were slaves in Egypt and we had nothing. In fact, we had less than nothing because we worked dawn to dusk in the blistering heat without pay under the cruel hand of the Egyptian taskmasters.  

And then, after we had cried out to God He sent His servant Moses to deliver us from Pharaoh. By His mighty hand He killed all the firstborn in Egypt and Pharaoh sent us away and Moses led us into a good place. By His blessing we enjoy all that we have today!

So, you see Son, I gladly give of our firstborn to honor a God like that!

Likewise, as you are faithful in giving God the first tenth of your increase, there will come a time when your son will see you writing a check and ask you, "Dad, why do you give such a large amount of money to the church? Couldn't we use that money for other things?"

At that moment you can set your son down and say, "Son, there is something I have never told you. You see, your dad hasn't always been a Christian. There was a time when I was lost and hopeless and in bondage. But God with a mighty hand saved me and set me free! He led me to a good place in life! He has blessed me and filled me with joy and purpose and given me a glorious hope! So, you see, Son, I gladly bring God the tithe He desires!"

Imagine what a profound impact that will have on your son! And imagine the horizons of blessings that will begin to open up in his life as he discovers the joy of bringing God's tithe to Him!