Why Tithe?

NOTE: Ito ang ikatlo kong speech sa Toastmasters' Club. Ang pamagat ng assignment ay "Get To The Point". Kailangang may general purpose, tulad ng to inform, to persuade, to inspire, o to entertain. Kailangang meron ding specific purpose at ma-achieve ang mga purpose na ito. Sa pag-deliver ng speech na ito, kailangang mag-project ng sinseridad at conviction, walang pangamba, at hindi nagbabasa ng notes. Siyempre, malalalaman lang ang huli kung nandun kayo't nakita akong nagsalita. At least, makikita n'yo kung naabot ko 'yung malaman ng mga tao kung ano ang aking general at specific purposes. Nakita n'yo ba?

ISA PANG NOTE: May grammatical error dito. Kita n'yo kung saan?

Two dollar bills, one was a hundred while the other was a one-dollar bill, were about to be put out of circulation by the Treasury Department. As they were awaiting to be shredded, the hundred dollar bill said, "Life has been very good. I've been to different places all over the world, like Paris, London, Tokyo, Sydney, and that most beautiful city of all, Cebu. Yes, I've no regrets; life has been good to me."

"How about you," it asked the one-dollar bill. "What places have you been to all your life?"

The one-dollar bill replied, "Church, church, church...."

Tithing is one of the more controversial issues in churches. There are those that say God has never commanded us to tithe, while others claim that tithing is a biblical law. Then there are others who say that giving ten percent of our income is not applicable anymore since St. Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, removed such a limit. This way, giving to churches is not called tithing anymore, but called love offering.

I will not delve on the legality of tithing, or how much percentage of one's income should be given. Rather, I will show the benefits of giving. I will also use the words “tithing”, “offering” and “giving” interchangeably.

The first benefit is that I believe tithing helps us to avoid "serving mammon".

Consider this. If something is very precious to you, would you just give it away? Won't you rather hold on to this precious something?

Now, consider another. If something is very precious to you, and you freely gave it away, what then do you cherish more, the thing that you gave away or the recipient of that thing?

Jesus warned us of having to choose between God and mammon (Matthew 6:24 / Luke 16:13). By parting with our material goods, we are also choosing which is more important.

The second benefit is that tithing helps the church to continue with its functions.

We may not be of this world, but we are in this world. That means we have to follow the rules of the world, and one of that is economics.

Our places of worship use electricity. Our ministers and missionaries have their basic needs. All these cost money, and our offerings help to defray these costs.

With our tithes, we become a part to bring into reality that petition "Thy kingdom come".

Third, we are blessed when we tithe.

In Malachi 3:10, God dares the Israelites to bring the whole tithes into His storehouse, and see so much blessings poured onto them. It is as if God had made a game with them, to see who can give more. Of course, it is a game which, fortunately, the Israelites will never win, for they can never out give the Giver.

Although some may question the interpretation of this passage, I, for one, have experienced so much blessings when giving to the church. I may still have problems, especially financial ones, but, whenever there is a very pressing need for money, somehow help always comes.

Of course, it is self-defeating if we give because we expect to receive. We'll just go back to the question "which is more important, God or mammon?" And I'm sure Manny Pacquiao will agree with me when I say, “It is better to give than to receive”.... You know!

Tithing, then, is more of a spiritual act than an economic one. Some say that there should be a sense of sacrifice when we give. I heard one priest say, "Give until it hurts."

Of course, God can provide to His ministers and missionaries. Just as He gave manna to His people as they crossed the desert, He, too, can give to the needs of His workers. So, why tithe?

No, God does not need to receive, but we need to give.