Tithing: Put God First, Break Fear, Build Faith

Tithing can feel like medicine that nobody really wants to take, but giving is deeper than keeping lights on or paying bills. God’s kingdom will not fail if one local church disappears, because God has already won. Christ’s cross, resurrection, and reign mean the war is over, even while battles still rage in this world. God leaves His people here so others can hear that the Savior has come to bring them back home.

The tithe begins with God’s claim: “I am the Lord your God.” Jacob gave a tenth before Moses gave the law, Cain and Abel brought offerings, and Israel learned that every tithe of the land belonged to the Lord. A tithe simply means a tenth, the first fruits of what God has entrusted. Tithing is not a tip based on how well God performed that week, a random gift when extra cash appears, a payment for blessings, or a church membership fee. Tithing is not earning salvation, easing guilt, or trying to manipulate God into turning a hundred dollars into a thousand.

The first fruits remind people that nothing is truly theirs. God gives the crops, the rain, the breath, the opportunity, and the ability to work. Tithing therefore is not technically giving God something He lacks; it is returning what already belongs to Him. God is the source, while His people are managers and stewards. God’s supply never runs dry, even when personal resources do.

Tithing teaches the heart to put God first. The first ten percent requires God to be considered before mortgages, car payments, Starbucks, Netflix, gym memberships, and whatever else wants first place. Faith gives first, while fear waits to see what is left. God’s call may require a whole life to be rearranged, because God cannot be first in everything except the wallet.

Jesus corrects the Pharisees because their careful tithing of spices did not come with justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Christ wants more than unwanted items from the value pack. Christ wants the first fruits of a whole life: loving the difficult neighbor, helping the person on the roadside, biting back cruel words, and giving every breath and opportunity back to God.

Tithing also breaks fear and builds faith. Malachi’s promise does not guarantee every want, but it declares that God knows every need. God can do more with ninety percent under His blessing than people can do with a hundred percent held tightly in fear. Tithing turns temporary money into ministry and connects ordinary resources to kids learning about Jesus, people being prepared for God’s kingdom, and thanksgiving rising to God. Giving becomes obedience, worship, and a privilege because God has already done enough.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God owns the first and best The tithe begins with God’s ownership, not human generosity. Every paycheck, breath, opportunity, and possession comes from His hand before it ever passes through human hands. Tithing trains the heart to live as a steward rather than an owner. [20:15]
• 2. Giving first puts God first The first ten percent forces God into the first line of the budget instead of the leftovers. Faith is required when God is honored before rent, groceries, entertainment, and all the other things competing for first place. That pattern with money can begin reshaping every other part of life. [24:42]
• 3. Tithing cannot purchase God’s favor Salvation is not for sale, and blessings are not a spiritual roulette wheel. God cannot be bribed by offerings meant to settle guilt or secure a better outcome. Obedience flows from recognizing that God is God and that reconciliation has already been provided in Christ. [21:11]
• 4. Jesus wants more than spare change Christ rebukes a religion that gives away unwanted spices while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness. The first fruits of life include difficult acts of love, restrained speech, and costly care for neighbors. A checkbook can reveal devotion, but it cannot replace a surrendered heart. [33:35]
• 5. Faith breaks the cycle of scarcity Fear says that giving will leave nothing for the future, but God promises to provide what is needed. Tithing interrupts the cycle of consuming, lacking, fearing, and holding tighter. God’s blessing may not fulfill every want, but His supply is greater than anxious self-protection.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [05:53] - Why Giving Is Hard to Discuss
• [08:01] - God’s Kingdom Has Already Won
• [10:23] - Tithing and Putting God First
• [11:46] - What a Tithe Means
• [15:11] - Tithing Is Not a Tip
• [19:31] - Returning What Belongs to God
• [21:11] - What Tithing Is Not
• [24:42] - Five Reasons to Tithe
• [30:26] - God Is the Source
• [33:35] - Jesus Wants a Tithe of Life
• [39:20] - Tithing Breaks Fear and Builds Faith
• [43:29] - Resources With Eternal Impact
• [46:28] - Giving as Worship and Obedience

Bible Reading

Malachi 3:10
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”
[40:32]

Matthew 23:23
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”
[33:52]

Deuteronomy 14:23
“And before the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.”
[25:08]

Observation questions

1. According to Deuteronomy 14:23, what was the purpose of bringing the tithe before the Lord?
2. What specific “weightier matters” did Jesus say the Pharisees had neglected, even while they carefully tithed their spices?
3. What does Malachi 3:10 say the tithe would provide in God’s house, and what does God promise to provide for His people?
4. What are the differences between treating a tithe as a tip, a random donation, a payment for blessings, or a membership fee? [15:23]

Interpretation questions

1. Deuteronomy says that tithing was meant to teach God’s people to fear the Lord always. How can regularly setting aside first fruits train a believer to remember that God comes before every other source of security? [25:24]
2. Jesus says the Pharisees should not neglect tithing, but neither should they neglect justice, mercy, and faithfulness. What might it look like for a person to give money faithfully while still withholding the best parts of life from God? [37:00]
3. Malachi promises that God will meet needs, not necessarily every want. How can that difference help believers think wisely about God’s provision when finances are tight? [41:08]
4. If everything a person has comes from God, how does that change the difference between being an owner and being a steward? [32:17]

Application questions

1. When you look at your normal spending—housing, food, subscriptions, entertainment, debt, savings, and extras—what most often competes with putting God first? Is there one part of your budget that may need to be honestly reexamined? [28:02]
2. Giving first requires faith, while giving only what is left can allow fear to stay in control. What fears make generosity difficult for you: missing out, paying bills, retirement, unexpected expenses, or something else? [39:20]
3. God is the source; a paycheck, job, skills, and possessions are gifts entrusted to us. Where have you been tempted to treat your income or resources as your own security rather than as something God has provided? [30:36]
4. Jesus wants justice, mercy, and faithfulness along with financial giving. What is one “first fruit” of your life that God may be inviting you to offer this week—your time, your words, forgiveness, care for a neighbor, or help for someone in need? [37:06]
5. Tithing is not a way to earn salvation, erase guilt, or buy God’s blessing. Have you ever connected giving to an expectation that God should give you something back? How can gratitude for Christ’s finished work reshape the reason you give? [21:21]
6. Resources can become part of eternal work as people hear about Jesus, children grow in faith, and thanksgiving rises to God. What kind of kingdom impact encourages you to give more freely, even when you may not see all the results yourself? [44:19]
7. God is worthy of our first and best because He has already given us life and brought us home through Christ. What would it look like for giving to become worship and grateful obedience rather than mere obligation? [47:18]