Tithe v. Sacrifice

tithe/tīT͟H/

Noun:

One tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly taken as a tax for the support of the church and clergy.

sac·ri·fice/ˈsakrəˌfīs/

Noun:

An act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession as an offering to God or to a divine or supernatural figure.

 

 

Many times in the Church, people refer to their tithe as a sacrifice. We may say to ourselves, I am having to go without this, so I can tithe. Most of the time, their tithe is not what the Bible says it should be. When we are asked to tithe, God is simply asking us to give him back 10% of our gross (not net) income - that he provides for us anyway! We all too often look at it as I have worked hard for this money, why should I just give it away? God has enabled you to earn the money, we must remember that.

 

 

Before I was a Christian and had a relationship with God, if I ever did go to church, I felt bad if I didn't at least put something in the offering plate as it came around. I don't know why exactly, but I felt like I had to do my part because I was there. I didn't give it because I wanted to, I did it because I felt I had to. That is a problem! If we simply tithe because we feel like we have to instead of willfully and excitedly giving back a small portion of what God has provided for us, it means nothing! If we have faith - as many of us that attend services claim to have - then we know that God will provide for our needs and we will happily give back what really wasn't ours in the first place. Often though, we confuse our needs (shelter, clothing and food) with our wants (cable, video games, etc...).

 

 

Simply comparing the defintions at the start of the post tells us that there is a HUGE difference between a tithe and a sacrifice. Here are just a couple examples of what it means to make a sacrifice:

 

 

Some time later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love - Isaac - and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you." Genesis 22:1-2

 

 

God wanted Abraham to take Isaac, kill him and give him to God as a burnt offering. Guess what, Abraham complied. He willfully - because of his faith in God - took his son to where God had directed him to offer him as a burnt offering. It was a test from God, to see how much faith Abraham actually had in Him. God provided a lamb to Abraham for the burnt offering, after he had bound his son, and placed him on the altar that he built for the burnt offering. That my friends is sacrifice!! All God asks of us today, is 10% of what we make.

 

 

Of course, another example of sacrifice that should be well known to us, was God's sacrifice of His only Son.

 

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

 

 

Jesus sacrificed His life for us, so that we could live and all we have to do is believe in Him. God sent his Son to the world, knowing that he was going to sacrifice Him for us. So, when we think we are making a sacrifice because we are tithing and may not be able to have a brand new car, or the new video game that is supposed to be out next week, we need to remember the difference between a tithe and a sacrifice.

 

 

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