GPS Guide – November 15, 2018

OWN IT – THE TITHE

Thursday

Read: Leviticus 27:30-34

“‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If anyone does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.’” These are the commands the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai for the Israelites.” (NIV Leviticus 27:30-34)

Study:  Here we see Moses giving the tithe as a law. The first 10 percent is called “holy,” or set apart, as belonging to God. The Israelites were to return to God what was already his, and in doing so, recognize the Almighty’s provision. If for some reason someone needed to “redeem”, or keep, all or a portion of the goods he was to tithe, he could just give money instead. However, the cash would need to be equal to the tithes value, plus an extra fifth. In other words, Israelites could give 10 percent in produce, or 12 percent in cash. In today’s society, our primary form of counting value is through currency. Just like the fruit, animals, and crops of the ancient time, are you giving God a tenth of what is already God’s? If not, look at your budget today and consider what it would take to reach this tithe.

Pray: God, you have given me a great many things. Thank you for those blessings. Now, help me to give back what is yours. I know it is hard but help me to see it importance.  Amen.