Worship Giving
Dear Friends,
We often associate the term “worship” with praise and singing. There is the Praise and Worship Movement, as well as worship concerts and radio stations dedicated solely to playing worship music. But worship includes so much more than just our singing. Worship includes our whole being, in which we worship in spirit (with our hearts) and in truth (with our minds). “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24 NIV)
One of the ways we are called to worship God is through the giving of our tithes and offerings. We worship when we give our hearts back to God through singing His praises, we surrender our will to God’s ultimate design for our lives through prayer, and when we offer our tithes to Him for His glory through giving. Through financial giving we praise God for the blessings of having the financial resources to give back to Him what He has already given us.
Think about the relationship this has to singing praises. God has given us voices that, when utilized through spirit and truth, we offer our praise back to Him through the voices that He has already bestowed upon us. In the same vein, God has already blessed us with stewardship over certain financial resources. We are called to use those resources to live our lives and to put them to work on behalf of God’s Kingdom. When we return a mere ten percent through giving to His church or making offering to other Kingdom endeavors, we are praising God in an act of worship. The emphasis is not on the money. The emphasis is on our hearts.
Perhaps the most powerful text in the Old Testament concerning giving can be found in Malachi 3:8-10 (CSB), where God accused the Israelites of robbing Him. God’s chosen people questioned this claim and asked, “How do we rob You?” God’s response was, “By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions.” God then went on to make a powerful challenge: “Test Me in this way. … See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.” That is a powerful promise from our gracious, giving Heavenly Father!
When it comes to the New Testament, the actual word tithe is no longer mentioned. However, that does not mean that the call to giving to God’s house no longer applies. Nothing could be further from the truth! In light of what Christ has done for us on the cross and the amazing grace we receive, our giving should be a reflection of what our heart treasures.
Jesus told us in Matthew 6:21 (NIV), “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What a convicting statement from our Savior! If we were to examine our hearts based on giving financially to the church, what would we find? Ask yourself, do you feel joy, excitement, greed, self-centeredness, anxiety, fear, or something else when you give back to the Lord? Rather than focusing on what you are giving up, focus on your giving as an act of worship. Through our giving, God not only utilizes our financial contributions, but He works in our hearts and blesses our worship to transform each of us, more and more, into the image of Christ.
Our giving should be viewed as a part of our worship to the Lord. If we are just giving for tax purposes, to get our name on a plaque or to receive some other earthly recognition then we are merely involved in donating to charity and we are missing out on the great joy of being a cheerful giver. We miss out on a chance to worship the One who gave everything for us!
Only by Grace!
Pastor Mike