I read
this post on Facebook the other day and the quote on the photo read: “If
money is the root of all evil then why do they ask for it at church?” I
skimmed over the quote, it irritated me that someone would try to make tithing
into something negative, but I kept asking myself that question. Why did we ask
for money in church? As I kept thinking about it I came up with this.
In the
early days of the bible God asked for sacrifices, food sacrifices. He asked for the one thing that sustained their
world. Money wasn’t a huge issue but being able to eat was. He asked for his
people to give up an animal, or wheat, or some kind of harvest as an offering.
Now he asks us to give up that one thing that means more to use in this world
than most anything else, our money; the thing that we work ourselves to death
for, so we can have statues in this world. And to some this may sound like God
is the one who is greedy and just wants what you have and not have to work for
it but really he’s asking you to trust him. He’s asking you to give up
yourself, your human nature, the one thing that sustains you and to trust him
to sustain you. Tithing helps your church be able to pay the light bills, the
air conditioning bills, the electricity bills, the trips for the youth, the
music and sound system and everything you are use to using and seeing within
your church. The money you give to God comes right back to you. Some of it is
used for community outreach projects and to help support a missionary family
and that’s God providing for those people who are leaving their life and
culture or those who just need help. When you freely give of yourself you learn
to value the things of this world less and to value relationships and the
things unseen more. Once you can detach from this world you can have a better
relationship with God and show those who don’t trust in the things they cannot
see that he is real and he does exist because you become the thing that they
can see. They trust you that God is the one guiding you and then the light
within just gets brighter and it’s amazing how just letting God move can do.
So
because money is the root of all evil but also what keeps us all going God asks
that we let it go so he can better shine through us and so we will be healthier
and happier in him. All things work out for the good of the Lord. He is asking
us to be selfless as he is.
