SCRIPTURE:

…for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. (1 Samuel 2:30)

DEVOTIONAL:

God uses the tithe to re-train or renew our minds. Tithing keeps us pointed in the right direction toward God, who is our Source. A famer during the time of the Old Testament would bring in the crops when he went to harvest, and would set apart ten percent for God. Get this picture now. He has been waiting on this harvest for a couple of months, and now it finally comes in. It’s precious to him, yet he takes the tenth and honors God with it. God knows that this farmer could use all of it, yet he puts God’s portion aside.

When you honor someone or something, you treat them with special distinction and respect. You give them a special place and special recognition. We even have a term that we use when we financially bless the speakers that come to our church. We give them an honorarium.

God’s desire is to prosper us in every area—spiritually, mentally, physically, socially and financially. Tithing gives Him a channel or opens the door for those blessings to flow. I heard one man call it the “Covenant Connector.” God wants us to see Him as our Source and to know that He delights in the prosperity of His people. Through tithing (honoring God with our ten percent), He will bless us, protect us, and cause us to be honored. God said, “For them that honor me I will honor…” (1 Samuel 2:30).

PRAYER:

Dear God, I desire to honor You in every area of my life, including my finances. (If I have failed in this area), I repent now, and I purpose to set aside ten percent of my increase from this point on and faithfully return my tithe to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This devotional is excerpted from Bill Winston’s book, The Power of the Tithe. To order this must-read book, click here. Discover how you can live an abundant and protected life!