I. We are caretakers of what God owns. God created men and women to manage His Creation (Genesis 1:28; Psalms 8:5-8). Our attitude should be that God owns everything (Psalms 24:1), and He entrusts physical and financial assets to us to invest to his glory (Luke 19:12-27; 1 Corinthians 4:7).

II. Money is simply a means of trade. Bartering, sharing, purchasing with things or dollars, is simply how our economy works. Money is a means to an end, and should never be hoarded for its own sake. When money itself becomes the goal, it is the "root of all sorts of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). We should support our families (1 Timothy 5:8), support our government (Matthew 17:24-27, 22:17-21), and of course, support our local churches and Christian outreach (Malachi 3:5-12; 1 Cor. 16: 2, Acts 4:32-37).

III. How we use our money reveals the condition of our heart. Jesus said, "you cannot serve God and Mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Mammon is an Aramaic term that means "riches” or "things of the world". Jesus and the Apostle John make it clear that our heartfelt values will dictate our attitude about money (Matthew 6:19f; 1 John 2:15-17). When the tax collector, Zaccheus was radically converted to belief in Christ, the first recorded change in his behavior was towards money. Instead of "possessing” it, he gave away all he could (Luke 19:1-9). When Moses was instructed by God to build a sanctuary, God said "raise a contribution for Me from every man whose heart moves him" (Exodus 25:2). When believers in Corinth gave money to support needy people, they "first gave themselves to the Lord", giving even beyond their ability, even "begging" for the favor of monetary giving.(2 Cor. 8:3- 5) Jesus condemned the Pharisees who tithed, because they did it as duty, not from their hearts
(Luke 11:42).

IV. Giving should be a sacrifice,not a deprivation."Sacrifice means to give up something of value for the sake of something else that is more important or more worthy. Deprivation means to have a possession or enjoyment taken away. Sacrifice is an art form that takes practice. First you identify your more worthy goal. Without this, your sacrifice will be nothing more than deprivation." Mary Hunt, editor of Cheapskate Monthly. Giving should be a choice to honor God above all else, to learn dependence upon Him, and to know the blessing of meeting other's needs and receiving God's rewards (2 Corinthians 8:12-15; 9:6-15).

V. So What's a Tithe? Tithe literally means “a tenth". It first appears in Genesis 14:20 where Abraham desires to demonstrate that God is in authority over him and deserves recognition for allowing him to have any assets at all. The term comes up 30 times in the Bible. "It was established as a physical, earthly demonstration of man's commitment to his God. By the act of surrendering some of our physical resources, we are testifying to our worship of, and dependence on God. The tithe was not a law, …there is no punishment associated with failure to tithe. There is a consequence - the loss of blessings! …It was never intended that everyone should give the same, but that each should give according to his abundance and the conviction he felt. The tenth was considered the minimum". Larry Burkett, Christian Financial Concepts a regular amount of giving and bring that to the "storehouse" or local church. Then the church leaders will administrate the distribution of those funds to support full-time ministry workers, do outreach and social care, support missionaries, and pay the bills! (Malachi 3:1-12, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Acts 4:36-37; 5:4) The tithe belongs to God. In fact, the Israelites are told to pay interest on money that was designated as a tithe, but they used for other expenses! (Leviticus 27:30-31 & entire chapter). The practice in most American churches resembles more a "tip"
than a tithe. If service strikes at heartstrings, or the giver happens to have extra cash on hand, then when the offering is received, the "tip" is good.

VI. Offerings "over & above" the basic tithe. Apart from a regularly designated amount of giving, extra giving was expected (estimated to be about 23% of total income). Thank offerings were given for special blessings like a good harvest or the birth of a child. Mary and Joseph brought gifts when they dedicated Jesus (Luke 2:23). Those with more abundance brought a lamb; those with less brought flour (Leviticus 5:11, 12:8). These extra gifts recognized a need to be cleansed of sin, and
depend upon God's grace and blessing. Whenever people were blessed with more than they needed, it was expected that a portion of that blessing was given to the Lords' work (e.g. Deuteronomy 14:22-29). Giving beyond the normal tithe was expected for building programs. King David's challenge to Israel was: "Who is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord? Then the people offered willingly!" (1 Chronicles 29:5,6) Land owners allowed the impoverished to come and glean from their fields (Ruth 2:2f, Leviticus 19:9, 10). When the New Testament speaks of "visiting” orphans and widows (James 1:27) and "giving what is necessary for their body" (James 2:16), it is teaching about extra financial support.

VII. God wants us to trust him, not our money. Jesus said "for not even when one has an
abundance does his life consist of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). He went on to tell of a man who stored up wealth, but then had his life cut short so he couldn't enjoy his money. Jesus said the man should have been rich toward God. Jesus also told the story of a rich man who died and spent eternity suffering. The poor man Lazarus spent his eternity in the comfort of God (Luke 16:19-31). We need to keep in perspective that this entire lifetime is "just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Without committed tithing and extra giving, we will begin to trust our credit cards and our own abilities. Most of us have no concept of what it means to pray "Give us this day our daily Bread” (Matthew 6:11). "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed" (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

VIII. So where do we give? What do we give to? Jesus made it plain that we are responsible for good management of what God has entrusted to our care. After all, it's His money! (e.g. Luke 16:10, 11; 19:12f).Practice trust in God through tithing and financial support through the local church. (Malachi 3:10, et al). Meet your family ’s needs. (I Timothy 5:8, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-15) Pay your debts and taxes. (Romans 13: 1-8, Matthew 17:24f)

Give to causes that advance the Kingdom of Christ and support your Values.

Begin by giving yourself back to God. (Romans 12:1-2)

Commit that by His grace, you will manage to the best of your ability, all that He owns.

† Pray about finances.

† Prioritize giving. (seek assistance if needed)

† Plan for sacrifice. (choosing to exchange for what is better).

Expect that God will “pour out a blessing for you until there is no more need”.

In all the Bible, only in regard to our giving,does God say “test Me now in this” (Malachi 3:10).