Psalm 24:1 (NASB) The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.
A man buys his little boy a kid’s meal at a local restaurant, containing a burger, fries, and a toy. The dad does what most dads would do. He reaches over and takes one french fry to taste it. To his surprise, his young son slaps his father’s hand and says, “Don’t touch my french fries.” The dad is stunned! His son is selfish. The father knows that he bought the french fries. The fries and the son belong to him. He could buy a thousand fries if he wanted them. ‘Those are really my fries, boy!” the dad replies. His son didn’t get it. He really thought he could “take over” the fries that he was generously given by his father. Do we do the same?
The lie of the prosperity gospel says we should get and possess more . But God owns everything…. Everything. We don’t really own anything. The Sovereign God owns it all. If He wanted to, He could take everything from us with zero effort. The scriptures teach that we honor Him with what He gives us by returning to Him the first 10% of our income, what is called the tithe.
Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV) Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Our God gives us resources and when He asks for a tithe of that, people respond like the little boy. We figuratively slap his hand and say, “Keep your hands off my money.” Crazy, right? God owns everything we have. What He wants is for us to manage our resources correctly, and honor Him as our God by giving him the first of what we have received.
J. D. Rockefeller said, “I never would have been able to tithe on the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed on my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.”
President Jimmy Carter said, “When it comes to giving, some people stop at nothing.”
The prosperity gospel says giving is all about getting more. The Bible says it is actually about honor. He is our dad. He is generous. We owe Him everything. Don’t live your life discrediting the God who has blessed you. It’s true that you will receive much more than you give, but giving the tithe is really about giving honor to the One who provides for you.