30 “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord. 31 If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. 32 And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman's staff, shall be holy to the Lord. 33 One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.” 34 These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. (Leviticus 27)
If you make it far enough through reading Leviticus to get to the last chapter, you end up here, talking about tithes, vows and other things devoted to God. And if you have read this far in this blog to find out how you can "take back your tithe" from your local church with a clear conscience - you can - if you buy it back with 20% interest. The bottom line is that everything belongs to God to begin with, so we cannot "take back" anything, becuase it is not rightfully ours. It is all His, which He has entrusted to us. When we tithe or "faith promise" or give an offering, or whatever we present to God, it is an act of faith, trust and thanksgiving. By wanting it back, are we not demonstrating a lack of faith and gratitude to God? In this passage God was preparing His people for life in the promised land. He wanted them to believe Him and live like they believed Him. He wants the same for His people today. This whole area of giving is one practical way we do. Be thankful. Give generously. Trust Him. Don't wish you had it back.
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