 This is a message from a tither. I've been paying my tithes faithfully. I've been sowing seeds into ministries. Yet I'm still poor. I'm still broke. What do you say about that? Good. Something that's been happening for a long time is people being made to feel guilty about giving their money to churches. Should we support our churches? We absolutely should. Should we support ministries? We absolutely should. But the issue of giving tithes being compelled to do so and then doing so in order to get a return to get a gain of promise monetarily back from God is that biblical? Well, absolutely not. The message that you heard is a sentiment that's heard all over where people have been giving, but they've been giving to get something back. Is that biblical? Well, no, it's not. Which is why I said good. The reason why it's a good thing is because when you learn your lesson like this person is learning, then hopefully it will cause them it should cause them to go to the scriptures and find out what the scriptures say about tithing and about giving and also about you getting any sort of financial blessing. So let's do just that. The first time that we see tithing in the Bible is we see Abraham or Abram going up to Melchizedek and bringing him a tithe. And so in just his 1418, we start there and Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. Now he was a priest of God most high. He blessed him and said, blessed be Abram of God most high, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be God most high who has delivered your enemies into your hand. He gave and he gave him a 10th of all. So Abram gives to this priest a 10th of all. And we go to Hebrews and realize that it is a 10th of all of the spoils. He says to whom also Abraham a portion, a 10th of all of the spoils. And so here we see Abraham giving a 10th of his spoils. Now the 10th under the law, the tithe under the law was meant to give to the Levites who could not work. And so the other tribes would do so in one for support of them, but also having, make sure that there was something in the storehouse of God to make sure that the nation could function as well. And the 10th was typically produce, animals or vegetation and so forth. Now could a 10th be more than that? Could the 10th be money? Sure it could be. Again we see Abraham doing the exact same thing. Remember currency then is not like currency now, but now is there a compulsion under the Bible, especially under this after the cross for us as believers to give a 10th? Well the answer to that is no. Jesus did bring up the 10th, but he was doing so in rebuking how the Pharisees, the Jews were misabusing it, how they were doing it in an ungodly fashion, but he never commands us going forward, nor do we see any of the apostles telling us or teaching us that we have to give a 10th. Now the reason why I gave, and you may see it's a harsh response to say good to the person who's been tithing faithfully and who's been sowing a seed faithfully to different ministries in expectation of getting something back monetarily. The reason why I say good is because one, that person that's you then you need to learn that that is not the reason why we give. We do not give to get something back. Now remember this, in 1st Timothy 6, he's speaking about these evil men, these wicked false teachers and false prophets who come in, and notice what he says about them in verse 5. He tells them about their constant friction between men and depraved mind and deprived of the truth. Look what he says, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But the truth is, look what he says after that in verse 6, but godliness actually is a means of gain, great gain when accompanied by contentment. In other words, the godliness is the actual gain and it should be accompanied by contentment. Why is that important? The contentment that you get from being close to God should be the gain that you're looking for. Does God, would God be okay with you having something financial? Sure, God does not oppose that. But is that the thing that he cares first and foremost about? No, obviously not. As a matter of fact, he goes into a caution later on in the verse. He says in verse 9, but those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. Look what he says, for the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief. In other words, those folks that long for this money, they end up leaving, they end up moving away from this foundational truth, the belief, not from believing, but from this belief and they find themselves in all sorts of problems, all sorts of ruin. As a matter of fact, you may find out, many may find out that you might not actually be a believer in Christ. There are those that came to Christ for what God could give them versus the spiritual benefit. They came looking with their hands open, their hands out to receive a financial blessing, some sort of physical tangible blessing, not thinking or believing that this spiritual blessing is it. Paul gives us a great lesson while he's in prison. He says this in Philippians 4-11. He says, Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. Look what he says. He says, I know how to get along with humble means. In other words, to not have much. And I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstances, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering. And look what he says. And through all of this, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. I can do it. I can make it through Christ. But he says, I've learned to be content. What did he just say earlier? He says that this means of gains. It is a great gain if accompanied with contentment. In other words, just having you is enough. Now back to this issue of should we give it all to any sort of ministries? How much should we give? Well, look what the Bible says. The Bible says this. To each one must do just as he has proportioned his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, in other words, if someone is making you or forcing you to give a certain amount, that is not what the Bible calls for. He says, For God loves a cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound to you so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance of every good deed. In other words, God is not after you to give or someone to force you to give something, but give cheerfully. If giving $5 more than you thought gives you a frown, then don't give the $5. God doesn't need your money. But God is after someone to give in a cheerful fashion, loving what they're doing. Remember, the Bible says to sow whoever sows to the flesh will what? Of the flesh reap corruption. So whatever you plant, that's going to come back. And so you are trying to sow things that are going to bring sort of physical contentment. It's not going to happen. But if you sow to the Spirit, then of the Spirit, you will reap from the Spirit. As a matter of fact, you will reap everlasting lee of the Spirit. So to anyone out there who is giving because they're in need, that's not why you give. You pray if you're in need. Offer up that. Offer up your voice. Let God know that you look to him as your source, your source, your resource. God is not a resource. He is your source. And so you go to him. And the fact that you draw close to him, you're going to find out that this contentment that can only be found in him will come not as a result of you getting money, not as a result of you getting all your bills paid or you getting new cars or new jewelry or anything like that. That's not what God is after. God is after you having a place in him in eternity. If you happen to have some sort of financial gain, well then praise God. But that's not the goal. That's not what we're looking for. Again, if that's what you're looking for, you may get it, but you may not like what accompanies it. And so if you are tithing, which you are not required to do, you're doing so because maybe you want to. Well then amen. That's fine if you desire that I want to give a tenth or I want to give five percent or eight percent or 20 percent because I want to as long as you're not being compelled to do so, as long as you don't think that I have to religiously give that in order to please God. No. God is more concerned with you delighting yourself in him. You do that. You seek him first and then let him decide what to give you. Let the desires of your heart change and he will give you those desires because they will line up with him. And that way, you'll learn how to be content. Amen.