12 Days of Christian Self Examination Day 8 - Give and Share
Giving and sharing come from an appreciation of God's gifts to us. Giving and sharing are the opposites of greed and fear. Are you giving to a church of other religious organization because you are afraid of what may happen if you don't give a certain amount of money on a regular basis? Is someone quoting Old Testament Bible verses (especially from the third chapter of Malachi) to pressure you into giving money? Please understand the Old Testament tithe was not cash or currency. The Old Testament tithe was literally food: meat, grain, wine, spices, and other items needed by the Levites because they did not have and were never assigned (by God) an allotment of land to farm in the Promised Land. The Levites (priests) were to rely upon God for their physical needs. This is why the Book of Malachi (in the third chapter) mentions "robbing God". You will not find this mentioned in the New Testament. Under our new covenant, able individuals are expected to work ...