I believe returning tithe and offerings is all about grace. Grace? Really? Yes! Listen to what Paul writes in Eph. 2:6-9: “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages, he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Plainly, God is in the business of showing you and me the “incomparable riches of his grace,” primarily through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. He so wants us to understand that trust in Jesus and His mercy—grace—is how we are to be saved!
And how does He teach us? Well, one way is by spending Sabbath with Him. In so doing, we learn that by devoting one-seventh of our time (versus scratching, striving and exerting ourselves to either work for our survival or to distract ourselves through entertainment seven days a week) that true rest, peace and wholeness can only be found in His presence. I freely admit that I cannot take care of myself and my family with unceasing activity; rather I must rely on Him for a joyous and healthy existence.
In the same way, by giving tithes and offerings, I learn God’s lesson of grace that He will take of my material needs. I cannot adequately take care of myself with 100 percent, but He will take my lesser portion and through His blessing, provide me with all that I need.
“Test Me”
How important is it to God that I learn this lesson? Listen once again to the ancient and well-known message of Mal. 3:10. This is what He says: “bring the whole tithe into the store house that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven, and pour out so much blessings that there will not be enough room to store it.”
Did you hear the challenge, direct from God Himself? “Test me” He says… it’s the only place in His Word where God invites me to test Him. When I hoard 100 percent of the resources that God has blessed me with, I am saying that I will depend on myself, my works, to take care of my needs. However, when I return tithes and offerings to God, I deliberately place myself in a position where I must receive His blessing for my needs to be met.
Thus, I have learned that my salvation is also dependent on grace; there are no works that I can produce that will be sufficient to “provide for my salvation” anymore then if I retained all financial resources and tried to adequately provide for my physical needs.
Finally, another aspect of this practice is that God trains me to live generously as a “new creation” and thus reflect the generosity of my Savior Christ Jesus. What a blessing and privilege this has been to me! And I am not alone. “God’s grace is sufficient” not just for our daily needs but for salvation itself. “Thank you, Jesus, for your love and grace for me!”
Dave VandeVere, president, Rocky Mountain Conference
