“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Matthew 23:23

“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

8“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, 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 blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:6-12

The word tithe means a “tenth part.” Throughout Scripture the number ten represents testing. There were 10 plagues in Egypt and in the wilderness God gave Moses ten commandments. This is seen throughout the Old Testament. God tests our hearts through tithing. The interesting thing is that tithing is the only area where God says we can test Him too

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We are not supposed to test God; however, when it comes to tithing, God says, “Try me now in this.” God desires His children to bring their tithes and offerings into the storehouse of the church. When we do this, God says He will pour out His blessings upon us, and He will guard us.

Tithing is a test of our hearts. If we tithe, we are under God’s blessing. Tithing is a subject that many are uncomfortable with. We shy away from talking about it to our family or friends. When we are fearful of talking about this it keeps us from being accountable or seeking wise counsel.

Last week Shane talked about Ten Commandments for a New Kind of Financial Normal. He talked about how we honor God when we give him our first fruits.

1. When you think of tithing, do you cringe or do you feel excited? Explain.

2. Many believers struggle when it comes to tithing. Why do you think this is?

3. What are some of the barriers or misunderstandings that hinder believers from tithing?

4. If you are comfortable, share your personal experience with tithing.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:21 talks about where our treasure is, that is where our heart will be. When we are able to give 10% or more of our income instead of keeping that money for ourselves, it shows that we love God more than our money.

Often you will hear stories of people who choose to tithe, even when they didn’t know how they would pay the bills or provide for their family. They take that step of faith and say, “I trust you Lord.” As time passes you will hear these same people share the amazing ways God met them and provided for all their needs.

It can be scary to take that first step. In our small group, we have the opportunity to cheer each other on and to pray for one another. We can celebrate together as we share how God is meeting our needs. Our hearts grow bigger and our faith grows stronger when we trust God with our money.

5. In his message, Shane shared that tithing is a blessing for the believer. Do you agree or disagree? Explain. If you agree, how is the tithe a blessing for the believer? Have you experienced this firsthand?

Spend time in small groups praying for each other in the area of finances and tithing.