24 August | Teens
«Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.» Malachi 3: 10
Did you know that God asks for 10% of everything we receive? This is called tithing (the tenth part). Calculating that 10% is pretty simple. All you have to do is “eliminate” the last digit. For example, if you get $10 in pocket money, the tithe would be $1. If you earn $50, the tithe would be $5. It's as if, for every 10 coins you receive, one of them is a reminder of God's love and care for you.
God, who created everything and gives us everything we have, could ask for so much more, but He only asks 10% of us. Tithing is not just about money, but about trust and faithfulness. Being faithful means being trustworthy, honest and consistent, no matter the situation. It's like when we promise something to a friend and keep our word, or when we have the chance to do something wrong but choose to do the right thing. Faithfulness teaches us to value what God gives us and to use those gifts to the best of our ability. And the amazing thing is that, when we are faithful in small things, God entrusts us with even greater things! When we tithe, we are showing that we trust God and that we are grateful for all that He gives us.
Take Action
To practice what we learn, play a tithing calculation game with your family. Grab some toy money or draw notes on paper. Then pretend that each of you received a different amount and calculate together how much each of you would tithe. This will help you understand how to calculate 10% and the importance of being faithful to God with our resources.