Tenth of Everything
Dearest Father, Thank You for the power of giving You the tithe, 10%, the tenth of everything You have given me. As written in the first reading today.
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But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in Him, you may have life (John 20:31 GNBDK) - the rich and satisfying life in Christ. (John 10:10 NLT)
Today's Readings
First Reading: Genesis 28: 10-22a
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 91: 1-2, 3-4, 14-15ab
Alleluia: Second Timothy 1: 10
Gospel: Matthew 9: 18-26
Reading 1
[10] Jacob left Beersheba and started towards Haran.
[11] At sunset he came to a holy place and camped there. He lay down to sleep, resting his head on a stone.
[12] He dreamt that he saw a stairway reaching from earth to heaven, with angels going up and coming down on it.
[13] And there was the LORD standing beside him. “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham and Isaac,” he said. “I will give to you and to your descendants this land on which you are lying.
[14] They will be as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth. They will extend their territory in all directions, and through you and your descendants I will bless all the nations.
[15] Remember, I will be with you and protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised you.”
[16] Jacob woke up and said, “The LORD is here! He is in this place, and I didn't know it!”
[17] He was afraid and said, “What a terrifying place this is! It must be the house of God; it must be the gate that opens into heaven.”
[18] Jacob got up early next morning, took the stone that was under his head, and set it up as a memorial. Then he poured olive oil on it to dedicate it to God.
[19] He named the place Bethel. (The town there was once known as Luz.)
[20] Then Jacob made a vow to the LORD: “If you will be with me and protect me on the journey I am making and give me food and clothing,
[21] and if I return safely to my father's home, then you will be my God.
[22] This memorial stone which I have set up will be the place where you are worshipped, and I will give you a tenth of everything you give me.”
Responsorial Psalm
R.(see 2b) In you, my God, I place my trust.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
Say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
R. In you, my God, I place my trust.
For he will rescue you from the snare of the fowler,
from the destroying pestilence.
With his pinions he will cover you,
and under his wings you shall take refuge.
R. In you, my God, I place my trust.
Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress.
R. In you, my God, I place my trust.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
[18] While Jesus was saying this, a Jewish official came to him, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and place your hands on her, and she will live.”
[19] So Jesus got up and followed him, and his disciples went along with him.
[20] A woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak.
[21] She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will get well.”
[22] Jesus turned round and saw her, and said, “Courage, my daughter! Your faith has made you well.” At that very moment the woman became well.
[23] Then Jesus went into the official's house. When he saw the musicians for the funeral and the people all stirred up,
[24] he said, “Get out, everybody! The little girl is not dead — she is only sleeping!” Then they all laughed at him.
[25] But as soon as the people had been put out, Jesus went into the girl's room and took hold of her hand, and she got up. [26] The news about this spread all over that part of the country.
Dearest Father
Dearest Father, Thank You for the power of giving You the tithe, 10%, the tenth of everything You have given me. As written in the first reading today.
Genesis 28:22 GNBDK
[22] This memorial stone which I have set up will be the place where you are worshipped, and I will give you a tenth of everything you give me.”
The tithe. A tenth of everything the Lord has given us.
In the readings of the Catholic Church today, this final verse about Jacob giving to God the tenth of everything he received from Him is not included.
I wondered why that is.
I wonder why the Catholic Church is not practicing the giving of the tithe very closely, as opposed to other Christian denominations.
Because I have long seen and experienced the power of tithing in obtaining the manifestation of my heart's desires.
Early on in my life as a baby Christian and dwelling in this Catholic Charismatic community that the Lord has led me to, to grow as a Christian, I heard about the power of the tithe.
Sharings upon sharings I heard about answered prayers because people sowed their tithe and offerings with their prayers and petitions.
The practice was primarily derived and taught from the Bible, in the book of Malachi.
Malachi 3:7-12 GNBDK
[7] You, like your ancestors before you, have turned away from my laws and have not kept them. Turn back to me, and I will turn to you. But you ask, ‘What must we do to turn back to you?’ [8] I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. ‘How?’ you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. [9] A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. [10] Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. [11] I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes. [12] Then the people of all nations will call you happy, because your land will be a good place to live in.
Wow. It was very clear to me: not giving the tithe and offerings is cheating God. And a curse came upon the whole nation because they were cheating God by not giving the tithe and offerings.
And what a promise He gave with the tithe.
Malachi 3:10-12 GNBDK
[10] Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. [11] I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes. [12] Then the people of all nations will call you happy, because your land will be a good place to live in.
Imagine having open windows of Heaven pouring down on you, in abundance, all kinds of good things.
In other versions, it is even more astounding:
Malachi 3:8-11 MSG
[8-11] “Begin by being honest. Do honest people rob God? But you rob me day after day. “You ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’ “The tithe and the offering—that’s how! And now you’re under a curse—the whole lot of you—because you’re robbing me. Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams. For my part, I will defend you against marauders, protect your wheat fields and vegetable gardens against plunderers.” The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
Malachi 3:10 GW
[10] “Bring one-tenth of your income into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I won’t open the windows of heaven for you and flood you with blessings.
Malachi 3:10 NLT
[10] Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!
Did you see that?!
I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in…
Blessing after blessing…
Flood you with blessings…
Blessings beyond your wildest dreams…
Wow. No other words to say but wow.
I remember in one of these Chinese novels I read, this heroin gave birth to a baby girl and all the baby’s uncles and aunts were competing to give her gifts on her 100th day. That's how beloved the baby was!
One uncle gave her 3 truckloads of gifts. The servants were not done carrying the gifts down from the truck to the penthouse where they were staying when another 3 truckloads of gifts arrived from another uncle!
The parents received those gifts in one room, and then they had to put the rest in another room to contain them.
This gave me a clear picture of us receiving blessings, from the open windows of heaven, so great we won't have room enough to receive them!
I was just newly hired as a nurse then, when I first heard that teaching about the tithe and read the truth for myself. I was so excited to give my tithe. I have been doing that since.
Yes, to be honest, there were times when I took my focus off of God and onto my tight financial situation, and missed giving my tithe. Those were the times when, not only was I fearful and afraid, but also very stressed and frustrated, and hopeless.
But when I gave my tithe, even when my wallet and bank account is empty, I never felt any fear and worry. I have peace and confidence that because I tithed, God will open for me the windows of heaven and pour down upon me blessings without measure!
That to me is the greatest gift with giving my tithe. The peace and confidence that the world cannot give, and I cannot even understand, in the midst of stressful situations, especially financial.
Also, no other place in the bible could you read God saying to you, “Try me in this, or put Me to the test, or test Me in this way.”
When I read that, I literally put God to the test.
I was just newly fired then from my first-ever hospital job because of 3 medication errors and praying for God to lead me to my perfect job.
I tithed from everything I received: my last salary, my allowance from my parents when they knew I had no job anymore, monetary gifts from friends.
And every time I gave my tithe at the prayer meetings, I wrote down on the envelope every blessing that I desired - the perfect job for me, good health for my family, etc. Then the community will pray over the tithes and offerings and claim together Malachi 3:10 and thanked God in faith even now for the answered prayers.
I was so excited, watching what God would do.
Long story short, I got into one of the top 3 hospitals in the city without a single interview and without hassle! I stayed with that hospital for over 20 years.
That proved to me how truthful God was when it came to the tithe and pouring blessings upon me without measure.
From then on, I gave my tithe and claimed every heart’s desire I had at that given time.
I gave my tithe for when I desired a place of my own in the city which seemed impossible with my meager salary. God gave me a very nice yet affordable condo unit.
I gave my tithe for when I desired to work from home and find the perfect company to work with which seemed impossible for a nurse. And God gave me an online job, proofreading/editing job with this tech investing media company. I have been with them 7 years to this month! Since July 2018. How amazing is God!
All my dreams for all of my life, I have tithed for and obtained by the grace of God. And I continue tithing for all of the hopes and dreams I still have to receive.
When Jacob said in the first reading that he would tithe on everything God gave him, it sounded to me like his pledge of allegiance to God.
And it is. When we give the tithe, the tenth of everything we receive from God, we are pledging our allegiance to God, handing over our finances to Him first and foremost.
Have you heard of this bible verse: Where your treasures are, there your heart will be also?
Matthew 6:21 AMP
[21] for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.
That's what happens when we give our tithe. When we give to God 10% of our treasure, the tenth, the first fruits of everything we earn and are given to us, our heart naturally follows towards God.
And God cannot be outdone in generosity. He gives to us so much more than we can ever ask or imagine as He promised - blessings upon blessings, blessings without measure, blessings beyond our wildest dreams, flood of blessings so great that we have no room enough to contain them.
Don't you want that?
If you want to experience the power of the tithe, try the Lord in this and see for yourself. Give to God 10% of everything you receive: salary, gifts, etc. Put it in an envelope, write all your heart’s desires on it, and pray over it, claiming Malachi 3:10. Give it to your local church. Then watch and see. In faith.
Then share with me what happened by commenting down below. 😏 I can't wait to hear what great things the Lord has done for you.
Live the rich and satisfying life in Christ. Join me in our SpeakChrist RichLife Club. We'll do it together. St. Katharine Drexel, pray for us.
Live the RichLife in Christ today 🤟
Give to God
the tenth of everything.
10% of all you receive,
Tenth of everything.
Test God on this,
He’ll pour down on you
blessings on blessings.
Free 🎁 for you.
Give to God the tenth.
Your tithe, 10% of everything.
To God Who gives you everything.
Blessings on blessings.
Say Amen! 🙏
Genesis 28:22 GNBDK
[22] This memorial stone which I have set up will be the place where you are worshipped, and I will give you a tenth of everything you give me.”
Now Your Turn
(Questions to ask yourself when scripture journaling)
What verses spoke to me strongly and powerfully from the scripture readings?
What is God saying to me in these verse or verses?
What does God want me to do today?
Journal prompts of the day
Are you willing to surrender all to God, especially your finances, by giving to Him the tenth of everything you receive?
Will you pledge your allegiance to God by giving Him a tenth of everything He gives you?
Would you like to test God as He says, and give Him 10% of your finances, the tenth of everything?
Let us pray:
Thank You, Father, for giving us the power of the tithe to open the windows of heaven and receive blessings so great, we won't have room enough to receive them. In Jesus’ Name!
This is it for now. Until next time.
Vivo dives vitae in Christo. Live the RichLife in Christ.
P.S
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