Scriptures: Malachi 3:8-10, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Deuteronomy 12:11, 14:23

In the Bible we find a simple principle for giving called the power of ten--the tithe. Tithe simply means "tenth". God does not mince words, stammer or stutter when outlining His expectations from His people toward empowering His ministry on earth through their giving. When we give back to God our first fruits, the first tenth of our labors, and our offerings over-and-above as He moves us to do, we live as stewards not only in the will of God, but in witness to the blessing of God as we see how He uses those resources for His glory. In this message, Dr. Merritt details the principle of the tithe and how God uses our giving to further His work in our lives and the lives of others.

"Part of your worship to God is the financial offering that you bring to Him when you come to His house. You are not to bring a tip. You are to bring a tithe. Some people treat the offering the same way they treat the bill at a restaurant and they just simply give a tip.We are not to bring a tip to God we are to bring the tithe to God – that is the first ten-percent of what we earn. That includes every source of your income whether it is a paycheck, the sale of real estate, or stocks, or bonds, or dividends. Whatever is the source of income the first ten percent belongs to God." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: offering, stuff, money, possessions, stewardship, entrusted, management, giving, God, resources, belongings, tenth, tithe, tip, income, dividend, store up, storehouse, bring, the Pepsi Challenge, believe, trust