Against overwhelming odds, Abraham pulled off an amazing rescue mission to free his nephew, Lot.

But did he immediately celebrate his own victory?

No.

Abraham immediately recognized God’s hand in this extraordinary victory by offering God a percentage of all he had as a gift of thanksgiving.

This was the first tithe.

What is a tithe? A tithe is 10% of what you earn. For Abraham, it would be 10% of what he claimed from his victory in battle.

At a time when another man or warrior might arrogantly boast about his military accomplishment, Abraham demonstrated a spirit of gratitude and worship. His response was an example of giving without obligation, without a sense of ‘ought to.’

Instead, Abraham brought his tithe before God in a spirit of worship, completely overwhelmed by God’s greatness.

In the same way, followers of Christ should faithfully give out of gratitude and worship for Christ’s blessings in our lives. Abraham demonstrated the humility we are to worship Jesus – clearly recognizing all He had done and the salvation He brought. We, too, are to be grateful followers of the Lord in giving our tithes and offerings as thanksgiving for the blessings in our lives.

Abraham’s tithe was all about worship. It was a reminder of what it means to worship God in faith, not because he felt he had to, but as an act of worship.

Take an inventory of your life. In spite of the ups and downs, begin to identify your blessings. Are you giving back to God in faith, worship, and with gratitude?

If not – why not? Giving a tithe of what we earn shows God our hearts are with Him – our hearts really trust Him and can say “thank you” for His blessings.

Written by Bryant Wright, Founder, RFTH