How Deep Is Your Love

How Deep Is Your Love?

Returning from a church meeting a couple of nights ago, we were discussing the topic of the meeting, which was tithing and seeding. I have said before I give because I love God. This view point raised the question, if you give out of love not because of law or duty your commitment or motivation is not so strong.

From Dictionary.com
Word History: A tithe is a tenth, etymologically speaking; in fact, tithe is the old ordinal numeral in English. Sound changes in the prehistory of English are responsible for its looking so different from the word ten. Tithe goes back to a prehistoric West Germanic form *tehuntha-, formed from the cardinal numeral *tehun, "ten," and the same ordinal suffix that survives in Modern English as -th. The n disappeared before the th in the West Germanic dialect area that gave rise to English, and eventually yielded the Old English form tēothe, "tenth," still not too different from the cardinal numeral tīen. But over time, as the former became tithe and the latter ten, and as tithe developed the specialized meaning "a tenth part paid as a tax," it grew harder to perceive a relationship between the two. The result was that speakers of English created a new word for the ordinal, tenth, built with the cardinal numeral ten on the pattern of the other regularly-formed ordinal numerals like sixth or seventh.

http://dictionary.reference.com/

Being a rebel I automatically resist when someone tells me I have to do something. What are the motivations for us to obey the law?

If we don’t we go to jail.(fear)
If we don’t we go to hell (fear)
The list can carry on and on, you can fill in your own blank spaces and if the reason is fear; then like any relationship built on fear; it is far shakier than one built on love. I know we are told to fear God, I interpret fear as respect.
It is the same respect which stops me from thinking God is my pal; it is the same respect which leaves me amazed at His awesome powers; it is the same respect which humbles me in His awesome love.

Over time our view of love has become cheap and tarnished; through TV, through rocky relationships, going into marriage with a sub clause for divorce built into a contract, almost as if love is a passing phase or an emotion of the moment thing; with how we see love can we ever really understand when Jesus says, “I give you one commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”? Can we ever really grasp the depth of His love for us?

I see it is Memorial weekend in the U.S. Let us also remember Jesus said as well, “there is no greater love, than he who lays down his life for another.” So how deep is your love?

Comments

OT tithing was nothing more than mandated emotion-detached law which did not require love. You have no precedent to teach that tithing was motivated by love. NT freewill giving is motivated by love in many ways.

Use a Bible Dictionary. While money was essential for many offerings, the true biblical tithe was always only food from inside Israel. It was the tenth, never the first. And it only applied to farmers and herdsmen. Jesus, Peter and Paul did not qualify as tithe-payers.

The law of tithing was never given to or accepted from Gentiles. In fact God commanded Israel NOT to share its covenant with other nations. The OT tithe was never used to support missionaries of build the temple either so there is no precedent.

Love motivates us to give sacrificially, generously, as we purpose in our hearts and as we are burdened for lost souls. That is enough.

Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com
stanaxe said…
Thanks for the visit "Doc"
If you read what I said, I give because I love God, I am a simple high school drop out, ex drug addict and gambler, God in his awsome, AWSOME LOVE saved me, I havent been to Bible college to learn the intricacies and pedantics of 'isms, all I know is God loves me, and Christ died for me, that is all I need to know.
Please call again
stan.
Anonymous said…
GREAT post!! glad you were SAVED by God!!

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