After God created the first man and woman, the Bible says, "God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (Genesis 1:28) Although God still owns the earth (Psalms 24:1) He has given us the responsibility to take care of it. We are managers of His property.

Another word for a manager is steward , one who manages another’s property. God tells us, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body and your spirit which are God’s." (I Corinthians 6:19,20) As property of God, the Christian’s first challenge is to manage well his own life.

God gives us physical and mental abilities to work and earn money. Since God owns us He also owns our money . He asks that we give back to Him a portion of our income as a reminder that we are being stewards of His money. Abraham gave a tenth of everything to the priest-king Melchizedek. (Genesis 14: 18-20) The tenth of our increase is called the

tithe . Tithe means "tenth." Later, when God gave the law to Moses, He said,

Rather than giving to God from what we grow in the field or from livestock we raise today we usually contribute our tithes with cash or checks .

In Malachi, the prophet warned the people that they had been robbing God of what belongs to Him.

Where is the storehouse? Most people agree the that storehouse is the local church . When He says, "that there may be food in my house," He means the spiritual bread of the Word of God that is provided for among God’s people.

God uses the tithe to fund His Kingdom on earth. The tithe is used to pay for office supplies and equipment, outreach activities, the building in which we meet, and many other things. It is also used to support those who have been called to feed the flock of God (I Peter 5:2-4) as pastors and other ministers called to train God’s people. (Ephesians 4:11) In I Corinthians 9:14 we are told "the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel."

We are asked by God to give Him more than the tithe. What we give to God above His tithe are called offerings . There are many examples of this in scripture- such as when the people gave extra to construct the tabernacle in the desert (Exodus 35), the widow who gave all the money she had (Luke 21:1-4), and the generous offering sent by the Corinthian and Macedonian Christians to the famined believers in Jerusalem. (2 Corinthians 8& 9)

We are to be generous because God is generous to us. Giving more than our tithe is a way of demonstrating our deep-felt gratitude to God for lavishing His grace upon us. (Ephesians 1:8)

2 Corinthians 9:7 says, "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." God cares that we give from our heart . We must not give because we have to or for show to impress people. (Matthew 6:1-4)

In 2 Corinthians 9 our offerings are compared to seed like a farmer plants in the ground. He tells us, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. . . now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and enlarge the harvest of righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God".

(vs. 6, 10, 11)

Perhaps in the past you have been a poor manager. God wants to help you. He promises to provide for all our needs if we will cooperate with His plan. In Philippians 4:19 we read, "My God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus."