Why Some Tithepayers Do Not Prosper

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God promises to bless those who keep His law of tithing. But what if you tithe faithfully and still face financial disaster? Why are you not becoming more prosperous each year, if the law of tithing really works?

There is another important consideration every Christian needs to remember.

More than tithing required

Don’t misunderstand. Tithing pays big dividends. There is an invisible law in tithing that insures monetary increase when one un-begrudgingly gives God His 10th.

What many people don’t seem to realize is that they are under obligation to obey other laws equally as important to success as the law of tithing. You must obey all God’s laws if you expect to continue receiving the marvelous blessings which God’s gigantic storehouse provides. If you are not receiving God’s blessings, then you are not doing all God requires.

The apostle Paul revealed why some do not prosper. He said: “We commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies” (II Thess. 3:10-11). Paul warned Timothy, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (I Tim. 5:8).

Your Bible plainly states that a person who will not work and provide for his own home is worse than an infidel. Even though such a person is satisfied to barely eke out an existence, tithing alone will not make him prosperous.

True Christians should be willing to work harder than anyone else on the job. They must be willing to make money for their employer. Any person who is lazy cannot help but reap shame, poverty and defeat after defeat.

What Is The Second Tithe?

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The second tithe is an additional tithe of one’s income and is saved by the individual each year for use in observing God’s Holy Days. Instruction concerning this tithe is found in Deuteronomy 14:22-26:

“Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat [of the tithe] before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, … And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set His name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money … and thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth [desires] after… and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and shine household.”

The second tithe is used mostly for observance of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is held in the fall for eight days and is one Festival during which the whole Church comes together to worship and rejoice before God. The other annual Holy Days are observed in local church areas.

What Is The Third Tithe?

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In ancient Israel, God instructed His people to set aside a special tithe to assist those in need such as orphans, widows, strangers, and Levites (Deut. 14:28-29; 26:12-15).

God’s Church has always met its Christian duty toward its needy brethren through the third-tithe program. This is an additional tithe, entirely separate from the first tithe which supports God’s Work of preaching the Gospel. Like the first tithe, the third tithe is ten percent of a person’s increase. While the first tithe is paid year by year, the third tithe is paid only on the increase earned during the third and sixth years of a seven-year period.

Usually, a person begins counting the third-tithe year soon after the knowledge of it is gained. Since most would probably learn about this tithe just prior to baptism, they would count their third-tithe year from either the Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles, whichever is closer to the date of their baptism.

In some cases the individual may give his third tithe to a near relative. A widowed mother, sister, or daughter, for example, would qualify under the guidelines set out in Deuteronomy 14 and 26. Orphans in a similar category would also qualify. This tithe supports many needy widows at this time and is God’s way of taking care of those who are in need.