Tithing Our Time
The concept of tithing has been part of my life since I was a child. Giving God ten percent of what I earn has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. But this week another concept hit me, the concept of tithing our time to God. I was brought up in a Sabbath-believing family in which we observe the Sabbath for a twenty-four hour period of time from sundown Friday night until sundown Saturday night. That entire period of time is a time to rest, relax and spend time with God and our family. I love the Sabbath as it is the one day in which I can take a break from the stress of life and relax and unwind. Tithing a percent of our money is what God is asking us to do with our time. He wants us to give him ten percent of our time during the week to him. It isn't just a way to glorify Him, it is a way to bless us too. It is so easy for us to become weary in our work and to become workaholics. When we do and do and do we can wear our bodies down and fatigue ourselves so much that we become sick. The Sabbath is a blessing God gave to us. He wants us to remember the Sabbath and to have a Sabbath each week so we can rest, relax, unwind and spend time with Him. For me, this is the only way I can survive the challenges I face each week. It is the one day I have to reprieve from the stress of life that would otherwise take me down. God sanctified the Sabbath when He created us and when he created this world. The Sabbath is a reminder that He is our creator.
When Jesus died on the cross He did not do away with the Sabbath He only did away with the process of cleansing and purifying ourselves from our sins. His death meant that we no longer needed to slay lambs and sacrifice them on an altar to atone for our sins. Jesus was our sacrifice and His death ended this practice. Now we only have to pray to Him and ask Him to cleanse us from our wrongdoing.
God still wants us to tithe our time to Him just as we tithe our money to Him. Are you willing to give up twenty-four hours each week to God? Are you willing to observe the Sabbath? When we give to God He blesses us richly. Sabbath is meant to be the biggest blessing of our week. My prayer is that you too will be blessed and willing to accept this gift.