Your experiences with tithing & charity (Jehovah, America, myth, Baptists)

[ans57]

Originally Posted by garyarnold

The truth is, NO ONE pays the Biblical tithe today, and Malachi doesn't even apply to Christians.

Those who give a tenth of their income to the church are giving to the church, NOT paying the Biblical tithe. God defined His tithe as a tenth of crops and animals raised on the Holy land. Those are assets from God, not income from man (Leviticus 27:30-33). Then God commanded that His tithe be taken to the Levites, forever, in Numbers 18.

The robbing God in Malachi was that the tithe wasn't given to the Levites. Anyone who takes their tithe to the church is therefore robbing God per Malachi 3:8-10 and Numbers 18.

Those who give a tenth of their income to the church, or anywhere else, or any other percentage of their income, time, or talents, and do it out of love, from the heart, are following the teachings of the New Testament. Those who give a tenth of their income out of obligation, or because of Malachi, are looking to the Old Testament Law for their guidance, and IF they actually believe they are under the OT tithing laws, have fallen from grace.

You can't be under grace and the law. It's one or the other.

The teaching that tithing is required, or that you are robbing God if you don't tithe, or that you will be put under a curse if you don't tithe, or that blessings come from the OT tithing commands is nothing but false teaching.

Everyone thinks their pastor is correct. That is a big mistake. Every Christian needs to search the scriptures for themselves. Anyone who truly studies the topic of tithing will find that what is taught today about tithing, in most churches, is not Biblical.

I agree!

And here's what I found:
Deuteronomy 14:22-29 "Law of the Tithes"

22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

24 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:

25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:

26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; tht the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

``````````````````````
The book of Malachi is a strong admonition to the priests...and not to the people!

Malachi 2:1-8 "The Lord Curses the Priests"
1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

2 If ye ill not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

Malachi 3:8-10 "The Priests Robbed God"
8 Will a man Rob God? yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed you thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. (resonating Malachi 2:2)

I pray the above passages help...

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by garyarnold

The truth is, NO ONE pays the Biblical tithe today, and Malachi doesn't even apply to Christians.

I disagree. Where was the law rescinded? Don't tell me that Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses. Tithing was instituted separately from the Law of Moses.

Those who give a tenth of their income to the church are giving to the church, NOT paying the Biblical tithe. God defined His tithe as a tenth of crops and animals raised on the Holy land. Those are assets from God, not income from man (Leviticus 27:30-33). Then God commanded that His tithe be taken to the Levites, forever, in Numbers 18.

You don't think your income is from God? I beg to differ. You have nothing that is not from God. Everything you have is His and merely on loan to you to make your life better. Of course tithing in Old Testament times was on crops and animals. The people were primarily an agrarian society. We're not today, but we still have assets and we can still return one measley little tenth of them to God, to build up His Church on the earth.

Those who give a tenth of their income to the church, or anywhere else, or any other percentage of their income, time, or talents, and do it out of love, from the heart, are following the teachings of the New Testament. Those who give a tenth of their income out of obligation, or because of Malachi, are looking to the Old Testament Law for their guidance, and IF they actually believe they are under the OT tithing laws, have fallen from grace.

I see... You're one of those. If I believe I'm being obedient, I have fallen from grace. Wrong.

You can't be under grace and the law. It's one or the other.

It is absoultely not one or the other. We can be under grace and still be expected to be obedient to God's commandments.

The teaching that tithing is required, or that you are robbing God if you don't tithe, or that you will be put under a curse if you don't tithe, or that blessings come from the OT tithing commands is nothing but false teaching.

Personally, I think that trying to find a loophole where there isn't one is what's wrong.

[garyarnold]

Sorry, Katzpur, but YOU don't follow ANY of God's tithing commands.

Leviticus 27:30-33 - a tenth of crops and animals in herds and flocks. Those are assets from God's labor, not income from man's labor.

Numbers 18 - command to take the tithe to the Levites

Deuteronomy 14:22-27 – The Festival Tithe, a tenth of the crops PLUS the firstborn animals (but not a tenth).

Deuteronomy 14:28-29 – The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe - a tenth of the crops.

Now which ones of these do YOU follow?

OR, do you claim for follow Abraham's example - a recorded ONE-TIME event of giving WAR SPOILS not even belonging to Abraham and KEEPING NOTHING for himself. Is that what you claim to follow? There is NO scripture telling us that Abraham ever tithed on any of his regular income or wealth.

OR do you think you must take God's Word and adapt it to the times - CHANGE God's Word to fit your purposes?

Please show me SCRIPTURE that YOU are following when it comes to tithing.

Being Spirit led, I find myself giving far, far, far, far more than a mere tenth of my income. The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was equal percentage (a tenth). The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of equal percentage. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving ten percent.

OLD TESTAMENT - THE FIRST OF THE FRUITS SHOULD GO TO GOD
Proverbs 3:9 (KJV) “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:”

NEW TESTAMENT - THE WORKER SHOULD BE FIRST TO RECEIVE A SHARE OF THE FRUIT
2 Timothy 2:6 (KJV) “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.”

When was the last time you heard a pastor say that you should spend the FIRST part of your income on yourself and your family?

1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV) “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.”

The New Testament makes it clear that we are to use the FIRST of our income to take care of ourselves and our family. We are talking about needs, here, not just anything we want. Then we should give generously from what is left.

Now, please, let's stick with the SCRIPTURES, not what your mother told you, or what some pastor told you. I take God's Word seriously. I don't change it to suit my purposes.

In Numbers 18 God commanded that His tithe be taken to the Levites. The Levites were the servants to the priests. They were the singers, the musicians, the janitors, the carpenters, the workers at the Temple. The Levites were to take a tenth of the tithe to the priests. Is that how your church follows God’s law? Do you take The Lord’s Tithe to the singers, musicians, etc. and let them give a tenth to the pastor?

Numbers 18:27 proves that neither wages nor income could be tithed on for The Lord’s Tithe. Without this interpretation, Numbers 18:27 has no meaning and is only taking up space.

The definition of The Lord’s Tithe is NOT ten percent. It is a TENTH. Here is the difference. Since God said to tithe every TENTH animal, if there were only 9 new born animals that year, NOTHING was tithed. They were not instructed to tithe ten percent of the value of the animals.

The tithe was NEVER on man’s increase. God defined His tithe to be a tenth of His increase. That is why it is HOLY!

1 Timothy 5:8 tells us that if we give first and then don’t have enough left to take care of our family, we are worse than a non-believer.

Tithers – you are SINNING against God when you ignore His command and take His tithe to the church.

Pro-tithers – you must think that God didn’t know the future and therefore didn’t provide for the future in His Word. You must think that God expects YOU to change His definition and commands to fit your needs. I BELIEVE THAT GOD GAVE US HIS WORD TO FOLLOW, NOT TAMPER WITH.

Matthew 5:18 tells you that if you change even one dot or one tittle and teach it to man, you will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In Malachi 3:5 God threatened to come near you for judgment for those who defraud laborers of their wages.

Pro-tithers – show me one verse where God ever told anyone to tithe on anything that man made or earned (wages or income). Show me one verse where God ever gave the Christian Church permission to receive His tithe. You, my friends, are REBELLING AGAINST GOD by ignoring His Word and doing what you believe is better.

[Cyno]

Originally Posted by garyarnold

Your study on tithing vs giving is very good a accurate.

One contradition on your study, you correct state the tithe came from God's hand. At the same time, you say the tithe came from (increase) profits.

The tithe did not come from profits. It came from God's increase of the seed and animals, NOT from the profits when those assets were sold or barter exchanged.

Otherwise, excellent study.

First, Thanks for taking the time to read through and comment.

I think the contradiction can be addressed by changing the wording slightly. When I used "(increase) profits", just increase would have been sufficient, because profits does imply money. However, the keep point was that current holdings where not a base for payment of tithes, only the increase. So, if a flock/herd of say 50, grew by 10 or more animals, the tithe came from those 10, not from the previously existing 50. Only the increase, accreditted to the hand of God, was a candidate for tithes to be given out of. If the increase was only 9, then no tithes were extracted.

One of the most powerful realizations I came to during this study, was that the teaching of compulsory tithing of ones money in modern times, is a form of religious terrorism and is a doctrine of witches, heretics, and false teachers.

It also amazed me to learn that the Jewish don't tithe any longer either because they understand the score. But it's funny I've never heard a preacher talk about that during any common "tithing" sermon.


It is also interesting that Katzpur never uses a single shread of evidence or scholastic study to back up his opinions as cited against the points you made.

[MysticPhD]

God has no interest in tithing whatsoever . . . but charity is definitely one of His concerns. Charity is the emotionally mature attitude that places things in proper perspective with regard to our purpose in life. We may believe we are in agreement that charity is a "good" thing, but we don't necessarily understand what that means. Charity is an attitude of agape love . . . not a category of activities. Paul tries to clarify this in I Corinthians 13:3,

. . . And if I distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, yet do not have charity, it profits me nothing.

Apparently, Paul feels that you can accomplish those listed acts and still not be charitable. Giving money to beggars and charitable organizations can be done without regard to your true state of mind, with tax advantages being the most pervasive of the self-defeating motives.

Charity does not mean free gifts from the haves to the have-nots. In fact, we have enough evidence today, after the massive trillion dollar "Great Society" expenditures, to suggest that such "giving" can retard the self-reliance and spiritual development of the receivers by removing the self-motivation to exert any effort to survive. It is not our charge to provide for our fellow human beings, but to help and encourage them to help themselves to spiritual maturity.

Charity is that special attitude that must be applied to all of our daily activities, big and small . . . agape love. Actually, it is probably the little daily charities in life that are the most important because the opportunities for them are so plentiful. We should take full advantage of the myriad daily opportunities to evoke in our consciousness each of the characteristic attitudes of agape love for each other in all our encounters.

[paladinking]

Do good, rewarded

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by garyarnold

Sorry, Katzpur, but YOU don't follow ANY of God's tithing commands.

Do not ever presume to tell me what I do or what I believe.

Now which ones of these do YOU follow?

I obey all of God's commandments to the best of my ability and according to my understanding.

OR do you think you must take God's Word and adapt it to the times - CHANGE God's Word to fit your purposes?

Of course I adapt it to the times. If I didn't, I could throw out three-quarters of the Bible. I don't change his Word to fit my purposes. I listen to the counsel of His living prophet, who tells me exactly how the scriptures should be applied in this day and age. I don't turn over one tenth of my animals and crops to the Church but give of my earnings instead. When the Bible was written, a man's flocks and crops were what he used to sustain him. That is not generally the case today.

Being Spirit led, I find myself giving far, far, far, far more than a mere tenth of my income. The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was equal percentage (a tenth). The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of equal percentage. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving ten percent.

So who gave you the gift of being able to see into my heart? Perhaps I, too, am "spirit led." Ever consider that? The scriptures often refer to "tithes and offerings" in the same verse. I pay a tithe because I believe I am following one of God's commandments by doing so. I pay additional offerings on top of that because I am in a position to be able to do so.

When was the last time you heard a pastor say that you should spend the FIRST part of your income on yourself and your family?

Never. I tithe on my income before taxes. I then contribute what I am able to as an additional offering.

Now, please, let's stick with the SCRIPTURES, not what your mother told you, or what some pastor told you. I take God's Word seriously. I don't change it to suit my purposes.

Get off your damned high horse and stop judging me. If you don't change the scriptures on tithing to suit your purposes, don't change Jesus' commandment not to judge others to suit your purposes. I take the scriptures seriously, too. I also take the words of His living prophet seriously. I also go to God in prayer every day of my life and allow the Holy Ghost to speak to me and tell me what God expects of me.

Tithers – you are SINNING against God when you ignore His command and take His tithe to the church.

Pro-tithers – you must think that God didn’t know the future and therefore didn’t provide for the future in His Word. You must think that God expects YOU to change His definition and commands to fit your needs. I BELIEVE THAT GOD GAVE US HIS WORD TO FOLLOW, NOT TAMPER WITH.

You're perfectly willing to tamper when it suits you, particularly when it saves you a few bucks.

[jghorton]

Originally Posted by carolac

We tithe. This is the only place in the Bible where God says to test Him. So we decided to see what happened, and we did, quite some time ago. It's a matter of grace, and we wanted that. We own a business, and we were tithing on the income after payroll expense. Then we decided to tithe on the gross, again, because God said to test Him. We are sure glad we did. The blessings have been abundant. Our church is a great light in the community, helping many people, which is what we're supposed to be doing.

Our business is in the construction trade in Florida, so you can imagine how hard it has been the last few years. We're still standing and growing, when others have failed, and our family is a happy one. Nothing in life is 100% perfect, but we sure weather the problems together.

Well spoken! -- It's good to see that someone here understands the true concept of tithes and offerings. We also have been 'tithing' for many years and have discovered that God, according to His promises, truly is faithful. This is one of those things (like prayer and other commanded things) that one can only truly learn about, by doing it!

The real issue in tithing is not about giving 'our' money to God, but in recognizing (by more than words) that God owns everything ... and that God, not our possessions or self ... is Lord of our lives. Also, when one gives the first part of their income, they quickly discover that the balance goes much further.

Giving to the church is about stewardship; which, by the way, involves much more than just our money ... our time, effort, talents, etc. --- It is our responsibility to ensure that the earthly church is a good steward of the money it receives. Some are - some aren't, but most are pretty open with their budgets. I've always had problems with churches that encourage the congregation to tithe, but doesn't at least 'tithe' the first part of what it receives on missions and other charitable giving outside of the church.

Some churches and people never really have a harvest in their lives .... because they eat the 'seed', rather than sow, the seed.

[garyarnold]

It amazes me how Christians think that the blessings and curses referred to in Malachi are meant for Christians today.

First, I repeat, NO ONE pays the Biblical tithe today. Those who change the Bible to fit the times are doing things backwards. As Christians, we are supposed to changed our lives TO FIT GOD'S WORD. Otherwise, we can change the Bible to fit whatever society is doing today. Changing the Bible to the times is putting the worldly things into the Bible.

Let’s look at Malachi 3. First, who is God speaking to – the priests or the people?
We need to study the entire Book of Malachi rather than take a few verses out of context.

By the time we get to verse 6 in chapter 1, we see it is the priests that are being addressed at that point.

In both chapters 1 and 2 of Malachi there is a conversation going on between God and the priests. Every time the word "you" is used, it is referring to the priests. Chapter 3 continues with this conversation. In verse 5 God says "And I will come near to you to judgment….." In the Old Testament, during this period of time and generally speaking, only the priests could get near to God. It is only in the New Testament that born again believers, you and I, can get close to God. So up to chapter 3 verse 5, God is speaking to the priests. The word "you" is still referring to the priests. There is nothing in the scripture to indicate this changes when you get to verse 8. But that's not all.

Read Numbers 18:29-30 and then read Malachi 1:14. Those verses explain robbing God of the offerings. The PRIESTS, not the people, robbed God of the offering by giving to God the worst instead of the best.

In Nehemiah 13 we are told that the priests stole the Levites portion of the tithe; therefore, they had no food to eat at the temple, and they went back to their own fields.

Therefore, taking the Levites portion of the tithe is the robbing God of the tithe. Or to put it another way, THE LEVITES WERE ROBBED. God said He was robbed because the tithe was not taken where God directed.

Next, in Malachi 3:10 God says to bring all the tithes to the storehouse. The people took the tithes to the Levites who lived in the Levitical cities, not to the temple. The Levites took the required tithe of the tithe to the temple. (See Nehemiah 10:37-38) Only those tithes ever made it to the temple. The priests then took those tithes to the storehouse. It only makes sense if God is speaking to the priests in this verse.

Since in Numbers 18 God makes it perfectly clear that the tithe belongs to Him, and He gave it to the Levites, anyone who takes God’s tithe to their local church must also be robbing God since the Levites are not the ones getting it.

I see no way around this. Either the tithe ended per Hebrews 7:18, OR those who take God’s tithe to their local church must be robbing God since God gave clear instructions where to take His tithe. There is nothing in God’s Word to show that God ever changed those instructions. Therefore, the only conclusion I can reach is that taking a tithe to your local church is NOT paying the tithe to God. It is giving it to man. Nowhere in God’s Word does He give permission for the Christian Church to receive His tithe.

Therefore, IT IS A SIN AGAINST GOD to take God’s tithe to your local church. IT IS A SIN for any pastor to accept God’s tithe.

Many say that in Biblical times they didn’t have money and that the economy was based on bartering of goods and services. That is not so. The Bible shows they not only had money, but that money was used as a common way of doing business.

According to the International Bible Encyclopedia, the days of mere bartering ended before the days of Abraham.

Here are just a few examples from The Word to show they did, in fact, use money in Biblical times.

The tithing law itself proves they had both money and a marketing system for buying and selling their crops and animals (Deuteronomy 14:24-26).

THE PURCHASE OF LAND BY ABRAHAM - Genesis 23:15-16

THE PURCHASE OF LAND BY JACOB - Genesis 33:19

JOSEPH WAS SOLD TO THE ISHMEELITES - Genesis 37:28

A MONEY OFFERING TO BE USED FOR THE SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE - Exodus 30:14-16,

USING SHEKEL OF SILVER TO VALUE A RAM - Leviticus 5:15

THE FOLLOWING VERSES REFER TO WAGES: Genesis 29:15, Genesis 30:28, Genesis 31:7-8, Genesis 31:41, Exodus 2:9, Leviticus 19:13, Malachi 3:5, etc.

THEY HAD A MONEY STANDARD

There are several places in Scripture indicating that scales were used to weigh metals and other items. The Law of Moses, for example, commands Jews not to use dishonest standards, but instead, to use honest scales and honest weights. (See also Deut. 25:13-15; Job 6:2-3; 31:6; Psa. 62:9; Prov. 11:1; 16:11; 20:10, 23; Isa. 40:12; 46:6; and Jer. 32:10).

Leviticus 19:35-36 – Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.

In order for money to be an exchangeable equivalent for other commodities in today’s society, there must be a standard in place. Likewise, the Old Testament also had a set standard both prior to the law and during the law. A reference to a pre-law standard is here in Genesis 23:16.

Merchants in biblical times traveled from place to place conducting business. According to the written law, the standard weight for metals was set according to the sanctuary shekel (See also Ex 30:13, 24; 38:24-26; Lev. 5:15; Num. 7:13-86; 18:16).

Leviticus 27:25 – Every value is to be set according to the sanctuary shekel, …

In addition, 2 Samuel 14:26 shows that the weight standard for the shekel was set by the royal standard. No matter which era in history is studied, there existed a standard for the weight of precious metals.

Money was also used throughout the law. For example, God’s people gave money to support the tabernacle (Ex. 30:14-16; 38:24-31). There are many other examples that illustrate money’s place within the written law and indicate that money was indeed a part of everyday life. Exodus 35 provides such an example.

Exodus 35:5, 21-22 – From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze;

And there are many more examples to show that money was used for everyday transactions well before the Levitical tithe.

Are you aware that the priests and Levites only worked at the Temple about two weeks per year, on a rotational basis? NOT FULL TIME. The priests and Levites were divided into 24 "courses". See First Chronicles 24 for the priests and chapters 25 and 26 for the Levites. Each course only ministered in the Temple one week out of twenty four (1 in 24), and, depending on how many families were in each course, each family only ministered in the Temple two or three days during its courses’ week of ministry.

Absolutely nothing that tithing teachers (who collect the tithe) teach is Biblical. It is all a scam. All it takes it a little time researching the history of tithing in the Christian Church to find that NO Christian Church taught tithing on income until the second half of the 1800s, and even then it was to bring in more money, not to be Biblically accurate.

Check the history of tithing in your own denomination and you will most likely become angry.

Many pastors who teach tithing do so because they are merely teaching what they were taught. But others know they are teaching a lie and admit it privately. Either way, it is false teaching.

[Katzpur]

Those of you who keep the law of the tithe will appreciate this modern day parable:

Obedience: Man's Gift to God

A (probably biographical) story by James E. Talmage

The Parable of the Grateful Cat

A certain English student of Natural History, as I have heard, once upon a time had the experience described below.

Mr. Romanes, in the course of his daily walk, came to a mill-pond. At the edge of the water he saw two boys with a basket. They were obviously engaged in a diverting occupation. As he came up to them Mr. Romanes observed that the youths were well dressed and evidently somewhat refined and cultured. Inquiry elicited the fact that they were upper servants in a family of wealth and social quality. In the basket were three whining kittens; two others were drowning in the pond; and the mother cat was running about on the bank, rampant in her distress.

To the naturalist’s inquiry the boys responded with a straight-forward statement, respectfully addressed. They said their mistress had instructed them to drown the kittens, as she wanted no other cat than the old one about the house. The mother cat, as the boys explained, was the lady’s particular pet. Mr. Romanes assured the boys that he was a personal friend of their employer, and that he would be responsible fro any apparent dereliction in their obedience o the orders of their mistress. He gave the boys a shilling apiece, and took the three living kittens in charge. The two in the pond had already sunk to their doom.

The mother cat evinced more than the measure of intelligence usually attributed to the animal world. She recognized the man as the deliverer of her three children, who but for him would have been drowned. As he carried the kittens she trotted along–sometimes following, sometimes alongside, occasionally rubbing against him with grateful yet mournful purrs. At his home Mr. Romanes proved the kittens with comfortable quarters and left the mother cat in joyful content. She seemed to have forgotten the death of the two in her joy over the rescue of the three.

Next day, the gentleman was seated in his parlor on the ground floor, in the midst of a notable company. Many people had gathered to do honor to the distinguished naturalist.

The cat came in. In her mouth she carried a large, fat mouse, not dead, but still feebly struggling under the pains of tortuous capture. She laid her panting and well-nigh expiring prey at the feet of the man who had saved her kittens.

What think you of the offering, and of the purpose that prompted the act? A live mouse, fleshy and fat! Within the cat’s power of possible estimation and judgment it was a superlative gift. To her limited understanding no rational creature could feel otherwise than pleased over the present of a meaty mouse. Every sensible cat would be ravenously joyful with such an offering. Beings unable to appreciate a mouse for a meal were unknown to the cat.

Are not our offerings to the Lord–our tithes and our free-will gifts–as thoroughly unnecessary to His needs as was the mouse to the scientist? But remember that the grateful and sacrificing nature of the cat was enlarged, and in a measure sanctified, by her offering. Thanks be to God that He gages the offerings and sacrifices of His children by the standard of their physical ability and honest intent rather than by the gradation of His exalted station. Verily He is God with us; and He both understands and accepts our motives and righteous desires. Our need to serve God is incalculably greater than His need for our service.