Do Christians have to tithe, to give a tenth of our income? Should we tithe on our gross income, or only what’s left after taxes? Do we have to give all of our tithe to the church, or can we use it for other charitable purposes? Behind all of these questions lies one central concern: how much do we have to we give to God, so we can keep the rest of it for ourselves?

How different was the attitude of God’s Old Testament people. Instead of counting out their pennies to see how little they were required to give, their hearts stirred them to give (Exodus 35:21). They had hearts that were willing to give (Exodus 35:22). Moreover, their hearts stirred them to use their skills for God’s glory (Exodus 35:26; 36:2).

And what was the result? Moses didn’t have to conduct a capital campaign. He didn’t have to ask his elders to do an “every member canvass” to persuade them to increase their giving. No, he had to put out exactly the opposite message. The people brought more than enough to finish the project, so Moses had to tell them to stop giving so much (Exodus 36:5-6).

So maybe we all need to take a good look in the mirror. Instead of asking, “How much do I have to give,” we should ask, “How much of my time, talent, and treasure can I give? What can I do today to glorify God and bless other people?” How much could we accomplish if we gave so much that people asked us to stop? How much could God accomplish through us if we gave ourselves completely to Him?

Exodus 36:2-7 (NASB)

2 Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it.
3 And they received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning.
4 And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing,
5 and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform.”
6 So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more.
7 For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.