"...of Christ ....In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom arid knowledge." Col. 2:3

Before we look at cheerful giving, let*s see what giving was like in Israel under the system of God*s law.

Under the law, God required a tithe from Israel to provide for the priesthood among the tribe of Levi. A tithe is a taxation of 10%. "And, behold, / have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation" Numbers 18.21. Because the priestly tribe of Levi had no inheritance in the land, the other eleven tribes had to give 10% of their entire substance to keep up the Levites. They gave the tithe of the produce of their lands and fields, fruit trees, corn, wine, oil, firstfruits of their herds and flocks, and so on.

Also under the law, God ordered another tithe (10%) to be paid every third year to support widows and orphans. "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. And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger~ and the fatherlesss, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest" Deut. 14:28-29; also Deut. 26:12.

If a man sold his possessions rather than tithing them, he was instructed to give an additional 5% since he would be "paying cash." "And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof* Lev. 27:31.

Tithing under Israel*s law had the same consequences as other commandments. If they obeyed, they would be blessed. If they didn*t, they would be cursed. "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it "Ma!. 3.8-10. I wonder how many of you have been put under this law, prior to learning about giving under grace? I suspect a great many people have been charmed into tithing through this Old Testament passage of scripture. They*ve been told that God will get his tithe one way or another. Broken washing machines, flat tires, and other mishaps of the sort have been attributed to God*s judgment against folks who rob him of tithes. Then the "preachers of the law" say God not only requires tithes (plural), but he wants even more than that. He demands offerings, too. That*s over and above 10%. That*s extra. But if you don*t give it, you*ll be cursed, they say. They have scripture all right, but it is not rightly divided, and it is not dispensational. That makes all the difference in giving under grace. We now know we have liberty in giving.

So just what is giving under grace? How much does God expect us to give today? In I Cor. 16:1-4, Paul instructed the Corinthian believers to "....lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him...." That leaves the decision up to each individual to settle the amount for himself according to his own feeling of wealth. 2 Car. 8:1-15 tells us that saints gave liberally even in deep poverty, but it doesn*t give a percentage Giving under grace is between God and each particular person. No amount is mentioned. No wonder giving under grace makes a person cheerful! God allows you to give however much you want to give! He gives us freedom to decide for ourselves how much to give. "But this! say He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in a/l things, may abound to every good work" 2 Cor 9:6-8. This goes along with Gal. 6: 7b, ‘for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

Let us now consider Ram. 12:1, ‘1 beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service." Presenting your body is giving your whole self It is turning over your entire being, everything you are (and have), to God. The synonyms for "reasonable" are logical, sensible, rational, intelligent, prudent, and sound. Why is it such? "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God c" 1 Cor 6:19-20: and again in I Car. 7:23, "Ye are bought with a price." "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" 1 Cor 10:31.

As Romans 12:1 tells us what God expects, verse 2 explains how to accomplish it. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Here we have a "be not" and a "be." Don*t allow the world to mold you into its shape. Be different! You*re no longer a slave to sin. You are alive unto God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Let him control your life. He will do a better job of it than you can. He, through the word of God, will make you into the image of Christ to be used for his glory and for your good. Through my own experience, I am firmly convinced that failure to heed this admonition is one of the major causes of misery in the body of Christ today. Maybe you would like to write down a new resolution today on paper. Date it and sign it, and even ask someone else to witness it. Only God knows what events that commitment may inspire. But, be on guard! That old devil Satan hates a dedicated believer and will do all within his power to thwart you. Don*t fall under law, but be determined to give under grace "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace" Rom. 6:14.

Mr. Hockaday lives in Florida. with his wife Nadine.