Q: Tithe vs. offering—what’s the difference?
A: Tithes and offerings are part of God’s system of finances. It’s a system that’s completely different from the world’s because it’s there to help you prosper!
Tithe simply means a “tenth.” To tithe is to give 10 percent of your gross income to the Lord. It may seem illogical that giving 10 percent of your income leads to prosperity, but Malachi 3:10-12 explains:
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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field...And all nations shall call you blessed: for you shall be a delightsome land.
God considers the tithe crucial to your financial success.
Offerings differ from tithes in that they are free-will gifts to any person or organization. It is a gift beyond your tithe—not instead of your tithe. An offering can be in the form of money, clothes, food, or almost anything that God prompts you to give.
In God’s system, this is how you increase. For example, if you were giving a portion of your clothes as seed. (Remember new clothes, pray about it, and then consider sowing good seed.) Then be patient and expect your harvest. If you want to get out of debt, find a way to help someone else. As Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you.”
Q: Should my business tithe?
A: Would you like success in business beyond what hard work, brainpower, and marketing skills can produce?
The blessing on the business owner who tithes on business profit is the same as the blessing on the individual who tithes on gross income: “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” (Malachi 3:10-12).
If you want God involved in the increase (profit) of your business, then tithe on the gross income of your business. God is the best financial partner you could ever have. When you honor Him with your finances, He will see that all your needs are met.