Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase.—Proverbs 3:9
Summary Statement
Tithing is the practice of giving a part of our income back to God. The word tithe comes from an old word meaning “tenth.” Examples given to us in the Bible show God’s servants setting aside a tenth of their increase to give to the priests or the temple.
God tells us that tithing is something we should do, so Christians today give a portion of their income to the Church. It is then used to provide for certain financial and physical needs of workers and members of the Church.
Begin Your Study
Read through the memory scripture together with your children. Then read through the summary statement (remember to simplify the statement, if necessary). Have your children cut and paste the summary statement from this page in their “Fundamentals Bible Study Journal” (as suggested in the Memorizing Scripture resource “The Fundamentals”). Next have your children read and write the memory scripture,
Proverbs 3:9
, in their journals.
All blessings come from God, and He owns the earth and everything in it, including the precious metals and materials that make our money. God doesn’t need our money, but He does ask us to be generous and give a portion of our income back to the temple. Today, the closest thing we have to the Old Testament temple, where the priests worked, is the Church.
Church members today donate a portion of their financial gains to the Church of God to pay for the needs of the Church and its members. (Church of God members have traditionally called this “first tithe,” since it is a portion of income that goes to God first.) Today those needs would include the income for the ministers who preach about God’s Kingdom and serve church members, as well as the costs required to teach the gospel message on a wide scale through websites and education programs. A portion of tithes and offerings given to the Church of God today also provides for physical needs, like buildings for church members to meet in for Sabbath services.
A special, separate festival tithe is saved by Church of God members for the purpose of attending the festivals of God. (This has often traditionally been called “second tithe” in the Church of God.)
Digging Deeper Interaction #1
To help your children have a deeper understanding of tithing, today your children will create special tithing jars or boxes. Choose two boxes or jars that your child can decorate (tea tins work great, too). On both of the jars or boxes, have your children write the memory scripture,
Proverbs 3:9
.
On the first jar or box, have your children write “first tithe,” and on the second jar, write “second tithe.” God has given us everything good that we have (
James 1:17
)! He asks us to set aside 10% of our increase to give to His Church. He also tells us to set aside 10% of our money because He wants to make sure we have enough to be able to keep all His festivals and to really enjoy them!
Help your children figure out how much of their allowance or chore money will go into each of the tithe jars. They will be able to enjoy using their tithing jars every week. They will also be excited to send in their own tithes to the Church and to have their own money saved for the Feast of Tabernacles!
Digging Deeper Interaction #2
Review
Proverbs 3:9
at the beginning of today’s interaction. Remind your children that God has given us everything good. He is very generous with us! We want to be like God, so we should want to be generous as well.
To help your children strengthen the trait of generosity, organize a family fundraiser. This could be a fundraiser that coordinates with a Church event, like a bake sale, car wash, or coin roll, or it could be a small, at-home fundraiser, like a lemonade stand or garage sale. Once your fundraiser is complete, donate the money to the Church’s international fund or other worthwhile programs.
Bible Story: Barnabas
Do you know about the New Testament apostle Barnabas? There are many inspiring lessons to learn from his example. With your children, read through the EEI lesson “Barnabas, Man of Encouragement” (find it in our People of the Bible section). Highlight his generosity. Barnabas showed his generosity with his physical belongings, with his time, and with his encouragement.
Bonus Ideas
Teach your children about the value and importance of money. For a great start, read the brief article “Teach Little Kids About Money” at LifeHopeandTruth.com.
Challenge your children (and yourself!) to find more scriptures about being generous or sharing, or about other examples in the Bible of people who were givers. Have them add them to their “Fundamentals Bible Study Journal.”
Sing a hymn of praise! Choose a hymn from the hymnal about thankfulness or praising God for all His blessings, and sing it together as a family. (The thematic index is useful for locating hymns with these themes.)
Wrap-up Activity
To make this week’s scripture poster, cut out and have your child decorate a treasure box. Then have your child write out
Proverbs 3:9
on it. Let your child decorate the treasure box with stickers and drawings to represent treasure, and add it to your collection of memory scripture posters.
To end your study, have your children recite the memory scripture for a small audience, perhaps for a local deacon or deaconess and family.
