Greg Laurie - Friday, October 5, 2018

The Third Conversion

On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don't wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.

—1 Corinthians 16:2

There are two subjects that, when I talk about them as a pastor, the room gets very quiet. What are they? Evangelism and giving. Why are these awkward? I think it could be that we aren’t doing what we need to be doing in these areas.

If we’re sharing our faith regularly and hear a message about evangelism, I think our response will be a positive one. If we’re giving faithfully of our finances and hear a message about giving, we’ll say, “Of course. I know that. That is such a blessing!” But if there’s a discomfort with these topics, it could be that we’re struggling with these two areas of our lives.

What we don’t grasp about giving in particular is that God promises to bless us when we do it. There is a specific promise about tithing in the Bible, where God says,

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, . . . I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” (Malachi 3:10 NLT).
The word tithe means a tenth. Tithing means giving a tenth of our income to the Lord. Whether it’s gross or net, just start somewhere. And know this:

Everything we have belongs to God. The Bible talks about bringing our tithes and offerings to the Lord, yet studies indicate that only 2 to 3 percent of Christians regularly give of their income to the Lord.

Martin Luther said,

“There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, mind, and the purse.” If our wallets haven’t been converted yet, we are missing out on a blessing.