Another Old Testament passage that mentions tithing is Genesis 28. Jacob, to start with, was a bit of a lad. A bit of a lying, cheating-his-own-brother-out-of-an-inheritance type of lad, to be honest. But then he met God, and he walked (well, limped) away a different man. After that happened, he said to God ‘…of all that you give to me I will give you a tenth’ (Genesis 28:22 NIV). Jacob met with God, was changed, and so he promised to give Him a tithe. Again, just like with Abraham, this was before Leviticus was a thing, so Jacob wasn’t under obligation. It was the fact that he’d learned what it meant to love God that led him to tithe. And right there, that’s our second thing to learn about tithing. Love.
We reckon that love and giving are completely tied together. The Bible thinks so too. Flick to John 3:16 (or, y’know, recite it from mind, because Sunday school). ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16 NKJV). We’ve all heard it, probably a billion times, but have you ever noticed… ‘God so loved… that He gave…’. He sees us, He loves us, desperately, so He gives us Himself. Loving someone, somewhere, or something, creates openness and sometimes even a desperation, to help. And that’s when we get inspired to give.

What Now?
Which person, situation, or place gets your compassion going? Use that as motivation to give, in whatever way you can. Do something generous for that person/situation/place, that will really make a difference, today. Start with love, and move into action.