Speaker: Pastor Lee Cummings
Date: November 1, 2026
The first ten percent of what we earn can go a lot of places. Why give it to God first? In week five of Locked In, Pastor Lee talks about why we tithe and what that has to do with living on mission.
Here's a 5-day devotional guide based on this sermon:
Day 1: Before the Law
Genesis 14:18–20 | Genesis 15:1
Centuries before Moses received the law, Abraham gave a tenth of everything to Melchizedek, priest of God Most High. He then refused any reward from the king of Sodom, unwilling to let anyone say a man had made him rich. Immediately afterward, God told him, "I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." The tithe began not as a rule but as an act of worship from someone who trusted God as his source.
Day 2: Firstfruits
Proverbs 3:9–10 | Matthew 23:23
Proverbs calls us to honor the Lord with our wealth and with the firstfruits of all our increase. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for tithing their spices while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness, but He told them they should have done both. The tithe was never meant to replace a heart for God's mission. It's one expression of a life that puts Him first.
Day 3: Equal Sacrifice
Luke 21:1–4 | 2 Corinthians 9:7
Jesus watched the rich drop large gifts into the temple treasury, then pointed to a widow who gave two small coins. She gave more than all of them, He said, because she gave out of her poverty. God doesn't measure our giving by the size of the amount but by the sacrifice behind it. Paul adds that God loves a cheerful giver, one who gives freely rather than under compulsion.
Day 4: Put Me to the Test
Malachi 3:8–12 | Psalm 34:8
Through Malachi, God makes an unusual invitation: test Me in this. Bring the full tithe and see if I will not open the windows of heaven and rebuke the devourer. David wrote, "Taste and see that the LORD is good." God isn't afraid of our questions about His faithfulness. He invites us to find out for ourselves.
Day 5: Return to Me
Malachi 3:7 | Hebrews 11:5–6
Before God ever mentions tithes, He says, "Return to me, and I will return to you." The real issue was Israel's heart. Hebrews describes Enoch as a man who pleased God, and reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please Him, because those who come to God must believe He rewards those who seek Him. Tithing, at its core, is a way of saying with our whole lives that we want to please Him.