―‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,‘ says the Lord Almighty, ‗and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.‘‖ Malachi 3:10 (NIV)

**********

Tithing is the foundation, —the first principle of Christian Stewardship. The Tithe is a commencement in Christian Stewardship. It is elementary. If we are unfaithful in tithing, it shows that we are adults still in the ―kindergarten of Christian Stewardship.‖

It shows there is something missing in our Christian mentality, and our Christian experience. If we remain in the kindergarten, we will never graduate. If we do not graduate we will never wear the robe, and the crown, symbols of honor and achievement, and we will never receive the diplomas of everlasting life. See Rev. 3:5

If we do not leave the kindergarten of the tithe, we can never attend the university of offerings and a totally committed life.

Let us be faithful in our tithe—the kindergarten of Christian Stewardship, that we might move on to the next two stages of Christian progress: (1) The surrender of our lives to God for service, and (2) The surrender of our resources for the advancement of His cause.

This will finish the work, and qualify us for the final graduation where we will receive the gift of eternal life.

Appeal: Our offering today is for special projects taking place in our Union.