Genesis 14:23 “I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.‘”
Abram was a very rich man. God has no problem with us having riches. He has a problem with riches having us. The secret of how Abram dealt with riches in his life, lies in his response to the king of Sodom: “I will accept nothing from you, so that you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich'”.
Instead, Abram wanted him to say, “God has made Abram rich”.
When people look at us, and they see us being blessed, what is our response to them? I often see people who receive riches respond in three different ways. Only one way is healthy. Some people respond by apologising. When someone congratulates them on their nice car, they say “it was a bargain”. Or when someone else tells them they have a nice watch, they say “it is actually a second-hand piece”. They do this because they feel shameful about being rich, as if it is something bad or evil.
The second group respond by looking at their own accomplishments. Someone compliments them on their nice shoes, and they say “yes, I worked very hard for them” or “yes, I am actually going to buy another pair tomorrow”.
But only the third response is healthy. “Hey, you have a nice house”. “Well, thanks, God has certainly blessed us”.
Stop apologising for being blessed. Rather, take Abram’s approach and give God all the glory. The next time someone compliments you, learn to respond by saying:
“Yes, God has made me rich. Praise the Lord.”
More info on the principle of the tithe:
Although Genesis 14 denotes the first time the word “tithe” is mentioned in the Bible (therefore establishing that the tithe is an act of faith, not an act of the law – since Abram, the man of faith, lived 430 years before the law), the practice of giving the first and best to God dates from the beginning of time. Abel brought the best from the firstborn of his flock (Gen. 4:4) and in Genesis 2:9,17 we read that the tree in the middle of the garden of Eden belonged to God. God always deserves the best.
Paramount as a foundational principle is this question: what or who is our source? The tithe helps us remember that everything flows from God first.