Thought for the Week:

If you make a batch of dough, take the first-portion of it and give according to the commandment. So also when you open a jar of wine or of oil, take the first-portion and give it to the prophets; and of money and clothing and every possession, take the first-portion, as it may seem good to you, and give according to the commandment. (Didache 13:5-7)

Commentary:

You shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the LORD your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name. (Deuteronomy 26:2)

When God prospers us, we are to show our gratitude by returning a portion to Him in the form of charitable gifts for the poor and financial support for those who do the work of the kingdom. In the days of the Temple, the farmers in Israel were obligated to donate an annual tithe to Levites, then take a second…