Tithing, the Sabbath, and the Law of Sowing and Reaping

There is one spiritual law that ought to affect how we live a great deal. It is the law of sowing and reaping, and it is found in Galatians 6:7-9: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
This law, of course, extends to many more things than doing good. Two that surprise me sometimes are giving (especially tithing) and the Sabbath. Worldly wisdom says that neither of these spiritual disciplines make sense. If we are tight on money, why would we give away the money that we need to meet our rent payment, or to buy groceries? Yet, that's exactly what God calls us to do. Tithing is a statement of trust, a statement that says we believe in God's ability and willingness to provide for our needs. And if you exercise that belief by giving at least ten percent of your income to God, He always seems to honor that. I have not only heard numerous stories about anonymous checks and scholarships and bags of groceries that turned up on front porches, but it has happened to me also. This kind of blessing only happens when we declare in a practical way that "our" money doesn't really belong to us, but to God. If we sow by giving, giving will be a practical reality in our life and we will receive it as well. If we sow by hoarding, the resources of heaven will not be evident in our life.
The same thing is true of the Sabbath. The decision to rest on one day of the week and so consecrate that day to God, is basically tithing from the time that we are given. With our busy schedules, it's very tempting to skip the Sabbath, or only rest for a part of a day instead of for a whole day. But we discover that the law of sowing and reaping is still true. When I rest for a whole day, it seems that I have more time in that week. I'm more productive, less anxious, less stressed, and more importantly, I'm more in step with God during the week. If you're not obeying the biblical instruction to rest, it should be no surprise to you when you have trouble handling your schedule, you get busier and busier, and your life, externally and even internally, is spinning out of control.
God doesn't just reward His people for obeying Him and living according to His spiritual laws. He establishes a kind of cause-and-effect so we always benefit in some way, in many ways, when we do right. It's in those moments that we realize we are beginning to fulfill our calling and everything starts falling in place.