The principal of tithing, or giving the first part of your earned money to God, can be found in Biblical passages such as Leviticus 27:30 (TLB), "A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord’s, and is holy." And 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) says, "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." More on tithing can be found here.
The reason I'm writing about this particular topic is to correlate it to my morning routine. A couple years ago I decided to set my alarm clock 15 minutes earlier than I had to in order to spend time reading the Bible and meditating/praying/conversing with God. Both the amount of time and my mental approach have developed over the past couple years. At first it was difficult to wake up earlier to read text written thousands of years ago about people's names that are really hard to pronounce. Over time I realized it was not a drudgery, but rather a deep honor to commune with the God who created the universe. I articulate this honor as offering God my first and best "fruit" or time at the beginning of each day. The very first thing I do each morning is to fill my mind and soul with the written word of God. I spend time listening to the Holy Spirit's still small voice, sharing my thoughts, and presenting my requests to Jesus.
Some may call this mindfulness, or meditation, or zen time. I don't really call it anything other than time with God. It allows me the opportunity to align my thoughts with the Holy Spirit's, fill my soul with God's wisdom, and bear my shortcomings with Jesus. I typically do this in the ACTS format. Adoration - telling God how awesome He is. Confession - Saying sorry to God and asking his forgiveness. Thanks - Saying thanks for the cool things/experiences in my life. And finally Supplication - Asking for God's holy intervention for healing and for penetrate a certain word into my soul that day.
I find filling my head and heart with God's word rather than news or email first thing in the morning provides a more peaceful course throughout the day.