"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."
What God's people used to tithe was not money, but 10% of their crops every harvest which would be kept in the storehouse to feed the priests and the poor. As God has blessed you, so in turn do you return to him what he has given so that others may be blessed as well. However in the 2 verses preceding this one, we learn that those who do not tithe are thieves.
They rob God who deny him his tithe because they deny his the poor of their sustenance and the priests of their wages. Of such Paul says this ,"He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need." (Ephesians 4:28). So the opposite of stealing is generosity. Where you used to take for yourself, now you give to others.
And what is the result of generosity? Even more generosity from our Father in heaven as he throws open the floodgates of heaven and pours out blessing until your cup runneth over. Test God in this and see if he won't do as He says.
Showing posts with label stewardship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stewardship. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Luke 14:33
"Therefore likewise, all of you who do not give up all of his possessions is not able to be my disciple."
Jesus is crazy. Nobody actually takes what he says seriously, or so it seems. Virtually no one, even Christians, believe Jesus means what he says or if they do believe it they do not live it. Jesus starts this exhortation by saying that those who do not hate their mother, brothers, father, wife, children, and even their own life are also not able to be his disciples. Jesus is most definitely crazy for who then could be his disciple?
Or Jesus is the Son of God and everything already belongs to him.
Everything that exists is always and already owned by him. By giving all things up and acknowledging that you have absolutely no right or entitlement to them, that they are in fact all gifts from Christ's hand, you can then become a disciple. By admitting that your family is not yours, you give them over to He who can take better care of them that you could. Even you are not your own, but you were created by Christ, through Christ, and in Christ and bought with a price.
Give to Christ what is rightfully his. Own nothing but use every good gift God has given you. Give up everything to Christ and don't be surprised if he gives them back to you as gifts or asks you to carry your cross a little further to Calvary.
Jesus is crazy. Nobody actually takes what he says seriously, or so it seems. Virtually no one, even Christians, believe Jesus means what he says or if they do believe it they do not live it. Jesus starts this exhortation by saying that those who do not hate their mother, brothers, father, wife, children, and even their own life are also not able to be his disciples. Jesus is most definitely crazy for who then could be his disciple?
Or Jesus is the Son of God and everything already belongs to him.
Everything that exists is always and already owned by him. By giving all things up and acknowledging that you have absolutely no right or entitlement to them, that they are in fact all gifts from Christ's hand, you can then become a disciple. By admitting that your family is not yours, you give them over to He who can take better care of them that you could. Even you are not your own, but you were created by Christ, through Christ, and in Christ and bought with a price.
Give to Christ what is rightfully his. Own nothing but use every good gift God has given you. Give up everything to Christ and don't be surprised if he gives them back to you as gifts or asks you to carry your cross a little further to Calvary.
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