Good Morning!I hope that you can bear with me this week. Kim is gone on a family gathering, and I am left "Holding down the fort". She is my final proof read on our devotionals. I try and proof read, but it is hard to correct your own material. It seems if my brain made a mistake, going over it a second time does not help, my mind just fills in the gaps that I am missing.
Plus, sometimes the Holy Spirit is filling my head with thoughts so fast, I can not type fast enough. Thanks!! :)
View March's Reading Schedule
View March's Reading Schedule
Scripture Reading
Deuteronomy 14:22, 28-29, 15:4-6, 10-11NIV
22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.
28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
4 However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Thought for the Day
We miss this as believers. Can you imagine if every believer gave 10% or more in tithes and offerings to God? Can you imagine the events that would start to take place in our world? Every one who wanted a Bible would have one. The poor would be cared for, missions would explode, as a result the rapture might happen more quickly. God has said, when all have heard...... then is the time.
My family has witness this first hand. We were in TIGHT financial shape the last couple of years. But, we never stopped giving 10% to the Lord. There were sometime we did not have the money, but GOD ALWAYS PROVIDED. Every month we had enough, plus a little extra. Today, after a couple of years have passed, God is Blessing our business and personal lives beyond our imagination. Something strange has taken place in my heart, now I work for Christ. Money for me, doesn't matter, what matters now is how much can I give Him this month?
For awhile, giving to God was boring. I would just drop the money into the offering plate and that was it..... you saw the monthly church statement. Do not get me wrong, you need to support the church you attend, but giving can be EXCITING. Here are some of the ways that we have gotten the entire family involved. We support a missionary, we send e-mails and hear about their progress. We also support a child in Africa through World Vision. His name is Peter Chance, Peter is about the same age as our son, so they can send mail back and forth. We bring Bibles into our house, and mail them out to countries where it is illegal to be found with a Bible. It is kind of our "James Bond" Bible adventure. You never know, our finger prints could be traced back to us. :)
There is one other point that I wanted to make, in the passage above, God points out several times that if we tithe' as He commands, "God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to". I leave you with the lyrics from one of my favorite Christian Artists; Todd Agnew. When you read the words, does in make you feel a little uncomfortable?
MERCY IN ME
By Todd AgnewAlbum:
REFLECTION OF SOMETHING
A poor man on the cornerI could give to You by buying him lunch
But I rarely think about it‘Cause I got a little but it’s not that much
And I pray Lord won’t You help me
Give me a little bit more for myself
And You say Child won’t you let me
Take all that you got and give you a little real wealth
CHORUS
And I don’t know what You want, what You see in my life
And I don’t know what You mean, how You could be glorified
I’m not too sure about this idea of sacrifice
What You mean by mercy, mercy in me
Your mercy in me
A young girl in an old house
Three kids and another on the way
She’s in desperate need of some new clothes
But I keep my old ones and tell her I’ll pray for her
But Your heart breaks for those kids
And that child of a mom who’s one of Your own
When a few gifts and a little time
Is another crown I could lay at the feet of Your throne
Closing Prayer
My Heavenly Father,
It is hard to give you control of my money. Money here on earth is security, earthly security. I know that my true security was made when You died for my sins. Jesus please help me and give me the strength to allow you to control my money, Please open my eyes to those around me that need help. I love you Jesus!
In Your Name I pray,
Amen
Bible Trivia
What is the one and only thing that God tell us to test Him?
Hint - Malachi 3:10
7 comments:
Malachi 3:10
10 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 you will not have room enough for it.
It tells us that it is ok to test Him in our tithing. I have learned not to limit it to tithe but in all of ways of giving: Offerings, Personal Service of time, in anything that we do or give as unto Him.
I have a personal testimony that comes straight from the Malachi scripture. As I read your first line in Scripture reading, Malachi came into my mind and I knew immediately that I was going to come back for the first time with a response to the actual devotion. Not to my surprise it was your trivia question.
To share how my life was changed by this scripture is something I love to do. You know in a Christian walk there are defining moments. If you asked me to pick 3 defining moments in my life the first should be the same for all SALVATION 2)was the baptism in Holy spirit and having all my life been told this was not something for this day and time 3) has to be Malachi 3:10. It is amazing that I had the teaching of tithing and that it was scriptual and we were to do. The problem came in that Satan had a hold on my mind. You see I never want to do something with expectation of receiving something back. I heard many scriptures like "should give pushed down shaken together..." (Luke 6:38). The thing that stuck in my mind was if we did this we would recieve. So here was my trap, Until I could do this without feeling the only reason I was tithing was to get back, why tithe. I was to freely give without any attachments for God to receive my tithe. Week after week I would struggle to place a tithe in without expecting return. Now don't go off on me yet, I know this is a wrong thought but you see somehow Malachi 3 had been kept hid from me for many years. There came a Sunday about 5 years ago from our pastor title "SOROSIS OF THE GIVER". As God would have it, it was the pay week and the usual struggle had insued with tithing. The tithe went in and with my usual prayer "God I truly give not expecting," but something always hit me right in the ole spiritual gut. Well I know I don't have to offer much else, except as the sermon started and progressed I could feel an expectancy of God fixing to do something. At one point the tears came and could not shut them off, out popped my release Malachi 3:10.
From that moment on the devil had no hold on me cause I could come at him with the most powerful weapon, THE WORD. If a thought of need came into my mind as I gave I just transferred it to this scripture "TEST ME". Now as the time has moved on I no longer hear those earlier voices and I know it is ok to expect in tithing but I know that God already knows my need.
Oh by the way, I have gone back to yesterday post. I did leave a few loose ends in posting so fast. I will go back in a moment and retype esp. one paragraph. I just read this one to my best half Hubby and he understood all so hope all others do.... sorry IMAGEMKRNGOD for the ramblings
IN CHRIST
Ecc.3
Donna
Thanks Donna, I enjoyed reading that!
Another thought comes to mind. God really dosen't NEED your money. He could think about it and create 1,000,000 dollars. So, if He does not need your money, what is He after???? Your trust in Him, not earthly treasures.
Another thought I had..... while I was reading Deuteronomy, God told His people, if you follow these simple rules, you will rule over all other people. People will come to you for their needs, and I will provide for you, so you can provide for their needs......
Think if all believers got serious about tithing.... what would happen???
Well Jim I hope with all the thoughts that followed and were so great that you did not short cicuit any brain cells..... ha h aha :)
IN CHRIST
Ecc.3
Donna / agranny3
Ahhh..... not too sure about that yet. Heh Heh Heh...
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