Saturday, March 5, 2016

One Tenth of your Income – Numbers 19

 25 THE LORD also told Moses, 26 Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the TITHES I HAVE ASSIGNED as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive—a tithe of the tithe—to the Lord AS A SACRED OFFERING. 27 The Lord will consider this offering to be your harvest offering, as though it were the first grain from your own threshing floor or wine from your own winepress. 28 You must present one-tenth of the tithe received from the Israelites as a sacred offering to the Lord. THIS IS THE LORD’S SACRED PORTION, AND YOU MUST PRESENT IT TO Aaron THE PRIEST. 29 Be sure to give to the Lord THE BEST portions of the gifts given to you.

As we can see that this “tithes thing” is NOT been implemented by man “to rip-off” or “to live a life” off of the church goers”, NO! It’s been The LORD command! Even the Levites, who worked in the temple’s duties, were to tithe! Did you saw that?! Moses, instructed by God, was to tell the Levites that after the body of believers would paid their tithes to the church, from that collected money which it was the Levites pay, they had to offer a sacred offering meaning a tenth of that collected money belong to God, verse 26.  In other words from their “wages” they offered a gift because THE LORD was who’d given them the resources to EARN those wages. The same is to be today with us.  We ought to give our ten percent NOT only because God says to, but also as a gift to GOD for its been Him who’ve given us the means and resources to earn our wages, and with a grateful heart to Him, is our way to say Thank You, Lord! It also shows Him that we trust that although we gave Him a tenth of our income, He will make the other ninety stretched like it would be one hundred, and if you do not believe me, try it for yourself. The next time you get your paycheck, take a tenth of it, put it in an envelope, bring it to church and at the collecting offering time, offer it to God as a Thank You gift, and tell Him that you trust Him to stretch the other ninety percent, and then be amazed!!!

Sometimes people talk about those in the body of Christ especially if those are leaders, who aren’t doing what God “said to do”, because they’re living in sin, but you just have to pray for those that you see are living in sin, no matter what the sin is.   Sin is to know how to do something right and not doing it.  There are innumerable ways to sin as stars are in the sky, but again we just have to pray for each other. What did Jesus said about those who were accusing the woman caught in adultery? “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”[1] You are not responsible for my sins, and I’m not responsible for yours, every individual will pay for their own individual faults for ultimately we are accountable to the Lord.[2]

Sometimes people chooses to leave the church due to a determined action a leader had taken that isn’t “right” before their eyes, but this is truly not a wise decision.  Unless God is the One who’s making you get out of that church, you shouldn’t move. You might ask, and why not? Because truly, we aren’t there to please a determined leader, are we? We shouldn’t be in a church because you like that leader! You should be in the church that GOD wants you to be at. 

If you ever question yourself if the church you are attending is the right one for you, I pray you get in your knees, and pray! Start by worshiping the Lord, and after that with a humble heart, confess your sins, ask for forgiveness to make sure nothing will hinder the Lord from answering your question; and then ask for Him to reveal to you with a simple “yes or no” if that is the church, He wants you to be at.  The answer HE place in your mind, will be His will.  Do not doubt, because you’ve been in communion with Him, and when you communicate with people, one speaks and the other one hears, then the roles switch, and besides with a clean heart, God will hear you and will answer you. “This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is His name: Call to ME and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”[3]

In addition to, if you ever have questions or doubts about a particular a leader, please PRAY; it might be the Lord’s way to show you HE wants you to intercede for this determined leader. How do you know if because of your faithfulness to GOD that leader will come to repentance? Besides, that leader is human just like you and me! Wouldn’t you like someone to intercede for you in prayer when you’re being tempted to sin, or if you’re in sin, and about to be burnt if you do not come clean? Not to mention that a leader has to feed kids at home, do dishes, clean furniture and cars, and most likely have large bills to pay too, just like us! But unlike us, that leader is accountable at a higher standard, than us, because that leader is responsible for the spiritual health of the congregation he/she leads.[4]

I pray if you ever see me doing something wrong I expect you to pray for the Lord to deal with me or in case He wants you to talk to me, I pray you be obedient and talk to me; because that’s the way I’m praying for you too. And I pray that next time you get your paycheck you remember to get that ten percent, and with a cheerful heart you place it in an envelope and bring it to the church the Lord has placed you at, as your “Thank You offering”; also that you remember to pray for the Lord to multiply that offering for the church’s benefit, and multiply your ninety percent for your benefit, and for HIS glory. I pray you get to share with the world around you how you prayed and the LORD blessed you, for your obedience. And I pray in JESUS name and for HIS glory, AMEN!!!






[1] John 8:7
[2] Romans 3:19
[3] Jeremiah 33:3 NIV
[4] Ezekiel 34:10 NIV

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