While Israel was experiencing a spiritual drought due to their Baal worship, God allowed a literal drought to fall upon the land as well. This drought affected everyone, including God’s prophet, Elijah. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. … Continue reading –>
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, the author of Tortured for Christ, suffered terribly for the Lord. Yet he said that even while in prison, he saw fellow believers practice generous … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 14:18-24 and Hebrews 7:1-10. Who was Melchizedek? Why did Abram give his tithe to this priest who seems to appear out of nowhere? The sudden appearance of the mysterious Melchizedek is not out of place. After Abram has been thanked by the Canaanite kings, he now thanks this priest, a thankfulness revealed by his paying his … Continue reading –>
Nehemiah’s reforms of the temple services included the implementation of tithes and offerings. Read Numbers 18:21-24; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 23:23; 1 Corinthians 9:7-14; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8; and Hebrews 7:1-2. What do these texts teach us about the importance of tithes and offerings, not just in the temple service, but for today as well? Without the collection of tithes and offerings the … Continue reading –>
But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10 NLT Kevin o’Rourke grew up dreaming of being a firefighter one day. He could not imagine being anything else. When he finally became a firefighter, knowing the dangers involved, Kevin loved his job more than anything … Continue reading –>
Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do. Galatians 2:10 NLT Do you remember Ingathering? I wish we still did this door to door, where we would collect donations for our community services, going door to door around Christmas time. Several times as a … Continue reading –>
Tuesday’s section of this week’s lesson asks, “How can we make sure we aren’t involved in any false worship?” It seems the question between true worship and false worship boils down to who we really trust. For example, the children of Israel turned to Aaron’s golden calf when they didn’t trust Moses to return. Saul … Continue reading –>
I often felt I would never get out of debt. I even considered declaring bankruptcy. After paying for things four times over, I considered writing my creditors and telling them I was not paying any more and they could just send me to jail if they wanted. I considered changing my identity and moving to … Continue reading –>
I don’t know why this even sticks out in my mind, but I remember riding with my dad to play with his company softball team. On the way Dad decided to swing into Wal-Mart and buy a new softball glove. It sticks out in my mind, because at the time I could not just swing … Continue reading –>
This quarter we have been sharing encouraging testimonies, how God has blessed us when we returned our tithe. We encourage others to tithe so they too can receive miraculous blessings. However, this reminds me of a conversation I had with my senior pastor several years ago. I was studying with a family who owned a … Continue reading –>
