Read Matthew 6:19-21. Though we are so familiar with these texts, how can we nevertheless be free from the powerful hold earthly treasures can have on us? See Col. 3:1-2. “‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21, NKJV) is an appeal from Jesus. The full magnitude of this statement can be seen from the … Continue reading –>
A discussion of tithing would be incomplete without looking at the verses in the books of Moses that discuss tithing and attempting to understand their detail. The main references are: Numbers 18: 21-32 Leviticus 27:31-33 Deuteronomy 14: 22-29 There are other verses that also relate to tithing, but the above references have the greatest detail. … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: It is so easy to forget that every breath, every heartbeat, every moment of our existence comes only from the Lord. In Acts Chapter 17 Paul talks to the Athenians about the true God, who is not only the Creator (the “God that made the world and all things therein” [Acts 17:24]) but also the … Continue reading –>
Read Romans 3:19-24. What crucial truth, central to our faith, is taught here? Why must we always keep this teaching foundational to our beliefs? The gist of the biblical message is that all of us are undeserving of redemption (Rom. 3:23). If we deserved it, it would be by merit, or by works, and that idea is contrary … Continue reading –>
God has a storehouse for wind (Jer. 10:13), water (Ps. 33:7), and snow and hail (Job 38:22), over all of which He has total control. But God’s most precious storehouse is the one involving tithe. “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of … Continue reading –>
Paul writes to Timothy: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,’ and ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages” (1 Tim. 5:18, NKJV). He is quoting Moses in Deuteronomy 25:4 regarding the ox and Jesus from Luke 10:7 regarding the laborer. The phrase about the ox appears to have been a proverb, and it means it is fair … Continue reading –>
As we saw in Malachi 3:10, God promised a great blessing to those faithful in their tithe. Yet God’s blessing is not one-dimensional. To emphasize, for instance, the accumulation of material assets as a blessing, at the expense of everything else, is a very narrow view of what God’s blessing really is. Blessing in Malachi is … Continue reading –>
Jesus commands us to “preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15) and to “make disciples”, “teaching them to observe all things” (Matt. 28:19-20, NKJV). Thus, God wants us to be involved in the most important work on earth: bringing people to Jesus. Funding this mission from resources entrusted to us by God is the steward’s responsibility. Participation deepens personal commitment in … Continue reading –>
Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. Deuteronomy 14:22 KJV Tithing on your “increase” is different than tithing on your “gross” or “net” as an employee. This affects people who are self-employed and/or invest in their business. An illustration I use when giving a … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Mark 16:15; 1 Pet. 3:8-9; 1 Cor. 9:14; Rom. 3:19-24. Memory Text: “Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the … Continue reading –>
