Giving to the Kingdom

 Deuteronomy 14:28-29
bring all the tithes” so the Levites, “foreigners, the fatherless and the widows,” could come and “eat and be satisfied”.

There has been a lot of debate and discussion about tithing. Does the Bible require that Christian tithe to the church? There are many who believe that part of following Jesus is to give at least 10% of your income to support the work of God. There is no doubt that the Old Testament instructed God’s people to bring their tithe to help support the needs of the ministry and to help those who were not able to help themselves. One would argue that we are no longer under the law of the Old Testament and there is no such mandate given to believers in the New Testament. Much is said in the New Testament about giving of your means to help the spread of the gospel of Jesus, but there appears to be no commandment or set rule on how much you should be giving. We know that Paul encouraged believers to give and often thanked those who gave to support the work he was doing to tell others about Jesus. We also know that, in our present day, it requires money to maintain a church ministry, or any kind of ministry that desires to reach out and help people who have physical and spiritual needs.
Let it first be established that it is not possible to buy the favor of God, or give enough to pay for salvation. Salvation comes only through believing Jesus paid the price for our sins and confessing our sins and believing He is God who can reconcile us back to Him. But when a person has given their life to Christ, a transformation of desires begins. We seek to be more like Him and the things that we once desire to please ourselves are now turned toward the things of God. We now want to give all that we can to support the work of the Kingdom. We take inventory of how we are spending our resources. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinth. 10:31)Our life is no longer ours, but it belongs to God, All of it! Our money, time, effort, emotions, and spirit now belong to Him. God does not want 10% of you, He wants all of you. I believe that we are stewards of what we have and none of it belongs to us. What we do with it all depends on what kind of relationship we have with Him. If we love Him, out of a cheerful heart, we give to see others come to Christ. We desire to help those who are in need of a helping hand. We don't give so that God will bless us, we give because that is what Jesus would do. Don’t hold back what God has blessed you with to fulfill your selfish desires, but let Him take full control of everything you have. Don’t be in bondage to only give 10% but give to please the God you serve. Live in moderation, provide food and shelter for your family. Enjoy life, but remember, everything you have belongs to Him, and His desire is for us to first seek the kingdom of God. 

Warning of a Harden Heart

Heb 3:12
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 

The warning is given to Christians (brethren) to not allow our hearts to become hardened by sin and temptation. We have not yet arrived at our heavenly home. We are eternally secured in Christ as long as we keep our faith in Christ and don’t allow an evil heart of unbelief to take charge of our life. The doctrine of eternal security, as taught by Calvinist theology, teaches that once you have been saved by accepting Christ that your salvation is sealed for eternity and there is nothing that you can do that can break that seal. (no one can separate you from the love of God). The writer of the Hebrews warns the brethren that if we don’t take heed and be watchful, that it is possible to depart (Leave) from the living God. Getting saved does not remove our will to choose. We must daily choose to pick up our cross and follow Him. This is not salvation by works, but salvation by faith in trusting God to keep us in the palm of His hand. Scripture is clear that there is nothing we can do to obtain eternal life except through Christ. But scripture is also clear that our continual faith in Christ is essential in maintaining a relationship with a holy God. The blood covers as long as our faith remains active. We stay saved by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Paul says, “Quench not the Spirit.”  (1 Thess 5:9) Don’t extinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit when He seeks to lead and guide you. It is possible to stray away from God, but it is also possible to return. The love of God will never leave us or forsake us, it will always yearn for our return. Don’t allow the world and sin to harden your heart and leave your first love. Seek Him daily, pursue Him with all your heart. “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.”(vs 14).

Follow His Steps

 1 Peter 2:21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

We were called to be a servant, called to submit. Submitting is not easy, especially if you think you are being treated wrongfully. Our first thought may be to react in retaliation, and defend our honor. Peter writes to those that have accepted Jesus as their Savior. We are just passing through this world, it is not our permanent home. The suffering we may go through will shortly be over. Endure the suffering, especially if it is for doing what is right. If we find ourselves between submitting to man or God, we always obey God first. Peter, who is admonishing us to submit to the rulers over us, himself stood up to the governing authority and said, “We ought to obey God rather than man” Act 5:29. This may cause man to treat us wrongfully and even be sent to jail, like Peter, but our lives have been given to God to do what is right in the sight of God. Christ, doing the will of His Father, also submitted to those in authority, even when they treated Him wrongfully. His life is an example of how we should live. We should follow His example, pick up the cross, and be willing to follow in His steps

Jesus the Author

Heb 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Phi 1:6) This begins when the Holy Spirit speaks to our heart that we are sinners, and forgiveness of sin comes only through Jesus Christ, who endured the cross and paid the debt of sin that was ours. At a moment in time, we have been born again, made a new creature in Christ and the story of our life begins in Christ. All the things in the past have been removed. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Our names are now in the Book of Life. This is made possible by the blood of Jesus. He is the author, for by His blood are our names written in the book. We don’t know all the details of the book He is writing about our lives. We don’t know when this book will end. For some, it could end unexpectedly; for others it may end at life’s expected time of 3 scores and ten years or longer. We do know that if we stay faithful, that He will be faithful to complete the work for us, and we will see Him face to face as He sits at the right hand of the throne of God in eternity. Let God pen the words for your life. He is a good author and will write a story that will glorify Him and bring everlasting peace in this life and the life after. 

He is My Only Rock

 Psalm 62: 2 & 6
 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

Jesus Christ, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee.” On the solid Rock I stand, I shall not be moved. “Upon this Rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail.” As we walk this side of heaven, the foundations of our country are crumpling. The signs of the last days are coming to pass. We are witnessing a great divide among those who desire a return to the principles of God’s word, and a progressive ideology of Sodom and Gomorrah that has forsaken the Word of God. The banner of “Every man doing that which is right in their own eyes” is waving in the media and across the large cities of our land. Politics are polarized and faults can be found on both sides of the aisle. I like to believe that those that want our nation to return to God are in the right, but there are those who use God’s Word as a tool for their own advantage and political gain. As Christians, our faith in God, and knowledge that God is sovereign keeps us on the Rock. Charlie Kirk, as much as he tried to influence people to vote for the Republican Party, acknowledged that Jesus Christ is the only answer to the problems we face as a nation. The foundation of this nation may someday break apart, but for those who stand on the eternal Rock, they shall not be moved. We live in a messed-up world of people seeking to please their selfish desires. But we know that when lifting up Jesus, people are drawn to Him. He is our firm foundation. He is our only Rock, and those who stand on the Rock, shall not be moved.

No Longer Partakers

 Ephesian 5:7 & 8
Be not ye therefore partakers with them.  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

When we become a new creature in Christ, life takes a turn from unrighteousness to righteousness. We once lived in darkness, and the things we once did, we have turned from, and now we are walking toward the light of Christ. The new life seeks to be like Jesus, it desires to live in the Vine, and bear fruit that will glorify Jesus. As we walk in the light, God reveals to us some of those things we should no longer be doing. Paul provides us with examples of some of those things.
Fornication is the act of committing sexual sin that is outside the covenant of marriage. This includes many things that the world has condoned as acceptable behavior as long as it is consensual. The sin of fornication is unacceptable behavior. "Let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints." (Eph. 5:3) 
Uncleanness is a broad term that takes in many actions and thoughts that are evil, wicked, and morally wrong. It is deviant and filthy, and comes from a heart that is carnal and carnally self-gratifying. Let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.
Covetousness is desiring things that do not rightfully belong to you. This could include material things, or the affections of someone who is married. Let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.
Filthiness spiritually, normally implies allowing your mind to think thoughts that are immoral, or inappropriate. They are carnally based and self-gratifying. Let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.
Foolish talking, or jesting, is behavior that makes light of the holy things of God. It can also be seen as speaking ill will of someone or spreading gossip, or information that is not profitable. “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.” Foolish speaking is an indication of a heart that has walked away from the Light. Let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.
Idolater is a person whose affections are set on the things of this world, and not on the things of God. An idolater allows a person, things or circumstance to stand between them and God. Idol worship goes beyond the worshipping of a statue or some sacred object, it is anything that keeps you from putting Christ first in your life. It is a form of covetousness, desiring something more than wanting God. Let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.
Whoremonger, unclean person, covetous man are other sins that Paul mentions in this letter. They all imply a lifestyle that gratifies the fleshly desires of the carnal heart. The fruit of becoming a Christian is demonstrated in the transformation of the heart. As the heart undergoes this transformation, it will be seen in the lifestyle of the believer. Some of these things change overnight, others may take time as you walk in the light and God reveals them to you. As God shows, let go of that sin that keeps you from running the race. Let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.

Sin Not

 1 John 3:6
Whosoever abides in Him sins not: whosoever sins hath not seen Him, neither known Him.

Sin destroys. God hates sin and does not have communion with anyone who is involved with it. We are all born in sin and His prevailing grace keeps us from the eternal punishment of sin. But at some point in our lives, we become accountable to this sin. When that happens is different for each person, and only God knows when that time comes. Jesus came to take our sin(s) away. God gave His Son to die so we do not have to perish. Our part is to confess our sinners and accept His forgiveness when we yield our heart to Him. We are born into the family of God, made new by the blood of Jesus. We now abide in Christ. We are part of the Vine. If we continue to live our lives in Christ, He gives us the power to live a life without sinning. This is why it is possible to live sinless in this present world. In our own humanity and strength it is not possible. The question then is asked, do those who call themselves Christians never sin? Fair question. The reality is that Satan works diligently to cause Christians to do things that would displease God. In a moment of weakness, temptation can overcome a believer. Such failure breaks the heart of God, but God does not cast them away, but tenderly entreats them to turn to Him and ask forgiveness. “If any man sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous" (1 John 2.1). Refusing to turn to Christ, and continuing to live in sin will result in being cut off from the Vine. One can no longer abide in Christ if they continue to live in their sin. Living in Christ and letting the Holy Spirit take full control of your life will strengthen your life to resist Satan’s temptation. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Comforter will fill you with power to have victory over sin. Living in sin is not an option if one wants to continue to abide in Him.