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. 

The Interest of Others

 Philip 2:3,4

Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves…Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

 

Being selfish is defined as “(of a person, action, or motive) lacking consideration for others”). Taking care of self is not wrong or sinful, but doing so without consideration of how it may affect others is. We live in a world that is focused on self. “Looking out for number 1, no one else will.” There may be times that we may feel neglected and left out, and feel justified in putting ourselves before others. This may require some deliberate choices we make, and may go against what we want and desire. Does serving self first cause others interest to be hindered? This may depend on what that interest is. If their interest is wrong or sinful, we then make a choice on what is right and not what is self-serving. Let us examine our hearts to make sure we are not making choices that will cause others hurt or hindrance. Let us,  “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another”- Roman 12:10

Loose From Sin

 John 11:44

And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

 

A preacher I heard a long time ago took this verse to show evidence of a second work of grace. I don’t know if the intent of John’s writing was meant to convey this meaning, but it does make a good analogy. We are dead in our trespasses and sin, dead to the things of God. Jesus died on the cross to give us life, He brought us from death to life. But, carnality still has us bound up. Our carnal nature desires to have its own way. It binds us up with fear and pride. Jesus desires for us to be set free, and let loose from the chains that keep us from being all that God wants us to be. He sent the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. His Spirit sets us apart from the world to make us a vessel that can be used for His glory. We can be set loose and totally abandon ourselves to God, letting go of our selfish desires, submitting our will to His will and be holy sanctified to follow Him.

True Worship

Matt. 2:8 “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

God was not fooled by Herod hypocrisy. Neither is He fooled by our fake worship. Saying we love Him and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, yet our lives don’t reflect His loving spirit. Selfishness still dwells within the heart. We may call ourselves “Christians” but it is only lip service. We may even go to church, the place of worship and sing songs of praise, but our heart is far from living our life in the word of God. Herod never did find Jesus, because he really was not a true seeker after God. To be a worshiper of God, one must be a seeker after Him and desire to live in His presence. Seek Him with all your heart, and you will find Him. When you truly find Him, you will surrender your life in full obedience. He will be Lord of all, and your knees will truly bend in worship.

Let All Bitterness Be Put Away

Eph. 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

People normally become bitter and full of malice when they are treated wrongly. It is the natural reaction of the carnal nature. It is difficult to understand the behavior of other people. Those who seek to hurt others do so out of self preservation or selfish intent. Desiring to fulfill or satisfy a personal need. The carnal heart cares not who it hurts, only thinking of self and protecting one’s ego, even at the expense of doing wrong or hurting someone else. Bitterness, a sin that destroys the very fiber of one’s character can easily begin to fester in the heart toward one who has wronged us. We feel it is our right to be bitter, or angry. Having ill will toward someone who is treating you unfair or hateful is what is expected. To the natural man, this is how we deal with people who don’t care and are self centered. How is it possible to let all bitterness be put away? How can we keep from lashing back in anger and speaking back maliciously? It is only by the grace of God and a heart purified by faith by the Holy Spirit that this is made possible. Even as Christ forgave us, He gives us grace to forgive and love others. “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Wisdom From God

Proverbs: 8: 11, 17 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it….I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The wisdom of this world is not the wisdom of God. The wisdom of this world is tainted with selfish desires and want of pleasure. It seeks to preserve self at any cost and always has hidden motivations. Money is not the root of all evil, but loving money more than loving God and people often causes individuals to make bad choices. Those that seek riches are not wise. Aspiring to make money and obtain material things for legitimate pleasure is not folly, but neither is it prudent to seek it at the expense of others or at the detriment of our relationship to Christ. The wisdom we are to seek is the wisdom that comes from God. His wisdom is selfless, loving, and understanding. His wisdom looks at life with eternity in mind. Those that seek first His Kingdom will seek wisdom early in life and early each day. My prayer each morning as I start my day “ Lord, given me wisdom to do what is right and to make decisions that will make this world a better place to live, and keep my motivation on things that are eternal”- Amen.

The Eyes of the Lord

1 Pet. 3:12 “ For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”

God is not a respecter of person, but He does have favorites. He give to every person the ability to choose right and wrong, He does not predestinate a person’s choice. His eyes show favor to them that are of a contrite heart, a heart that desire to seek God first in the everyday things of life. The righteous, are those who seek to live in harmony with God, love His commandments and choose to follow them. He listens to the the prayers of those who seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. We don’t always understand His answers and providence, but we can arrest assure that He cares for those who love and serve Him. Those who choose to live a life of wickedness and make choices that are selfish and self-serving, God will strive against them to turn from their wicked ways and repent. Such who resist Him, will face His judgment. For those who desire to live for God, His eyes will rest on them to do them good. 

Pleasing Self

2 Corinth 5:15 “and that He died for all, that those who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them and rose again.”-

Living to please self is an indication that one has not come face to face with the One who died for sin. Weather we realize it or not, we were all born into this world as sinners. We inherited the fallen nature of Adam, and the seed of sin is within us. The accountability of this sin nature is revealed to all men at some point in their lives. The law of God reveals to man the thing that are sinful and break the heart of God. Living life to satisfy the desires of the flesh and thinking only of oneself is at the root of sin. Unbelief in the One who died for sin is manifest in the way one lives their lives. When we come to Christ for forgiveness of sin, He takes our sin, they are nailed to the cross, and cast into the sea of forgetfulness. He begins to change the desire in our heart. We start to focus on the needs of others because that is what Christ did when He died for us. He died that man may live. God wants us to live a life of loving and giving. For those in live in Christ will no longer live unto themselves, but live to please the One who died for them. 

Micah's idols

Judges 17:1-10
February 24, 2008

The story of Micah and his idols occurred shortly after the death of Joshua and the conquest of the Canaan land. The Israelites had already started drifting away from the laws of God. Everyone was a law unto himself, doing that which was convenient and self-serving. Micah and his mother no doubt had been brought up under the spiritual enlightenment of the OT law, but rationalize the acceptance of idols in their worship to God. May we be careful that the worldly culture of our day not be a substitute for the true worship of God.

Missing Money- (vs.2 “silver that was taken from thee”)
• She cursed the person who took it
• Stealing from your own family
• Greed and selfish desires is the root- love of money
Micah confession- (vs.2 “I took it”)
• Fear of the curse brought concern
• Confession was contrived for his benefit.
• The importance of true confession
Mother’s Spiritual Confusion- (dedicated unto the Lord and idols)
• Religious syncretism- mixing of different beliefs
• There is only one way to heaven, only one God
• James- from the mouth- cursing and blessings?
• The folly of the New Age movement, yoga, ect…
Molten Images- (made graven and molten images)
• Thou shall not have any image before me
• The Lord forbad the use of images as object of worship
• Fashion after the “House of God” – mimic- look-alike
• There is more to the book than the cover.
Man’s Own Eyes- (vs.6 “every man did that which was right”)
• Relativism ruled the day- Truth is relative
• Absolute truth is too restrictive to a heart not submitted to God
Matter of Character (vs.10 a sojourner to be a father and priest)
• The priest had no moral scruples
• Micah disregarded any background check of this Levite
• The importance of integrity and moral character in leadership
Moving in as Priest –(vs.12 lived in the house of Micah)
• Micah’s main concern was that he looked good
• Man looks on the outside, but God looks on the inside (motive)

Lot's Choice

Genesis 13:1-13

The historical accounts in God’s Word are always given with a purpose. It appears evident that the examples given to us by Abram and Lot, was to demonstrate to all who would read that the choices we make will have their consequences. We are constantly faced with choices that shape our character and determine our destiny. It would appear that Lot made a choice that was wise from the prospective of financial gain, but he failed to consider the righteousness of God. His choice was not to seek first the kingdom of God, but to seek first the treasures and pleasures of this world. Lot’s selfish choice was not that he chose the well water plains of Jordan. He suffered a major defeat in his life because he did not inquire of God how to proceed.

Return to God’s will (went up out of Egypt)
• Abram made a wrong choice going to Egypt
• Abram return to where he left the will of God
Rebuild his altars- (the place of the altar)
• God desires that we build “altars” places to meet God
• We must entreat God’s presence
Resolving problems (land was not able to bear them)
• Problems in life are natural occurrences
• Strife-conflict between viewpoints.
• Choices made in conflict
Resigning yourself (then I will go to the right)
• Preferring one another in the spirit of meekness
• Trusting God to take care of the outcome
Relishing the temporal (he lifted up his eyes and beheld…)
• Lot let the desire of the flesh to rule his choices.
• His heart was not set on treasure above, but on earthly treasures
• He did the stop to think how this would affect his family
Resisting temptation (…Lot pitched his tent…)
• In making choices, we must flee the very appearance of evil
• We must be careful how our influence will affect others
Repercussions of self-centered choices
• Lot lost all his possessions
• Lot lost his family
• Lot’s left a legacy that is tainted with warning