Day 35 - Give and It Will Come Back To You...

Luke 6:38

³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Has your minister ever said, "You can't beat God in giving"? I used to struggle with the idea of giving God 10% of what I earned, thinking, "Why does God need MY money? He doesn't really need it!" But what my tithe and your tithe does is meet the needs of your local church. It costs money to run a church. There are light bills, gas bills, water bills, building and grounds maintenance...not to mention a salary for the pastor and other church staff. Not only that, but everything you earn and have really belongs to God anyway.

It was God who gave you the ability to work. He supplies air to your lungs. He gives movement to your limbs to allow you to drive to work, or get on a bus and ride to work. In reality, God does not NEED your money...He owns the cattle on 1,000 hills! (Psalm 50:10)

Psalm 50:10-11

¹⁰ “For every beast of the forest is Mine,

The cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹ “I know every bird of the mountains,

And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

Tithing is an act of obedience....and obedience is better than sacrifice

1 Samuel 15:22

²² Samuel said,

“ Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

As in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

And to heed than the fat of rams.

When you give your tithes and offerings to God, you are saying to Him, "I am trusting You to meet my needs, Lord."  God does not just want our money, He wants our time and treasure as well. I need to work on the amount of time I spend with the Lord. My tithe and my treasure (all that is important to me, like my business and my family) I can give to Him, but when it comes to my time, I must admit that I waste way too much of it. Sometimes, I just need to sit still! Yesterday, my honey came by. It was early evening and the sun was streaming through my front window. For some reason, the neighborhood was so very quiet (there are usually lots of children out playing). We decided to leave the television off and just enjoy the peace and calm. It was so relaxing!

Lord, help me to spend my time more wisely. I have made an effort to get up 10 minutes early so that I can begin my day with You. I know it will make a difference in my day. 

I love You, Lord

Pamela