September 21, 2014

Finances: September 15, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2014.

FINANCES

DEFINITION:

Management of monetary affairs.

SCRIPTURE:

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me on this, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will be not room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Tell me what you think about money, and I will tell you what you think about God, for these two are closely related. A man’s heart is closer to his wallet than anywhere else. It is a staggering fact that for the last five years people have spent, here in America, ten times as much for luxuries and non-essential items than they have for all charitable and religious purposes.

The Bible warns us against greed and selfishness; it does encourage frugality and thrift. Jesus said to His disciples after he fed the multitude to gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

John Wesley had a threefold philosophy about money and the use of our finances. He said, make all you can; keep all you can; and then give back to the Lord all you can. Most of us get all we can, spend all we can, borrow all we can and then give meagerly to God.

As we look back to the years before we were married and then these 57 years of marriage, what we were taught about tithing and what we experienced as a result of faithful tithing has been one of the great blessings of our lives. Over the years we have had numerous conversations with our children and most recently with our grand-children about finances. The conversations have basically begun with the question: “How did you make it on the amount of money you received?”

From our perspective, even though we had critical times of concern as to how we were going to make it financially, we always did. And we firmly believe that this happened continually in our lives because we always tithed a minimum of 10% to the Lords work.

We all know that the world is full of disorder and uncertainty, but as believers, we have the wonderful assurance that God is in absolute control of every situation. He created the heavens and the earth. He had a purpose and a plan, which He carried out with precision and order. Knowing this we can be certain that God has a plan for each one of us as believers and every aspect of our lives is not only under His scrutiny but also under His care.

One of those areas is our finances. If we follow God’s plan, He promises to manage our money. Now, that is quite a blessing and most believers do not take God up on His plan. Who do you think would be better at knowing how to handle our money, you or God?

His plan is simple. He promises that if we give Him the first part of all that we receive, a tithe (10%), He will provide for all of our needs. All we can tell you is that this is what we have done consistently without missing a day and God has kept His promise and met our every need. It has truly been amazing to see how God has taken us through many valleys and over many mountains.

When you see the promise that God has made us and the blessing that He promises us plus the unfailing faithfulness of the Promise giver, what keeps you from obeying His command?  The reason we have heard the most is unbelief. People say what if God does not come through? Others say what if I give it away and then do not have enough to pay my bills?

God’s response to this is, “Try Me.” God challenges us to put Him to the test. Everything we have comes from God. God’s test is that we give Him back at least 10 percent, a tithe, to advance His Kingdom and to put our trust in Him to provide for our needs. God is faithful and He will bless us. God’s promise is not always material, but we will receive them, if not here and now, we will receive them in eternity.

The Lord is after your trust and what better way to test God and build your trust in Him is than through your finances.

We have been blessed to have had several visits to Israel. We have been to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. These two bodies of water serve as an excellent example of two vivid financial plans. The Jordan is surrounded by trees and greenery but then around the Dead Sea nothing lives. When the water flows into the Dead Sea it stays there because there is no outlet. Soon the salts accumulate and poison the water.

The Dead Sea can be likened to the world’s financial system which is to accumulate and preserve all your wealth. This results in self-centered stagnation. Hoarding makes lives spiritually unfruitful and hinders the good works God wants to do.

The Lord’s financial plan is like the Jordan, a river that moves continually. As God’s provisions pass into our lives, we pass at least 10% back to Him and to His Church ministries and God continues to give. God supplies enough to live and enough to give.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 22:6.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

PRAYER:

Help me to take the step of obedience today and to trust You to supply all my needs if I follow Your promise of giving the first fruits of what I earn to Your work.



Welcome ~ Ministry Programs ~ Make a Donation ~ Product Catalog
Family Prayer Partners
~ Family Devotional ~ Statement of Faith ~ Contact Us

 

Copyright©2009. All Rights Reserved. The content of this Christian religious blog dedicated to
bringing Bibles to people all over the world is owned exclusively by World Bible Society. Legal Disclaimer

Christian Religious Blog and Website Design by Flagstaff Central.com, Inc.
Content Management System Powered by iUpdateIt.com