"For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;" (Hebrews 7:26 KJV)
"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure trials for a little while. These trials will show that you faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through your many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him, and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9 NLT)
Most of you that have be staying with me, on this so-called journey, know that tithing is something I am very serious about; as it is, I hardly ever have neglected to tithe, ever since I started going to church as a Christian. In 1982, towards the end of the year, by boss wanted to sell be one of his properties. In order to purchase that property I needed to increase my income from $600 a week to $900 a week, which meant that I needed to produce 50% more in sales.
At that current time, I was tithing $60 a week, based upon my current sales; but starting in January of 1983, I started to tithe $90 a week, even though I was still only making the $600 figures. Towards the middle of March, I was producing an average of least $900 a week in sales. We closed escrow on the property and moved into the main house on that Easter Sunday.
Ever since then I have continued to do that same exact thing. I figure out what is needed to pay all of my bills, adding in the moderate expenses for traveling and relaxation; add it all up and then add the 10% of all that, and then I tithe that amount, as my least amount to tithe every week. Even if I don't quit meet the amount for a particular week, I still tithe that amount that I had determined to give. But when I have made more for any week, then I tithe the extra, or at least provide an additional offering.
I am saying this because I wanted to share with those who are able, that God is faithful and will 100% do what He has challenged us to do! I can say this because I know it, and I know that I can trust Him, even though it doesn't seem possible, He makes a way to get to me to keep on trusting Him.
With that I would like to share a recent happening, that I feel He wants me to share. As of the last few months I have eliminated a very large portion of my income, by helping the guy who did most of my repair work into starting his own construction business. That made my weekly sales drop in half, which also made me start changing my tithe amount to accommodate the change.
Yesterday, after making a few stupid mistakes, (like only giving ten percent of a very low week,) I gave the tithe amount for what was needed to pay the bills; even though I had only received about 60% of that income. Later in the day I went to the post office, and there I found only one check in the box. As I opened the envelope, I saw that it was almost exactly the amount needed to match 100% of my tithe.
That might seem as though I might be bragging or something like that; but this is something I am very serious about, because I believe that God has shown me how faithful He is, over and over again! This thing about tithes and offerings is something He is serious about, so we should be serious also; after all, this is the one thing that He has asked us to test Him with; so, we need to trust Him...
""Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, " I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies." (Malachi 3:10-11 NLT)
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