"Publish It" -2

"The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it." (Psalms 68:11) Maybe I got a little misdirected yesterday; then again, we really need to start standing our ground when it comes to these changes in the law. If you actually read the Scriptures which talk about being obedient to those in authority, they mostly speak about those in authority being the enforcer of the laws; yet when a law goes against the word of God, there needs to be a stand taken for God's word. Here is another good example of what I am talking about. If you are filling out an income statement for either tax settlement payments or for Medicare enrollment, there is no line to list your Tithes and Offerings to your church in the expense portion of the income statement; primarily because they do not consider giving to your church a legitimate expense to be considered for a deduction from your income; in other words, it is not lawful to pay your tithes if you owe money to the government, or if you are applying for government subsidies. Since when did it become an option to disobey God's command for giving? I know that some people will try and say that giving is an Old Testament command, and that now we are under a New Covenant, as if the basic principles of God's law have changed. But nothing could be further from the truth! The warning and promise of Malachi 3:9-11 still stand, God has not changed His mind regarding giving a tenth of your first fruits; meaning "the whole tithe", not ten percent of you net, or what might be left as scraps after paying all of your bills. No, God requires it from us who depend upon Him to supply all of our needs. When I fill out income statements like those mentioned above, I write in a line for my Tithes, and I do not take no for an answer! If I don't qualify, so be it! God will supply all of my needs! But let me tell you something about God's promise, He is serious when He says, "Test Me and see"...
"I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned My decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "But you ask, 'How can we return when we have never gone away?' "Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated Me! "But you ask, 'What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?' You have cheated Me of your tithes and offerings due Me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating Me. 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. "Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies." (Malachi 3:6-12) NLT