"Homage" -To

"Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring unto him that ought to be feared." (Psalms 76:11) It is really pretty obvious that praising God brings us to a place of humility and awe; but giving back to the Lord based upon the measure that you have been given, that's just pure respect and serenity. Say what you will, but if you are not paying your tithes to the Lord, then you don't have much to say in my book; and that's the honest truth. Maybe that's not your thing; or maybe you don't believe in giving a tithe, because it's something to do with the law, and you are no longer under the law. Hear me out; don't shut me off. There is the law, as in laws and regulation, and then there is the law, as in the laws of gravity. In other words, 'What goes up must come down!' Okay, so maybe you don't quite get what I am getting at; that's not uncommon among the church, especially in these current days we are living in. Everyone is mostly just living for themselves, and the general thought of giving to your church is not part of the equation; but it should be! I would like to draw your attention to a word that I used above, the word "serenity." It's a word that speaks about having peace in the midst of whatever; to be untroubled. The way I see it, if you are all about living for yourself, then shouldn't being untroubled be something you would want? I mean, really! People who live for themselves don't want to be troubled by other people's problems. Unfortunately, that's not the way that we should be living; not if we are looking forward to hearing, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Do you see how it works? The both are within the same category of paying respect to the Lord, both giving our tithe and caring for others; they are both about surrender and servanthood. There are only a few things in the Bible that God challenges us to test Him on, and giving our tithes is one of them. Another that comes to mind has something to do with "taste," and it pretty much falls into the same category testing; which by the way, cannot happen without doing it! In other words, if you do not try it, then you can not experience how it tastes; and if you don't know how it tastes, then what do you have to say about trusting God with providing all your needs? Not much... "Remember this -a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others As the Scriptures say: "They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever." For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you." (2 Corinthians 9:6-10) NLT