Saturday May 5, 2012

Give to God from the first of your income this week. Don’t hold back on God.

 

Read Deuteronomy 15:19-23

 

Generosity in giving is not often preached about let alone talked about. But here in Deuteronomy 15 we see that Israel was to be generous in her giving back to God. God saved Israel from slavery in Egypt through the death of the first born sons of Egypt. When the Lord passed over Egypt that fateful night,  the first born son in every household with out the blood of the lamb painted on the door posts was slain.  In return, God asks that the first born of all cattle and herds and flocks be given to Him.  First born sons were to be redeemed at the set redemption price. Sons and unclean animals could be redeemed but oxen and cattle and the flock could not. They were given over to God.

 

As an Israelite dependant upon your livestock and agriculture, it would be very advantageous if the sickly first born or the diseased and the dying were given to God. It would be helpful if those beasts that were going to die anyway could be given to the Lord.  But God wanted the best. He wanted the firstborn no matter how costly it would be. God would not accept second best.

 

While we do not redeem our sons nor sacrifice animals to the Lord, the principle of giving to God is still applicable. God neither accepts nor wants second best. He wants us to give to Him our first and our best.

 

Our giving is mainly from our income.  He wants us to give at least a tenth to Him before any other expenses are taken out. God wants us to make Him the priority in our budgets and spending. He wants us to be committed to Him and His Kingdom above and beyond anything else. When you give this weekend, give to God from the first of your income without holding back on God. Give to God generously and cheerfully. Don’t rob God of what is His anyway.

 

As one person once put it, ‘God only asks for a tithe’.

Prayer:

¥ Pray that Mustard Seed Orphanage would continue to provide for poor and needy orphans and widows. Pray that they would have wisdom in using their finances and resources. Pray that God would continue to provide for them.

¥ Pray that we would see Christianity flourishing in areas where there is oppression and suppression. Pray that the love of Christ would melt hard hearts, change strict and unfair laws and bring peace to war torn lands.