"'Giving' or 'Obedience'"
Leviticus 27:14-Numbers 1:54
Mark 11:1-26
Psalm 46:1-11
Proverbs 10:23
I remember one Christmas when we were kids we wanted more presents. It was so long ago I can hardly remember the details, but I know i took some of my brothers toys and I wrapped it up for him so we'd have more presents. It was fun opening more boxes, but I guess there's some level of disappointment that someone went out of their way to give you what was already yours.
Leviticus 27 spells out the process for the Israelites to give special offerings to the Lord. There is a guideline for how to give gifts of land, fruit, grain, homes, and animals. There is amazing detail to the method of how things are valued, redeemed, and what is to be done with the offering.
"You may not dedicate to the Lord the firstborn of any ox or sheep, for it is already his." Lev. 27:26
The Israelites have already been given the command to give their tithe. It was a command to give the firstborn of their ox & sheep. The offerings that are described in this chapter is dealing with how to give offerings that are ABOVE and BEYOND the tithe. In that realm of giving, there were many possibilities of what to give, and how to give it. But when it comes to the tithe, that command has already been given.
When you tithe, do you feel you are being "generous" to God? It's easy it is to write a tithe check and feel so good that I'm giving God something. It's great to feel good, but I need to feel good because I'm obedient, not because I'm going the extra mile to give God what is already his. It's like being proud of the fact that I wrapped up my brother's baseball glove & gave it to him. That's not quite "generosity".
The principle of "Active Ministry Involvement" is responsibility. It's being a good steward of time, talent and resources. At first glance it would seem that the paying of the tithe fits into that "category". That's not really accurate. Tithe is not necessarily a matter of stewardship. It's a matter of Obedience. Obedience is the principle of "Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship". To not pay your tithe is not a matter of "oops, I haven't been a good steward..." it's a matter of "oops, I'm being disobedient".
We need to develop a generous spirit. A generous spirit gives life to stewardship. But I must guard against the thought that my tithe is my "generosity" because in reality, it's my "obedience". We should make sure to walk in obedience with a generous spirit, and by all means, go above and beyond with generosity. Freely you have received, so freely give. Just make sure you you are walking in obedience as well.
Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!
P Greg
Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ
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