Tithing and Giving.
EVERYTHING BELONGS TO GOD
So, basically, we are just giving God back a small portion of what He has already given us.
I have been reading in Malachi
I am sure we are all familiar with the verse
Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be Food in My house,
And TRY ME NOW IN THIS, Says the Lord of hosts, If I will not Open for You the Windows of Heaven and Pour Out For You Such Blessing that there will Not Be Room Enough to Receive It.
All I can say is WOW.
I believe that this is the only verse in the Bible where God just tells us…
To Go ahead and test Him. He says “Prove Me”
It’s is like a kid saying “Go Ahead…I Dare You”
God Know that He will Keep His Word. Do We?
Big question for some.
I like what Dr Charles Staley says. That doubt is a subtle form of unbelief.
And We are to Give Him our Firstfruits. Give Him our Best.
Funny thought just came to me. I will only purchase Extra Virgin, First Cold Pressed, Olive Oil.
Sure the 100% is pure olive oil, But it comes from cooking down what is left after the olive is first squeezed, cold pressed. This is the Best.
This is what the children of Israel were doing. Giving God the left overs.
Their offerings were sick animals that were going to die anyway.
So they were not really giving God anything.
And what is interesting, God had just rescued Israel from Egypt, they had been doing well, and this is when they drifted back into evil.
Why is it that we don’t feel like we need God when we are doing well?
And God will surely let us come to the point of need, just to Bring Us Back to Him.
We should just go to God As A First Choice, Not As A Last Resort.
And it says we should give joyfully.
I also think we should give expectantly.
I made a decision, something that I believe the Lord put on my heart.
I am increasing my tithe 4 times.
I am giving to my increase.
Now as soon as I felt led to do this and made my decision, satan Attacked me. All this past week he is telling me how I cannot do this.
He has filled me with doubt. But this I know. I can Not out give God.
I am not sharing this to sound big. My increase would be nothing to many of you. I am sharing it as a statement for myself.
When we actually write something down. We are more likely to stick to it.
Also the Word of God teaches us that our Body is a Temple and we need to present it pure to the Lord. How can I lift up Up-Holy hands to the Lord and ask for God’s Blessings?
This is what the children of Israel were doing. Offering up un-holy sacrifices while asking for God’s Blessings.
And God told them that they were Robbing Him.
If We Want God to be Closer to Us…. We Must Come Closer to Him.
Malachi 5:7 “Return to Me and I will Return to You” Says God
Another of God’s Promises….
Malachi 3:11 “And I will Rebuke the Devourer for Your Sakes, So that he will Not Destroy the Fruit of Your Ground. Nor shall the vine fail to Bear Fruit for you in the field,” says the Lord of Hosts.
3:11. “And all the nations will Call You Blessed, for you will Be A Delightful Land.” Says the Lord of Hosts.
Sure we all want this… for the Lord to protect us from the evil of this world, to make us prosperous, for our labor to yield fruit.
And People to See that We Are Blessed…AND THAT THE BLESSINGS COME FROM THE LORD. GIVE GOD THE CREDIT.
I AM NOT A PROSPERITY PREACHER. WELL, MAYBE I AM.
Deut. 8:19 “Remember the Lord….for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth.”
I Do Know This…..The Lord Blesses His Own.
He Sent His Only Son To Die For Us On The Cross….
And If God Never Did Anything Else For Us. That Is Enough.
.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
A Parents Advice to Children
Just reading this morning in Kings 2:1-3
2:1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon
his son, saying,
2:2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a
man;
2:3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His
statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it
is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest Prosper in all that thou
doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
What Great Advice, given from any parent to their child.
Just as important now as it was then.
Of all the things David could have shared with Solomon......Pay attention to the Lord, Walk in His Ways, Keep your Heart in tune with the Lord.
David was described by God Himself..... As a Man after God's Own Hearth.
If I could ask for any description, it would be to be known as a "Woman After God's Own Heart".
An If I Can "Leave" Anything To My Daughter, It Would Be To Have A "TRIPLE Portion Of My Faith".
2:1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon
his son, saying,
2:2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a
man;
2:3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His
statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it
is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest Prosper in all that thou
doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
What Great Advice, given from any parent to their child.
Just as important now as it was then.
Of all the things David could have shared with Solomon......Pay attention to the Lord, Walk in His Ways, Keep your Heart in tune with the Lord.
David was described by God Himself..... As a Man after God's Own Hearth.
If I could ask for any description, it would be to be known as a "Woman After God's Own Heart".
An If I Can "Leave" Anything To My Daughter, It Would Be To Have A "TRIPLE Portion Of My Faith".
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Why Worry When We Can Pray
Why Worry When We Can Pray
I am reading today in the Old Testiment.
2 Samuel 24:14
And David said to Gad,
"I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the
hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great"
Today, as a country, we are in great distress.
And many of us personally.
I remember Dr.Charles Stanley saying that Worry is a sutble form of unbelief.
Our best Offense is to Pray that We Fall Into The Loving Arms of Christ.
I am reading today in the Old Testiment.
2 Samuel 24:14
And David said to Gad,
"I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the
hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great"
Today, as a country, we are in great distress.
And many of us personally.
I remember Dr.Charles Stanley saying that Worry is a sutble form of unbelief.
Our best Offense is to Pray that We Fall Into The Loving Arms of Christ.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Hi Dad
Seems like I have been very Emotional lately.
Cried Often..... and Yes, this one made me cry again.
Subject: Hi Dad....
In all ways acknowledge him and he will direct
thy paths. Proverb 3:6
After living what I felt was a
'decent' life, my time on earth came to the end.
The first thing I remember is sitting
on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house.
The doors opened and I was instructed
to come in and have a seat by the defense table.
As I looked around I saw the
'prosecutor.'
He was a villainous looking gent who
snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I
have ever seen.
I sat down and looked to my left and
there sat My Attorney, kind and gentle looking man whose appearance
seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him.
The corner door flew open and there
appeared the Judge in full flowing robes.
He commanded an awesome presence as
He moved across the room I couldn't take my eyes off Him.
As He took His seat behind the bench,
He said, 'Let us begin.'
The prosecutor rose and said,
'My name is Satan and I am here to
show you why this man belongs in hell.'
He proceeded to tell of lies that I
told, things that I stole, and In the past when I cheated others.
Satan told of other horrible Perversions that were once in my life
and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank.
I was so embarrassed that I couldn't
look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that
even I had completely forgotten about.
As upset as I was at Satan for
telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney
who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all.
I know I had been guilty of those
things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least
equal out part of the harm I'd done?
Satan finished with a fury and said,
'This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged
and there is not a person who can prove otherwise..'
When it was His turn, My Attorney
first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this
over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward.
As He got up and started walking, I
was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty..
I realized why He seemed so familiar;
this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior.
He stopped at the bench and softly
said to the Judge, 'Hi, Dad,' and then He turned to address the court.
'Satan was correct in saying that
this man had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And, yes,
the wages of sin is death, and this man deserves to be punished.'
Jesus took a deep breath and turned
to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, 'However, I died
on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has
accepted Me as his Savior, so he is Mine.'
My Lord continued with, 'His name is
written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch him from Me.
Satan still does not understand yet.
This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy.'
As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused,
looked at His Father and said, 'There is nothing else that needs to
be done.'
'I've done it all.'
The Judge lifted His mighty hand and
slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from His lips..
'This man is free. The penalty for
him has already been paid in full. 'Case dismissed.'
As my Lord led me away, I could hear
Satan ranting and raving, 'I won't give up, I will win the next one.'
I asked Jesus as He gave me my
instructions where to go next, 'Have you ever lost a case?'
Christ lovingly smiled and
said,'Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has
received the same verdict as you, ~Paid In Full~'
P.S.
"Stop telling God how big your storm is.
Instead, tell the storm how big your
God is!"
Happy New Year
If you do Not Know the Lord Jesus As Your Personal Lord and Savior,
I Pray that This Is the Year that You Do.
And If You Already Do.....Isn't It Wonderful To Know That Your Sin Debt Is Already ...
Paid In Full.
Love,
Kay
Cried Often..... and Yes, this one made me cry again.
Subject: Hi Dad....
In all ways acknowledge him and he will direct
thy paths. Proverb 3:6
After living what I felt was a
'decent' life, my time on earth came to the end.
The first thing I remember is sitting
on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house.
The doors opened and I was instructed
to come in and have a seat by the defense table.
As I looked around I saw the
'prosecutor.'
He was a villainous looking gent who
snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I
have ever seen.
I sat down and looked to my left and
there sat My Attorney, kind and gentle looking man whose appearance
seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him.
The corner door flew open and there
appeared the Judge in full flowing robes.
He commanded an awesome presence as
He moved across the room I couldn't take my eyes off Him.
As He took His seat behind the bench,
He said, 'Let us begin.'
The prosecutor rose and said,
'My name is Satan and I am here to
show you why this man belongs in hell.'
He proceeded to tell of lies that I
told, things that I stole, and In the past when I cheated others.
Satan told of other horrible Perversions that were once in my life
and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank.
I was so embarrassed that I couldn't
look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that
even I had completely forgotten about.
As upset as I was at Satan for
telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney
who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all.
I know I had been guilty of those
things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least
equal out part of the harm I'd done?
Satan finished with a fury and said,
'This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged
and there is not a person who can prove otherwise..'
When it was His turn, My Attorney
first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this
over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward.
As He got up and started walking, I
was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty..
I realized why He seemed so familiar;
this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior.
He stopped at the bench and softly
said to the Judge, 'Hi, Dad,' and then He turned to address the court.
'Satan was correct in saying that
this man had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And, yes,
the wages of sin is death, and this man deserves to be punished.'
Jesus took a deep breath and turned
to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, 'However, I died
on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has
accepted Me as his Savior, so he is Mine.'
My Lord continued with, 'His name is
written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch him from Me.
Satan still does not understand yet.
This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy.'
As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused,
looked at His Father and said, 'There is nothing else that needs to
be done.'
'I've done it all.'
The Judge lifted His mighty hand and
slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from His lips..
'This man is free. The penalty for
him has already been paid in full. 'Case dismissed.'
As my Lord led me away, I could hear
Satan ranting and raving, 'I won't give up, I will win the next one.'
I asked Jesus as He gave me my
instructions where to go next, 'Have you ever lost a case?'
Christ lovingly smiled and
said,'Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has
received the same verdict as you, ~Paid In Full~'
P.S.
"Stop telling God how big your storm is.
Instead, tell the storm how big your
God is!"
Happy New Year
If you do Not Know the Lord Jesus As Your Personal Lord and Savior,
I Pray that This Is the Year that You Do.
And If You Already Do.....Isn't It Wonderful To Know That Your Sin Debt Is Already ...
Paid In Full.
Love,
Kay
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Is God Your Friend Or Is God Your Lord?
Is God Your Friend Or Is He Your Lord?
I have been reading in 2 Samuel 6:9
David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?
We might ask the same question.
The ark of the Lord was brought to David, by David Completely Obeying God.
Many people think that God is our Friend. Perhaps…. but more…
He is our Lord.
Just like a parent cannot become friends with their children while they are growing up…..they have to remain the Parent.
God remains our Lord.
In other words….God wants to Bring Us Up To His Level to Become our friend. We can Not Expect a Holy God to come Down to our Level.
{Our Sinful Nature}
If We Want God To Come Closer To Us……We Have To Come Closer To God.
Sin in our life separates us from God. Obedience brings us closer to God.
I have been reading in 2 Samuel 6:9
David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?
We might ask the same question.
The ark of the Lord was brought to David, by David Completely Obeying God.
Many people think that God is our Friend. Perhaps…. but more…
He is our Lord.
Just like a parent cannot become friends with their children while they are growing up…..they have to remain the Parent.
God remains our Lord.
In other words….God wants to Bring Us Up To His Level to Become our friend. We can Not Expect a Holy God to come Down to our Level.
{Our Sinful Nature}
If We Want God To Come Closer To Us……We Have To Come Closer To God.
Sin in our life separates us from God. Obedience brings us closer to God.
Friday, December 11, 2009
David and Goliath
David and Goliath
I have heard so many different sermons about David and Goliath.
Some simple observations. Taken From 1 Samuel 17
17:26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
David did not allow the Philistine to frighten him. We should Not let the Unbelievers or Doubters, or Atheist in this world scare us into Not Standing Up For What We Believe.
He had experienced victories before, in and through the Lord and he Knew God Would Deliver Him Again.
Who can Go against our God?
When God is For Us…Who Can Be Against Us?
It is a Win……Win situation. God Can’t loose…..We Can’t Loose.
But King Saul looked at everything through the eyes of man. Not through the eyes of faith in our Living God..
To trust God, We have to See what He Sees..Not What We See.
17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
Past victories! We can be assured that our God who has delivered us in the past….Will Do It Again.
The first thing David did was activate his Faith.
17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
David went to Battle, Not in his own might but in the Name of the Lord.
The Battle was God’s …….Not David’s…and David Knew It.
Nothing can Touch us unless God permits it. So the Battle Is Always His.
We must Face Each Day As We Are Doing Battle Beside The Lord.
We Are In His Army and He Never Looses.
Want to be on the Winning Side? Be On God’s Side.
And Above All Else…..Do Not Be Afraid or Ashamed To Proclaim It.
17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
Now With God on Our Side….Let Us Go Out There and Face The World With Confidence. David and Goliath
I have heard so many different sermons about David and Goliath.
Some simple observations. Taken From 1 Samuel 17
17:26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
David did not allow the Philistine to frighten him. We should Not let the Unbelievers or Doubters, or Atheist in this world scare us into Not Standing Up For What We Believe.
He had experienced victories before, in and through the Lord and he Knew God Would Deliver Him Again.
Who can Go against our God?
When God is For Us…Who Can Be Against Us?
It is a Win……Win situation. God Can’t loose…..We Can’t Loose.
But King Saul looked at everything through the eyes of man. Not through the eyes of faith in our Living God..
To trust God, We have to See what He Sees..Not What We See.
17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
Past victories! We can be assured that our God who has delivered us in the past….Will Do It Again.
The first thing David did was activate his Faith.
17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
David went to Battle, Not in his own might but in the Name of the Lord.
The Battle was God’s …….Not David’s…and David Knew It.
Nothing can Touch us unless God permits it. So the Battle Is Always His.
We must Face Each Day As We Are Doing Battle Beside The Lord.
We Are In His Army and He Never Looses.
Want to be on the Winning Side? Be On God’s Side.
And Above All Else…..Do Not Be Afraid or Ashamed To Proclaim It.
17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
Now With God on Our Side….Let Us Go Out There and Face The World With Confidence. David and Goliath
Monday, October 5, 2009
Wright Or Wrong
God Could Force Us To Do Right
But He Does Not
The devil Would Force Us To Do Wrong
But he Can Not
But He Does Not
The devil Would Force Us To Do Wrong
But he Can Not
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