FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Faith Essentials

to me. And I want to say, if I had not tithed the first dollar I made I would not have tithed the first million dollars I made.

I’ve heard people say they can’t afford to tithe. I say you can’t afford not to. In fact, you’re missing tremendous blessings if you don’t. As the Bible says, “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test 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 a blessing until it overflows’” (Malachi 3:10). The final misconception about giving is that it’s all about the money . Obviously, the Macedonian churches got it, since “They first gave themselves to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5). Note from this verse first, preeminence of salvation . Giving ourselves to the Lord is far more important than offering our money. He can survive without our offerings. We can’t survive without His Son. The Macedonians had their priorities in order. If we come before God with open wallets but closed hearts, the effect will be short lived. There’s no substitute to offering one’s heart to Christ. Realize too, the ultimate recipient of our offerings in the kingdom of God is the Lord Himself . When collecting money to construct the temple, David said: “ I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you ” (1 Chronicles 29:17, emphasis added). Speaking of recipients of salvation and eternal life, Jesus said: “ For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in . . . to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:35,36,40, emphasis added). When I was in seminary, a friend of mine suggested we go into the downtrodden sections of Fort Worth and pass out sandwiches to homeless people on the streets. It proved to be a very humbling

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