Prosperity Doctrine???
Lately, I have read a few great books by authors not writing from a biblical or christian world view. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman. Each of these books bring out an interesting point, especially since they are not written for the “Christian” market. That point is that giving is an important part of wealth. As Americans we are wealthy. If you feel poor see my previous post about this. By giving more, we open up our lives to receive wealth in many forms. There is something about not trying so hard to hold on to money that the rich understand well. Solomon, the richest man to ever live, the man who has tried every pleasure and found them meaningless, knew what it was to give lavishly. He built the temple of our Almighty God! Does this mean that if we write a big check to the church this week that next week we will be millionaires? No, it doesn’t, but a lifestyle of giving does lead to being happy, successful and even possibly wealthy. Try giving more to see if God doesn’t make up the difference. Each of these “secular” authors found this biblical truth to be true. I think that while being a follower of Christ in no way guarantees riches, following God’s plans concerning money are the best financial plans that one can follow.
God says stuff we wish we could ignore!
Exodus 23:15 ends the verse with this command: “No one is to appear before me empty-handed.” In 2 Corinthians 8:2-6 we see that the Macedonian church gave out of their “extreme poverty” They gave, “as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.” Then in verse 7, “But just as you excel in everything…see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” Yesterday, I wrote about how rich most of us are! With those riches come responsibility. Are we willing to truly surrender all that we are and all that we have to the LORD? Will we not just give out of our abundance, but also in sacrifice like the Macedonian church? I will end with a question our pastor asked, “Who or what does my wallet/purse say that I worship?”
God’s Intervention
Filed under: Encouragement, Service, personal growth, tithing
So, do you believe in “Divine Coincidences”? Lately it seems that God has been working through so many “coincidental” events in my life that it has my brain spinning. Just one simple example. God asked me clearly to give a man a certain sum of money. I asked my wife if it was OK, and she asked, “Where will the money come from?” My response was simple, “I don’t know. But I know that God has never let us down yet, and He isn’t going to stop providing for us because we obey Him.” She immediately gave her blessing on the decision and I gave the man the money. Within a day, not only had God “replaced” the amount I gave through a series of “circumstances”, but I was told I am going to receive an unexpected raise that amounts to more than ten times the amount given! God is awesome! I am constantly reminded of how God our Father wants to bless us, but we must first be obedient to His will!
This Morning…
Filed under: Book Review, Encouragement, Repentance, accountability, personal growth, reading, thanks, tithing
Last night, I started reading a great book by Robert Morris entitled, The Blessed Life. This morning, I woke up at a little before five. For some, that may be normal, but I don’t usually drag myself out of bed until about six. I went ahead and got up to spend some extra time in prayer and reading God’s word. So why share? It was incredible! The getting up earlier isn’t spiritual at all, but the uninterrupted time with God was AWESOME! Honestly, I never before understood people who said things like, “I got up at 4:30 this morning and spent time with God.” I always figured they were just bragging or wanted me to feel sorry for them for getting up so early! Now I understand! Sorry to all those who I had bad feelings toward in the past!
Back to the book, when I finished praying and reading the Bible, I still had a little extra time before having to leave for work, so I picked the book back up and read a couple more chapters. It is challenging me in some incredible new ways! I don’t know Robert Morris, and have never heard him speak, but he has written a wonderful, yet easy to read book! I highly recommend it, not just to pastors but to all Christians!
Tithing
In a blog for pastors, why write about tithing? Every pastor knows the importance of the personal tithe. What about the church? We are quick to exhort people to tithe by sharing with them how God blesses those who give. Do we believe that God will bless a church that tithes as well?
Over and over I have seen churches that practice giving to ministries, missions, and denominations beyond their walls blessed by God in miraculous ways! I have also seen churches who claim not to have a big enough budget to be able to help support other ministries struggle year after year just to meet the bills and keep the doors of the church open. “God loves a cheerful giver” goes beyond the individual level. If your church is not supporting missions or any ministry beyond itself and you feel like it is in a constant struggle to meet the bills, I encourage you to put this idea to a test. Trust God, give generously, and see how our Awesome Omnipotent God will pour out His blessings on your ministry.
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