August 30 – To Tithe or not to tithe

       Malachi 3:8-10 - “ 'Will a man rob God? Yet you do rob me. But you ask “How do we rob you?” In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Almighty Eternal One, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven, and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room for it.' ”

        This is not an argument on the larger philosophy of tithing, whether or not it is still a requirement under the new covenant that Jesus initiated. Despite the rebuke in the verses above, there is a promise from God that remains. When we give money and resources to his established work (wherever that may be in his kingdom, and whatever that may look like), he promises to bless us tremendously. He only asks, as the New Testament woven theme goes, that we give willingly and generously (2 Corinthians 8:1-15).

        I was raised in a middle-class family, who lived for many years in an early 20^th century house, with a coal furnace. When I was in high school, I worked at the local Dairy Queen for a few summers. I was a new Christian, and I had read and understood the concept of tithing. So I made a promise to God. Even though I was only making $3 per hour at the time, I told God that I would give him $10 from every paycheck, which sometimes was well over 10% of what I made. For a teen, that might be a big deal; but I sacrificed anyway.

        As the years went by, I continued to be faithful in giving tithes and offerings (above 10%) to God's kingdom work, and still do so to this day. I can say that I have been blessed financially, in order to be a further blessing to someone else, not to increase my treasure on this earth for extravagant, luxurious living.

        This promise from God is one in which God states “to test him”. In other scriptures, we are expressly told to not test God. This exception must then be special. So why not “taste and see” that God is good, and start testing his heart to bless you, when you start blessing others and giving to his kingdom work.

August 27 – Birth Day

        Psalm 139:13-16a - “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made....my frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body....” NIV © 1973

        The psalmist here paints a beautiful poetic picture of God creating a new physical life. It is interesting to note that the NIV uses the words “unformed body” in verse 16. The original Hebrew word actually means “embryo”. This verse alone, although there are others, (e.g. Jer. 1:5), confirms that life in God's mind begins at conception. Humans are his special creation (Gen. 1:26).

        There are more than 7 billion people on planet Earth in 2016. That averages to 19,178,082 living persons who share the same birth day in a calendar year. Does that large number make you feel insignificant? Yet God knows each one of us from the day that we were conceived, and even before, as Jeremiah 1:5 suggests.

        With whom do you share your birth date? Check out http://www.onthisday.com/birthdays to find some people remembered in history who have the same birth date as you. I share my birth day with U.S. President Lyndon Johnson, actor Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman), and Anna of Brandenburg, queen of Denmark (16^th cent). While I will not be remembered in the history annals of the world, God remembers me right now. I thank him that he is my Father and God, the most powerful creator and inventor of all time.