2 Corinthians 9:
Basically Elle and I decided that if you own a Hummer you fail. Worship this morning was good. The synopsis based mostly on the above verse had to do with giving and tithing. Or more acurately coming into the enlightened realization of those words.
I guess the first big schoker actually was a few weeks ago when the pastor explained tithing (from the Jewish tradition of giving to the temple a tenth of their livestock, grain, earnings, etc) as giving back to God's what is God's already. But more specifically--if you loaned me thirty dollars and then the next day for your birthday i gave you a tenspot. It's not exactly a gift is it?
The same way in the old parable of the talents the last servant who gave back th eone talent after burying it wasn't only being chastise for poor investment skills--it's also the matter of ONLY returning to God what is Gods. IE: if all we ever do is tithe, we are that last servant. We should be prepared and willing not only to tithe but to also give extra for the things God places on our hearts.
Hey, bein' Christian ain't easy.
So today was a continuation on the theme (that respecting what is God's and obeying what he commands us to do with his things lead to closer relationship, which leads to blessings...) was that you reap what you sow. Of course we've heard that, but we jotted down to verse 6:
(this is Paul speaking) "The point is this:the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (7) Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
Which is pretty awesome becuase not only does God work out with you personally what is going to be your tithe (or as Elle and I work it, the cream not the crumbs) and what is going to be your giving, but if we can manage in our hearts to be cheerful and at peace with it we know that we can count on God to provide for us and still even bless us with abundance.
It hit pretty close to home really as there was a point in my time durring which i felt the Lord asking me to loan like 500 bucks to someone who was at the end of thier rope. And i felt good about doing it and i did it even thought at the time i was like a fitty away from being broke myself after the loan. But i went ahead with it, know it was the right thing to do.
Shortly thereafter the guy was buying sound equipment, and those ass-in-nine little diffuser pumps for fountains that make smoke, etc. And i was like, what the hell, I gave him that money to live off of and get food, pay bills, etc... But see that's not the point. The point is God asks us to do it and we do it. And he is the one who will bless us for that. We don't need to expect our compensation to some from earthly means when our command came from heavenly ones. And the Lord was true to his promise and blessed me with a wonderful job and the ability to save a thousand fold what i origionally loaned out. so talk about failing tests! But... one step closer to the outside of the cave...
I believe in what god CAN do. Because what God HAS done is evidence of what God WILL do again. (paraphrase)
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