How Is Your Attitude

Mental Attitude

The significance of true giving is a mental attitude rather

than the amount donated. True giving is based on grace 

orientation. It is "giving of yourself"! When you give in

grace, you still have grace!

" The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance

shall be for ever."

Psalm 37:18

Lord, help me to apply myself as best I can with the awareness

that You stand ready to help.

In Christ name I pray

Do You Have Doctrine Capacity

HAPPINESS

Is built only upon Bible doctrine (Jer. 15:16; John 13:17; 1 John 1:4), 

for doctrine from the Word of God gives you the capacity for happiness

(John 17:13,17). Apart from Bible doctrine, the materialistic things and

people which make you happy today will bore you or make you miserable

tomorrow (Heb. 13:5,6). Unless you have doctrinal capacity, even your

right man or right woman cannot bring you the maximum happiness God

intended you to have in that relationship.

"The angel of the Lord encampeth  round about them that fear Him,

and delivereth them."

Psalm 34:7

Dear God, give me courage to face the problems that confront me

today, thank You for Your sustaining strength.

In Christ name I pray

Find The Time To Give

Tithing

3 and 4

The fact that titing has nothing to do with giving can be seen

from the Hebrew of Malachi 3:8--10. Tithes were brought into the

 treasury (literally)-- not the "storehouse", and Not the church!

Tithing was taxation; giving was over and above tithing!

(4) The Time and Norm for Giving. In 1Corinthians 16:2, we

find the time for giving to be the first day of the week at 

assembly worship. The norm:  "As God has prospered!"

"At the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee."

Isaiah 30:19

O God, help us to remember that we can depend on Your Word.

What You have spoken will come to pass.

In Christ name I pray

In The Old Testament---Taxation

3 Tithing

The word "tithe" means "ten percent". Old Testament tithing was a form of

 taxation and was imposed upon Jewish believers and unbelievers alike. This

amounted to a percentage of what one owned or received for his labors. There

were several tithes. One was an income tax for the maintenance of the Levites

(Num. 18,21,24). There was also a tax for the national feasts and sacrifices,

mentioned in Deuteronomy 14,22 through 24. Thirdly, there was a tax every

year used for the poor of the land (Deut. 14,28,29). Three Taxes or

Three Tithes!

"Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ

shall give thee light."

Ephesians 5:14

Dear Lord, help me today not to be careless about my relationship with You.

In Christ name I pray

Not Grudgingly But With Cheer

2 The New Testament Principle of Giving

This principle is found in 2 Corinthians 9:7. The believer today 

gives  "as he purposeth in his heart-----not grudgingly, or of necessity:

for God loveth a cheerful giver." 

"Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup

of cold water---he shall in no wise lose his reward."

Matthew 10:42

Dear God, today I want to share the gifts of Your love and happiness

with one who has less chance that I of finding them.

In Christ name I pray

There Is A Tithing And A Grace Giving

Four Basic Principles Of Giving

(1) The Old Testament Principle of Giving. Some people think 

that the basis for giving in the Old Testament was tithing. It was

not!  Giving then was grace giving,  just as it is in  the New 

Testament. The principle for giving in the Old Testament is found

in Proverbs 11:24,25:

There is that scattereth [give liberally], and yet increaseth [materially]

and there is that withholdeth more [money] than is meet [fitting], but

it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat [rich]: and he 

that watereth shall be watered also himself.

The Old Testament believers were commanded to bring tithes and 

offering (Deut. 12:6): tithing was taxation; offering were grace giving.

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all."

Psalm 34:19

O Lord, help me to understand the reasons for Your chastening.

In Christ name I pray

Are You Growing

Church Age

Last in our review, and especially pertinent to our subject, is the

universal priesthood of the believer. In the Church Age, every

believer is a royal priest (1 Pet. 2:5,9) whose objective is to grow to 

maturity (Eph. 3:17-21; 4: 11-16; Heb. 6:17-20). As one of the

sacrifices or priestly functions of the royal priesthood (Heb.13),

giving is a privilege of believers only; unbelievers are excluded

because they are under condemnation from  God. While worship

is primarily the function of learning doctrine as taught by the pastor

teacher--it also includes praying, singing, observing the Lord's

Table, and giving among its authorized expressions.

" The Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants: and none of them that trust

in Him shall be desolate."

Psalm 34:22

My Lord and my God! I claim You as the Source and Object of my life.

In Christ name I pray.