Seize the Moment – Day 555
Everything Belongs to God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, September 23.
Did you know that nine dollars will go further than ten dollars when you give the first dollar to the Lord? This was a teaching principle I used with the brothers I ministered to in the men’s recovery discipleship program at CityTeam Ministries in San Jose, California when they would receive their weekly ten-dollar stipend.
Leviticus 27:30-32 explains the ancient spiritual practice of tithing:
Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it. For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.
If a person wanted to redeem or purchase back part of the tithe for personal use, he must pay the value plus an additional 20%. Did you know that the principle of proportionate giving protects us from the presumption of ownership? While the tithe is no longer a legalistic mandate because we are under grace, it is a diagnostic tool of the Spirit for generous and sacrificial giving.
When you set apart as holy the first portion of what God has blessed you with, it demonstrates your awareness that everything given to you is a good gift from a perfect God (James 1:17). It is a proclamation of the truth that we own nothing! We are designed by God to steward and cultivate all His creation for His glory because everything belongs to God, as it has been from the beginning.
Seize the moment and give back to God what was never yours in the first place and you will experience a new depth of freedom in your mind and heart.