Should Christians Tithe

Should Christians Tithe?

Malachi 3:8-10  ‘Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, How have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. 

You are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in My house, and prove me now by this means, says the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing to you, such that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Matthew 23:23  ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy and faith: these ought you to have done, and not leave the other undone.

Probably one of the most controversial and neglected principles of the Bible is that of tithing.  Some will say that it is an Old Testament rule that is no longer applicable to New Testament believers.  Is this a legitimate argument?  If so, do we disregard the Ten Commandments  and all other rules and precepts contained in the Old Testament.   In the Malachi passage God promises to bless those who tithe.  Refusal to tithe would seem to indicate a reluctance to ‘test and prove’ that God will be faithful to fulfil His promise.   In the verse from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus affirmed his approval of the practice of tithing.

Do you think Christians should tithe?

Why would you think tithing is not a valid principle today?

Do you believe God’s promise to abundantly bless those who tithe?

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Hymn: Take My Life

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Even a non-Christian writer, Paula Ryan writes the following: “Many other industrious and prosperous business leaders practiced tithing, including the Colgate, Kraft, Templeton and Heinz families.   William Colgate learned about tithing from an old riverboat captain.  Colgate ultimately tithed 50% of his annual income and his bookkeeping records were marked “Account with the Lord.” Additional reading link

Why Is Friday Called Good Friday

Good Friday is the day that Christians celebrate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. A few days ago I overheard a conversation between two men and they were wondering what Good Friday was all about. I was surprised that neither one of them knew what Good Friday means, although; one of them did say that it had something to do with Jesus.

Something to think about

Why is Friday called Good Friday?
What are YOUR plans for Good Friday?

Webmaster..I will be attending a breakfast gathering at my local church and then a church service
Will YOU be attending a church service?s

Quote from wikipedia (link to rest of articleGood Friday[1] is a Christian religious holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Black Friday,[2][3][4] or Easter Friday,[5][6] though the last term properly refers to the Friday in Easter week.

Please feel free to comment.

Links to Good Friday messages and devotionals.
Good Friday..4 Powerful Reflections of The Cross

What’s So Good About Good Friday


To be updated..

Check out Psalm23 post..

Psalm 23

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters. 

He restores my soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff comfort me.

Your prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies: You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

This is undoubtedly the most popular or well known of David’s psalms.  It is a psalm which many look to for comfort in troubled times and assurance when they are facing life-threatening circumstances.  It is also a psalm in which David speaks of God as the ‘Good Shepherd’,

Who is the loving and compassionate Provider and Protector of His flock.  As an experienced shepherd David knew and diligently practiced his responsibility.  How much more carefully will our Heavenly Father tend to His flock of believers?

How do you view God? Do you see Him as your personal Shepherd?

Are you comforted by His presence, protection and provision?

Our Eternal God

We are going to change the format of the site with a view to increasing reader involvement. The aim is to solicit feedback or commentary on a ‘topic of the week’, which will be supported by one or more Bible verses, and sometimes comments or questions. It is hoped that visitors to the site will express their opinions freely, as well as pose any questions they feel are appropriate. By generating conversation or dialogue, those who contribute and those who visit the site will no doubt benefit in their understanding of the Bible and the Christian life in general.

Our Eternal God

Hebrews 13:8 ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.’
Revelation 1:8 ‘I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.’
Psalm 90:2 ‘Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting You are God’

We live in a constantly changing world. Our bodies and our living conditions are continually changing. But we have an unchanging God.

1   Has your concept of God changed with time? If so, how?
2   What comfort do you take from knowing that God never changes?
3   Do you have questions regarding creation in the light of scientific discoveries and theories?

e mail: comments@biblebytes.net

God’s Perfecting Work

God’s Perfecting Work

Philippians 1:6  ‘Being confident of this very thing, that He Who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.’

Over the course of a lifetime, the majority of people, if not all, can look back and reflect on projects or activities which they started but never got to finish.  It may have been something as important as a career pursuit or as trivial as a weekend carpentry project, but we often begin things which don’t get finished.  This is in direct contrast with the way God works.  When Jesus came to earth, He came for the purpose of dying for our sins, and nothing was going to prevent Him from accomplishing His Father’s will.  In Luke 9:51 we are told that He ‘steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem’ where He would lay down His life for the redemption of the world.  Nothing could deter Him from finishing the work He came to earth to do.  In today’s verse, we have another example of God’s faithfulness in completing the work He has begun – this time in the life of an individual believer.  When a person is saved, s/he is a babe in Christ and has to grow spiritually to become a mature Christian who is prepared for eternal life in heaven.  While the believer has a role in spiritual development, the ‘heavy lifting’ is the work that was begun and will be completed by the Holy Spirit.

At times we may feel that we are not winning the battle, or making progress toward the goal of becoming more like Christ.  But, as the verse says, we can be confident that He Who began the good work will perform it, even until that day when Jesus Christ returns.  This work began with salvation and sanctification, and will be completed with our glorification.  Only the perfect work of a perfect God will perfect an imperfect person for a perfect heaven.

Are you confident that God will perform the work necessary to prepare you for heaven?

How do you feel you have to help God in that work?

What do you understand to be the ‘day of Jesus Christ?

Spiritual Discipline

Spiritual Discipline

Hebrews 12:6 ‘For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and scourges every son whom He receives.’

The subject of discipline may conjure up bad memories for some people. Often people confuse discipline with punishment. Although discipline may involve punishment, discipline should primarily be a means of teaching or discipling. Few people like to be disciplined. Even as Christians we are not fond of discipline, even when we know that it is coming from our heavenly Father. As children, we may have had fathers who corrected or disciplined us in ways that God would not approve of. And, even though our fathers may have had good intentions or motives in mind, the discipline may not have been conducted in a spirit of love. In the case of spiritual discipline, we can be confident that God only administers discipline when it is absolutely necessary, and it is proof of His love for us. Often we may not understand the reason for spiritual chastisement, but God knows exactly what we need, and how to achieve the results He knows that they are for our good. God’s chastening may be for one of two reasons – as punishment for sin, or as a deterrent to help the believer avoid making the same mistake again. When the verse speaks of scourging, it refers to the most serious form of discipline, which is necessary when we persist in disobedience and are unwilling to respond to the Holy Spirit’s attempts to teach us or guide us. But as the Master Teacher, God’s scourging will be appropriate for the intended result. Rather than be discouraged or resentful, we should be encouraged that every act of spiritual chastening is precisely what is necessary for us to grow and mature in our Christian journey.

What do you think God uses as spiritual discipline?
How do you respond to spiritual discipline?
Shouldn’t we discipline ourselves spiritually?

The Power of the Gospel

The Power of the Gospel

Romans 1:16  'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes..'

By saying he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, Paul was stating that he knew this gospel was good news - and it was the truth.  In a world of knowledge explosion and unprecedented scientific discovery and progress, there are many 'gospels' that one could turn to when looking for answers to life's questions and problems.  But there is only one gospel that holds the solution to spiritual necessities, both for life here and for eternity - the gospel of Christ.  This gospel is briefly described in 1 Corinthians 15:3,4  'Christ died for our sins.. was buried,  and rose again the third day.'  Because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is hope for every person to be saved from a life of sin and condemnation, to a life of deliverance from sin, and a position of righteousness before God.  Only the gospel of Christ has the power of God to offer salvation to any and all who will come to Him in faith.  Many turn to humanistic philosophies, education, new age doctrines or other forms of self help practices that may offer some temporary assistance, but can never address one's spiritual needs.  Only God, through the power of the gospel can do that.

Central to the gospel is the message of the cross, and the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  While the cross is an offense and 'foolishness to them that perish, it is the power of God to those who are saved.' (1 Corinthians 1:18)  To quote one preacher - 'only the gospel can make a foolish man wise, a sinful man holy and a miserable man joyful.'  But even greater still, through the power of the gospel one is restored to a right relationship with God that will last through the countless ages of eternity.

Dying to Live

Dying to Live

Matthew 16:25  ‘For whoever will save his life shall lose it: and whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.’

To the secular world much of the Christian experience is made up of contradictions or paradoxes that at best seem unreasonable and at the worst absurd.  For example, victory over the world, the flesh and the devil can be achieved through surrender; that is, surrender of one’s life to Jesus Christ.  Today’s verse is one which appears to be paradoxical, but for us who have experienced salvation, we understand that the new life in Christ is only available to those who are willing to die to themselves and their old way of life.  Paul testified to this when he said in Galatians 2:20 ‘I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ lives in me.’  Another seeming paradox is found in Luke 14:11 where Jesus states that ‘whoever exalts himself will be abased; and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’  Again, this is in direct conflict with worldly wisdom which proclaims that success will only come to those who lift themselves up.  In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Jesus tells Paul that ‘My strength is made perfect in weakness.’  When we acknowledge our own weaknesses and fall on the strength of an Almighty God, we allow Him to work even miracles in and through us.  Finally we have the paradox of giving to receive.   Jesus promises,  in Luke 6:38, ‘Give and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.’  This concept defies worldly wisdom but has been proven countless times by Christians willing to trust in God’s faithfulness to deliver on His promise.

To many people, the inability to understand what seems to be contradictions to rational thinking may deter them from seeking the answers that can only be found within a relationship with God.  We who have proven the validity of these paradoxes have also been shown that ‘God’s thoughts and ways’ are higher than those of mankind. (Isaiah 55:8,9)

What does it mean to lose your life or “to die to self?”

Have YOU died to self?

Would you like to share your personal testimony? Info here

 

Blessing the Lord

Blessing the Lord

Psalm 103:1  ‘Bless the Lord O my soul: and all that is within me bless His Holy Name.’

This is the first verse of a psalm of praise and thanksgiving to God for His numberless blessings to us.  We are often encouraged to sing songs such as ‘Count your blessings’, and to reflect on the multitude of blessings we receive from God.  We should never forget that all that we are and have we owe to our gracious and beneficent God.  But how often do we consider how we can and ought to ‘bless God’?  God is blessed when we acknowledge Him for Who He is and for what He has done for us.  When we live each day in an ‘attitude of gratitude’ God is blessed.  The psalmist goes on to say that we should bless God for all His benefits, for forgiving all our sins, and for healing our diseases.   We are urged to bless God with our soul, or from the very depth of our being.  God alone is worthy of our sacrifice of praise.  Hebrews 13:15 says that we should ‘offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually…giving thanks to His name.’

In today’s verse we notice that David is speaking to himself, and encouraging himself to offer praises and thanksgiving to God.  We too should endeavour to ensure that we bless the Lord with ‘all that is within’ us.  Only praise and thanksgiving, like ‘worship that is in spirit and in truth’, will be acceptable to God.  When we bless God, the blessing returns to us and we are strengthened and uplifted in our faith.

Are we truly thankful for all of God’s blessings?

Do we even believe that we can be a blessing to God?

Blessed Be Your Name

Here I Am To Worship

Our Sufficiency Is Of God

Our Sufficiency Is Of God

2 Corinthians 3:5  ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’

One of the most common mistakes we make, especially as new believers, and sometimes as more mature Christians, is to think that we can live a life pleasing to God in our own strength.  From the very beginning of our Christian experience we should realize that everything spiritual, from conviction to conversion, and subsequently everything we are and do has it’s origin in the work of God through His Holy Spirit.  At the beginning of the Beatitudes, Jesus said ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matthew 5:3)  Here, He was affirming that only those who realize and acknowledge their spiritual insufficiency, and inability to save themselves, will look to Jesus in the hope of reaching God’s kingdom.  In James 1:17 we are told that ‘every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above’.  Without doubt this includes the gift of salvation, and the work of the Holy Spirit that follows.  Paul even goes as far as to say that we are not even sufficient of ourselves to think any good thing, much less to do anything good without the help of God.

Another example of the sufficiency of God was recorded in 2 Corinthians 12:5-10, when Paul petitioned God three times to take away an infirmity from him.  We are not told what the infirmity was, but God’s answer was not to take away the problem that was tormenting Paul.  Instead, Jesus said to Paul ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’  God was teaching Paul a lesson of total reliance on Him.  Regardless of the circumstances we as Christians find ourselves in, we can be confident the grace and strength of our Lord will be available and will be sufficient to see us through.

Have you proven God’s grace to be sufficient in your life’s trials?

Do you take your problems to God in prayer?