The Good News

On December 16, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Malachi 3: 10 – 11

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it may not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts.

I promised you good news last Monday. Last week’s message was pretty hard and the whole topic is uncomfortable for some folks, BUT here is the good news, and don’t you know that the gospel is Good News? Everything God said is for our benefit.

So now this section of Malachi 3 is just as loud to me as last week’s passage. God comes right out and tells us why He has made this requirement. And that is not like God. He doesn’t usually tell us why He wants us to do a thing. We are supposed to just trust Him and do as He says. He tells us here that we are the ones that supply His house.

Then, no sooner does He gets these words out of His mouth than He starts making some BIG promises: 1) He will open the windows of heaven for you, 2) He will pour out a blessing on you so huge that you will not be able to contain it and, 3) He will rebuke the devourer for you. Now, any one of those is enough but all three is really above and beyond.

I want you to see and understand that the promises He makes are part of the same sentence as the dictate to bring the tithe into the church and the explanation of why He gave the directive in the first place. In other words, in the same breath He starts telling you about the benefit to you when you stock the storehouse of God. The reason these are all together is that provision for you is the reason He wants you to give in the first place. He is telling you something for your own good. He is so adamant about this that He invites you to test Him in this. Isn’t that remarkable? Wow! God wants you to put Him to the test. He wants to bless you, and He wants to protect your seed and your harvest. He is trying to show you how His kingdom operates. He is trying to get you to let Him into your finances so that He can be the cultivator and protector of your harvest.

You see, we are in covenant with God. When you take care of the finances of His house, you have just invited and given permission to Him to take care of the finances of your house. It really is that simple. That is what He is trying to get over to us. He is trying to get something to you, not something from you. He wants to stand in your garden and protect it from the devourer. You have sown seed when you give into God’s house, so you are due a harvest. He is going to watch over that crop until the harvest if full and ripe. That is what it means when he says your vines won’t cast their grapes or fruit. Fruit which has fallen off of the vine is no good. It needs to stay on the vine until it is ripe, receiving nutrients, and then it is picked at the height of maturity.

If we could really grasp this, I mean really get it down into our hearts and into our understanding, we would never hesitate to give to God. No, we would give with great joy and excitement. When you are a tither, you can make a demand on God’s resources. When hard economic times come, you know with confidence that your harvest is protected by God. You will increase while others decrease because your wealth is tied to God rather than to the economy. If something bad heads in your direction, you will have the boldness to stand strong in the promises of God. You won’t have to ask God about your finances. That is already handled. You will just stand firm with that shield of faith out in front of you declaring and decreeing the Word of God.

So tithing is good news. Tithing is good for you. It was designed to bless you and protect your finances. It is part of God’s kingdom resources. You need to be a tither today more than anytime in the past. I know it is tough when you first start, but start. Get involved in God’s economic system. Don’t let another day go by that you don’t tell God you want in. If you don’t have an income, find something, anything to sow into His kingdom. You can always give time. You can probably find something of value in your house that will really bless someone else. Just do whatever you need to do in order to become part of God’s economy. Get in on His system today.

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Eeeek, Not that!

On December 9, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Malachi 3: 8 – 9

“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed Thee?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you.”

Let me talk to you about tithing and let me encourage you to hold on for the good news. Tithing is a very unpopular topic and many people do not want to teach about it. It is hard for your pastor to talk to you about it so here, perhaps, we can look at tithing Biblically in an unthreatening environment. I say unthreatening but that is God speaking in the verse above and it is pretty frightening if you read thoughtfully.

I don’t think God leaves a lot of room for discussion here. As a matter of fact, He is talking about more than tithing. He says He is being robbed in tithes and offerings too. The tithe is the first 10% of your income. Technically “tithe” means ten percent. And it is supposed to be the first ten percent. That means we are supposed to tithe on gross income folks. I know you don’t want to hear that, but it just is what it is and our discomfort doesn’t change God’s word.

Now I know some of you are having a hard time wrapping your head around that, so you are really going to love this next part. It is clear from this passage that God expects us to give above and beyond the tithe. Otherwise, He would not talk about offerings. He even says that He is being robbed in offerings. That indicates that the offerings are His. So, when we don’t give them to Him, we are stealing from Him. Come on! That is strong God! And yet, day after day we look at promise after promise that He has given us. The fact that He requires a little something of us really shouldn’t cause us so much heartburn. But there is little that is more controversial and misunderstood of Biblical principles. People really don’t want to hear that God wants them to give something. Isn’t that amazing with all that He has given us, wants to give us and has promised us. It’s not like He is asking for 90% and asking us to live on 10%.

I know that many of your churches have different doctrines regarding tithes, offerings and pledges, but just ask yourself this one question. From where did those doctrines arise? Are they purely from the church’s need to finance its programs? Was there a divine source? If it came from God, how can it contradict His word?

I know this really challenges some of you but there are very good reasons God has required the tithe of us. Yeah, I know some of you will say that tithing is from the “Old Testament” or the “Old Covenant.” I honestly don’t think that even deserves a response but for those of you who are sincere rather than just looking for an excuse not to tithe or give gifts let me give you two things to think about.

If the Old Testament people who were under compulsion from the law gave 10 percent of their income, how much more should we who are under grace, who have received the gift of the Christ, give? Secondly, all those promises that we cling to, that we believe and that we hold up to God, many of those are in the Old Testament too. Do you expect all of those promises to have passed away? Of course not! That would be ridiculous. The Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever,” (Hebrews 13: 8) and that is New Testament. The truth is, the things that make us uncomfortable we claim passed away somehow but the parts we like, we keep.

Lastly, why am I bothering to teach you about this? Not because I want to but because God wants you informed. He wants you to tithe. I do not stand to gain from you embracing this teaching. Most of you have a home church to which you will give your tithe. Others of you, I know, are supporting many ministries. I want you to learn this because I want you blessed and I want this entire nation to grow in the glory and blessing of our Lord. But here is the thing, it begins with you.

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Be the Tree

On October 7, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jeremiah 17: 7 – 8

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For He will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.”

Compare Jeremiah 17: verses 5 & 6 to verses 7 & 8. What a difference. While they both use very picturesque speech, the picture they paint is quite disparate. In today’s passage we have the picture of a lovely green tree that is well watered and never fails to yield fruit. It does not fear the drought because it is secure. Nothing causes it anxiety or worry.

Now how would you like to be that tree? You see, the entire difference between being a bush planted out in the barren desert and being a well watered tree that bears fruit in season and out is in trusting the Lord. This is a choice that you can make, and God will honor. Isn’t that great? He has already laid the choice before you. He has even told you what the outcome is of each choice. I think He has made it pretty simple.

Will you believe that some people will actually choose to keep trusting a failing system that was the concoction of man when the choice has been laid out so clearly for them? I have a hard time understanding that, but it is true. I think what really happens is that the cares of the world choke them. When that happens, they take their eyes off of God and start looking around for some quick fix. Well, those quick fixes aren’t working, and they are what got our economy in such a big mess. We stopped running our finances the way we had been taught and we have suffered because of it. It is time for us to get back on God’s train and do things the way He has taught. And if you begin to feel choked by the pressures of the world, turn to the Word. It is the remedy. God has not left you orphans little children. He is longing to help you. What have you to lose by getting completely radical in your trust of Him?

Jeremiah 17 talks about being blessed or being under the curse. Let us choose blessing and trust God to make it so.

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Blessed

On June 17, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 3: 8

Thy blessing be (is) upon Thy people.

God’s blessing is upon you right now. That’s great news, don’t you think? Imagine, If you will, standing before God and Him blessing you. Is that image a blessing to you? But, what is the blessing and what does it mean to have been blessed by God?

God’s blessing is an empowerment. What would you expect the result to be if you really stood before Him and received a blessing? It would be something grand, wouldn’t it? You would imagine that His blessing would endure also. It would never wear off. Don’t you think it would be imbued with power?

God put His blessing on you so that you would have power to meet every circumstance of life. The blessing empowers you to overcome all obstacles. God’s blessing causes you to succeed in every area of your life. If you are a child of God, then His blessing is on already on you. You don’t have to earn it. Further, knowing it is on you might change the way you think about your circumstances. Don’t expect to fail, expect to succeed. Expect favor on you. Expect His blessing to follow you everywhere you go and be sure to thank Him for it every morning.

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My God 

On November 28, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Philippians 4: 18

But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied.

Philippians 4: 19 is a well known scripture, but I am amazed at how few people seem to know verse 18. They both talk about God’s supply but from two different postures. First let’s look at verse 19: “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Paul, in writing to the church at Philippi, taught that the God of Paul would meet the needs of the Philippians because of the gifts they had sown into Paul’s life and ministry. He said to them, “Because you have met my needs, my God will meet your needs.” This is a very basic principle of how God’s kingdom operates. When you give into a ministry, God is obligated to you. God called Paul into ministry and then the people Paul ministered to took care of meeting his needs. That obligated God to take care of their needs. That is why Paul said, “MY God shall . . ..” His God promised to bless everyone who blessed him (Genesis 12: 3).

That is the first level of God meeting your needs and it is the most basic. As you minister to the needs of the ministers, God causes your seed to multiply back to you. After we have mastered this level, then we move onto glory land. That is where Paul was. He had moved off of verse 19 and onto verse 18, “I am amply supplied.” See, Paul knew who his source was, and he knew that he could always rely on God to meet his need. You won’t move onto verse 18 until you have mastered 19 though. I would like to see the entire body of Christ over into verse 18 where it is no longer my God who will meet your need but rather your God. Isn’t that great? And God is going to more than supply your need. You will have everything in full, an abundance, and be amply supplied. You will have more than enough. Then you will have more blessings which you can sow into other people’s lives and ministries you can support. Giving will be such a way of life for you that you will barely even notice that you are doing it. You will be blessed and a blessing. May it be.

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Above and Beyond

On November 7, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 3:20

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.

Not only is God able to do more than we ask or think; He is willing, and I can prove it.

This is a small story about something that isn’t important. At some level, though, I think it is all the more powerful in that it shows how our Father cares about all the things in our lives, even the small ones.

My roommate and I have begun to unpack our Christmas decorations to get ready for the Christmas season. I have a painting which I had framed last year. When I tried to hang it this year, I discovered that the hanger didn’t fold down correctly. Bummer! It made the painting stand out from the wall such that the wire could fall off the hook.

Additionally, roommate bought a print this year to hang over the fireplace. It came with an odd sort of hanger, not the typical wire. The problem there is that this print will temporarily replace the picture that usually hangs over the mantle. So, as I looked at it, I thought that having two sets of hangers would be undesirable and the second set might even show when we put the regular painting back. So, I decided to take both prints to Michael’s where I had the one framed last year. I was hoping they would repair that one at no cost, but it’s been a year so it is reasonable that I might have to pay for it. No worries, I figured. The other one, the new print, well, of course I would have to pay to have the hanging system on it changed out.

The bigger concern was how long we might have to wait to get the prints back. Again, it is not a big deal since we are ahead of schedule but not being able to hang the one above the fireplace would make it a challenge to move forward with decorating the mantle. These are all little things, right? And yet, sometimes it is the accumulation of lots of little things which burden us.

So, my roomie and I packaged up the two prints again and off we went to Michael’s. Along the way we said a prayer about this hiccup in our decorating plans. Phrased differently, we asked, we asked our Father to be with us and to be in this situation with us. Now, He is able to do beyond what we ask or think, but step one is inviting Him into the situation, and that is what we did. We asked Him for Michael’s to repair the one from last year at no cost and, most importantly, for us to be able get both of the prints back in a reasonable time. We were thinking, worst case scenario, it would be nice to have them back by Saturday.  It was Thursday.

We arrived at the Michael’s framing counter with our arms full of boxed prints. First, we unpackaged the painting from last year. Before we could say a word, the gentleman behind the counter said, “Oh my, someone had a moment!” He saw more than we could even comprehend about how things should be done. He was very positive, wouldn’t disparage the person who put the mounting hardware on last year but also clearly was not satisfied with how it was done. He immediately took the painting back to the work room to repair it. We just looked at one another with questioning looks upon our faces. “Is he fixing it right now?” I asked. Sure enough, he came back a few minutes later with it repaired. What!!!  I didn’t expect that.

Then we unboxed the new print. The worker saw the hanger system and explained its use to us. He also thought it was uncommon to have that type of hanger on this type of print. He agreed that the simple wire would more than suffice and that way we could use the hanger that is already in the wall. Now, the big question, how long was it going to take to get this print back? Would you believe he picked up the print and, again, headed back to the workroom? I thought, “He is probably just going to put it back there and then come write up a ticket” except he didn’t immediately return. We looked at each other and today’s verse came to my mind. We started saying how great our God is and that Jesus is so cool.

We were both so thrilled, not so much about the prints, though. What was so exciting is that our Dad showed up on the scene for us. His hands were upon the situation and us all. He was paying attention to the details of life and His presence seemed to resonate loudly through the store. I think others must have felt His presence too.

Soon the clerk came back and placed the print on the counter. He helped me box it back up in its many layers of corrugation. Once packaged again, I turned to the clerk and asked, “What do I owe you?” He raised his hand, shook his head, and said, “Nothing.” Okay, so I already knew Dad was in the situation, but I was still surprised at this additional blessing. I thanked the gentleman and blessed him. He smiled, thanked us and we turned to go, still a little in shock at how amazingly well the situation worked out for us. I know God is able and willing to do exceedingly above and beyond all I can think or ask, but He really surprised me this this time. Not only did we get our prints back, repaired right then on the spot but we weren’t required to pay for any of it.

The morale of the story for me was two-fold. First, when you think you’ve thought big enough, think again. Second, pray about everything. Don’t get weird and holy about prayer. Just tell your Father what you are hoping for, what result you would like. Then, get out of the way and be astonished at what He will do. It is so fun watching Father move through our lives. Yep, it is great to be blessed.

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Blessed to Bless

On October 3, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 12: 3

And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse.

I remember reading this years ago and being amazed by it, and frankly, a little bowled over by it. This speaks about the blessing which is on you as one of God’s children.

Here is the wisdom and understanding from God and it is a two-sided coin. First, as you sow, so also are you going to reap. When you bless God’s people, God blesses you. Second, those who bless you will, likewise be blessed. As for the curse, it doesn’t pay to impede God’s chosen because the blessing will also be hindered. When others come against you, you can honestly feel sorry for them because they have chosen the curse rather than the blessing.

God told Abraham that he would bless all who were a blessing to Abraham. Although this is an Old Testament scripture, you can hear God saying this to His children today. God will take it upon himself to bless the people who bless His kids. This couldn’t be more obvious than when it is applied to our ministers. God has made it His business to bless those who care for the needs of His called servants. The Apostle Paul made this point in the fourth chapter of Philippians.

This is the revelation the children of Israel had when they committed themselves to caring for the supply of the temple which we saw in last week’s scripture. In their gratitude and admiration for God they undertook to supply His house knowing full well that God would then meet all of their needs. You see, their first thought was no longer on themselves and meeting their own needs. They transcended that. They saw how the kingdom of God works. Therefore, they devoted themselves to constantly sowing into the temple. God had already bound Himself with His words. He was obligated to prosper them. And here is the really good news. God is still bound by His words. He cannot do anything contrary to His words. “Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23: 19. That is to say that what He promised to the Israelites is what He also promised you because He cannot change His words. He said He would bless those who bless His inheritance which is you and me. So, therefore, when you bless God’s kids, He is obligated (and delighted) to bless you. So, learn to be a blessing so that He can pour out His desire upon you.

And just a word on the last part of the scripture. Mind what you say about God’s elect. A curse is not only people sitting in a circle putting a curse on someone else. It is also more than profane language. When you talk bad about the child and/or servant of God, you are treading on very Holy ground to God and that seed will bear a crop just like your good seed does. Do not let your words bind you to misfortune. Be a blessing and allow God to bless you.

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