Daily Devotional. And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you. Deuteronomy 26:10-11. The idea of giving 10% of what you have is really just the first step of what could be a long and Blessed road in Following the Lord. Legally, the Lord is asking for 10% of your increase. And you have lots of wriggle room to determine what “increase” means in your household. You have complete freedom to give, or not to give. And if you do give, it’s still up to you on how much of anything you give. So let’s add this to the mix. For those who do tithe, and tithe Joyfully, are you desiring to Grow to such a degree that you’ve decided that the Lord truly does own it all, AND ANYTHING HE ASKS YOU TO GIVE HIM OF YOUR MONEY AND STUFF, YOU GLADLY WILL AND DO GIVE HIM, THAT’S VERY GOOD. When you get to this point in life where it’s all His, that’s when He can pass money and stuff THROUGH your hands directly into others hands, and none of it sticks to you. For example, you get a big bonus at work, and the Lord asks you to give the whole thing to that other family REALLY in need, AND YOU DON’T EVEN THINK TWICE ABOUT IT, YOU GLADLY SEND IT ON. That’s where the Lord can Trust you to “Handle” His Stuff as He sends it through you and on its way to others. This isn’t about your “needs” being met first, but your Obedience to the Lord, IN SPITE OF YOUR NEEDS. With Christ First, and His Directives First, you AND others will be taken care of by the Lord WITH NO INPUT FROM SELF, FLESH AND THE OLD MAN NATURE. That’s Walking in a Life of Victory in your Stewardship department. Good going. This is what Tithes and Offerings are REALLY all about. It may be hard to Trust and start, but it’s a great way to Eternally, Be Blessed.
