Fearless

Our journey in 1 Samuel has been quite a ride! But what is really amazing to me is that wherever we are in God’s word, there is application that speaks directly into our lives today: as individuals, and as a church.

Last week we looked at 1 Sam 13:1-14 as an encouragement that we never want to find ourselves in the situation where we are lamenting “what could have been, if only I had obeyed God!”  This message challenged me, as I know it did many of you, that we should seek to live our lives in full obedience to God, no matter what He calls us to.  For in that obedience we will find our true fulfillment, our purpose for which we were created!

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. – Eph 2:10

But stepping out in obedience can be a little risky.  Actually it can be very risky.  What if we fail?  What if God isn’t with us?  What if…??

This Sunday we’ll be introduced to a young man who believes God, and is not afraid to put that belief to the test.  While his dad Saul sits under a tree, Jonathan goes up to face the Philistines with only his armor-bearer at his side.  There is only one word to describe this young man, Jonathan:  Fearless!

I love it.  Just when it looks like things are going south, their leader has failed them, most of the men have melted away into the forest or into caves, here comes this young man, fearless and full of faith! 

It never ceases to amaze me what God can do through a single person.  Imagine what He can do through five people, or ten people, or a hundred saints, full of faith and fearless!

Join us Sunday at 9 & 11 am, 1 Samuel 13:15-14:23 – Fearless.

… till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

What could have been...

“You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if only you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.” 1 Samuel 13:13

It’s a moment you never want to have. A 13:13 moment.

A 13:13 moment is that moment you realize what you could have had, if only you had ______ (fill in the blank).

What a scary verse this is. Besides the fact that you have a double instance of an unlucky number (13:13), what Samuel is saying to Saul should be a cautionary note to all of us: I never want to say “I could have had the blessing of God, if only I had…”

See, when we think about the consequences of sin or disobeying a specific instruction from God, we usually focus on the negative consequences that happen to us as a result.

…if you sleep around, you could get an STD or get pregnant.

…if you cut a corner at work, you could lose your job.

…if you ignore God’s calling, you could end up in the wrong career.

Those are definitely bad consequences, but there is another side of the equation that we should consider:  If we are unwilling to obey God, we may miss an incredible blessing that God has planned for our lives.

...the ministry you could have had.

...the marriage you could have had.

...the life you could have had.

Last week I challenged you to go home to fast and pray, and seek the Lord as to what He would have for you.  

...what ministry He has for you.  

...who He wants you to reach out to. 

...what He wants you to invest in His kingdom.  

Whatever God is asking of you, believe me, it’s not about what He wants from you. It’s what He wants for you.

And you can have it, if only you will…

Join us Sunday, as we return to our study of 1 Samuel 13.

... till the whole world hears, 

Pastor Clay

Audacious Prayers

This morning, as we do every Wednesday, our pastors came together to pray for YOU, the church.  It’s a great time of fellowship and unity, praying in agreement for the ministries and the people! 

But I wanted you to know that we are not just praying, we are PRAYING BIG.  We are asking God to do BIG THINGS in our church.  Not so much “make us the biggest church,” but rather “Lord, do big things in the life of every person that we come in contact with!”

• When a person walks in that is addicted to alcohol or drugs, God we ask you to do a big thing: Break the bondage of addiction and set them free!
• When a marriage is on the rocks, God we ask you to do a big thing:  Remove the anger and bitterness, and set that couple on a path of reconciliation in love and humility.
• When a family is struggling financially, God we ask you to do a big thing:  Open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that cannot be contained!

We often proclaim how big our God is, and how great His power is, but do we pray expecting big and great things?  I have to admit, sometimes I don’t.  Sometimes I pray and ask for the minimum.  Why do I do that?  Perhaps because I'm not sure God will come through, so only ask for a little bit, and if nothing happens, then perhaps no one will notice.  Enough of that! God is changing how I pray.  No more little prayers.  No more asking for the bare minimum. From now on I want to pray big prayers. Audacious prayers!

James had it right when he said

“You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” -- James 4:2-3

Jesus told His disciples that if they had faith, they could move mountains…

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” – Matt 21:21-22

I’ll be honest church; there are some mountains in our midst that need to be moved.  There are some big things God wants to do, and we wont be able to do them without the power of God on our lives (Eph 1:18-21).

Will we believe God for the big things?  Will we even ask for the big things?

Church, I believe we should ask for the big things.

Will you go?

Each week I use the lead article in the Calvary Connection to give a preamble to the message that God has given me for Sunday.  This week will be no exception. 

The message this week will be a check up, a snapshot of where we are as a church.  Many of you were here this past January when I laid out the vision that God had given us for 2011.  I shared some of the challenges we faced, as well as the work that God was leading us into. This week I went back and looked at my notes from that meeting, and it was pretty cool to see how God has been moving and working in the areas we talked about! But as is usually the case, there is still work to do.  There are areas that God still wants to grow us, and even stretch us as a church.

And so now as we head into the final chapter of 2011, we need to do a little status check: To celebrate what God has done, and also to press in to some areas that still need some attention.

The question is never “will God do a work”, the question is always “will I engage in what God is doing?”  The question is never “why doesn’t God bless me,” the question is always “am I putting myself in a position for God to bless me?”

God is moving in our church. God is blessing.  Are you a part of it?

So get ready church, God is not finished!

… till the whole world hears,

Love your enemy?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…” – Matt 5:43-45

Sometimes it can be hard to love your neighbor, especially when he blows his leaves into your yard, or his huge dog comes over and relieves himself in your next to your front walk.  I have a neighbor that throws some loud parties that go on well into the night.  These people can really get on our nerves, and love isn’t exactly the feeling that we are having. Yet we are still to love them. OK, I can do that.

But Jesus doesn’t just tell us to love our neighbor; He goes on to tell us to love our enemies. OK, so exactly who is our enemy? Is it the guy that cut us off from traffic?  Is it the woman who broke line in front of us at the movie theater? What about the guy that smashes out a car window and steals a laptop? These people may be harder to love, but hey we’re Christians!  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

But what about the men that spent years working on a sinister plan; learning how to pilot a jet airliner, studying flight plans, and figuring our what flights had the most people aboard. The men who boarded several planes, murdered the flight crews, commandeered those aircraft, and flew them and the passengers into the tallest buildings in New York city? How are we supposed to love the men who knew their actions would kill and injure thousands of innocent people? How are we supposed to love the people who are, even as I write this, planning more sinister attacks against us? Certainly no one, not even God, would expect us to love those men. Or would He?

Join us Sunday as we take the Lords Supper together, and reflect on Jesus teaching regarding love.

… till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Life after Failure - 1 Sam 12

Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
– 1 Sam 12:20

Choices.  We’ve been talking about them a lot recently.  Specifically how our enemy, the devil, will attempt to connive or intimidate us into making a bad choice. Satan will use every trick in his little book of tricks to cause us to make a choice that will bring pain and affliction into our lives, and then he’ll use that choice against us and tell us what a failure we are as Christians.  (Man, I hate that guy!)   

Then last week we looked at the rescue of Jabesh Gilead, and how that is a picture of how God is willing and able to come to our rescue when we call upon His name, even after a bad choice.  An awesome truth for sure!  One of the promises we learned was from Lamentations:

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” – Lam 3:22-24

(Interestingly, Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah as he lamented the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar; God’s punishment upon Israel for their disobedience)

But what about those choices we make that we cannot undo? Some things just cannot be ‘undone.’ There is no delete button in life.  What happens in the aftermath of a wrong choice that sets in motion permanent changes in our life that we cannot undo?  Is there life after failure?

1 Samuel chapter 12 gives us hope in that situation.  Not a fairy-tale hope that time will be erased, and our life restored to be exactly the way it was before; but hope that God will once again move and work in our lives.  Hope that He will form new lives for us that can be a blessing to us and to others.  New lives where we can live for Him and enjoy the blessing and peace that only God can give to us.

We may not be able to erase the mistakes of our past, and we may have to live in the reality of that choice for the rest of our life on earth.  That husband or wife may never return.  That person we wronged may never forgive us.  But if we will turn to the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all of our hearts, He will give us new life that will glorify Him.  I don't know about you, but that is a promise that gives me hope!

Join us Sunday for “Life after failure”

…till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

God is Able! 1 Samuel 11

Last week we looked at the situation in Jabesh, and how in that scenario there are pictures of how Satan will use certain tactics to destroy us: 

• He looks for weakness
• He asks permission to work in our lives
• He’ll try and intimidate us

And we learned that if we let our guard down, and allow him access into our life, and cave in to his intimidation, the result is always the same: He brings pain and affliction into our lives, and he uses that to humiliate us and exalt himself over us. A tough place to be no matter how you slice it!

But that is not where we have to stay… we serve a gracious God, and a mighty God, a God that is always willing and able (note the song connection!) to step in on our behalf and SAVE US!  One of the songs we’ll sing this Sunday says it all:

God is able / He will never fail

He is Almighty God

Greater than all we seek / Greater than all we ask

He has done great things

Lifted up He / defeated the grave

Raised to life / our God is able

In His Name / we overcome

For the Lord our God is able

God is with us / God is on our side

He will make a way

Far above all we know / Far above all we hope

He has done great things

God is with us / He will go before

He will never leave us / He will never leave us

God is for us / He has open arms

He will never fail us / He will never fail us

(God is Able, Hillsong United)

In other words, no matter what situation we get ourselves into, no matter how far from God we run, no matter how deep the hole, God is able and willing:

To restore marriages…

To break the bonds of addictions…

To heal the broken hearted…

To heal the sick…

He is with us…

He is for us…

He will never leave us…

His arms are always open wide, ready to receive us!

Join us Sunday morning, 9 & 11, as we walk through 1 Samuel 11, God is Able!

... till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Is there any hope for me?

This past Sunday we looked at 1 Samuel 11:1-3, where Nahash the Ammonite king intended to gouge out the right eye of every person in Jabesh.  We saw in this that there are four tactics that Satan uses:

#1 – Satan looks for an opportunity to attack us

#2 – Satan has to have our permission to work in our life

#3 – Satan will try to intimidate us into serving him

#4 – When we allow Satan a foothold in our life, he will work to humiliate us and exalt himself over us.

While it’s crucial to understand his tactics so that we can always be on guard and NOT fall victim to his attack, most of us have experienced a time where we dropped our guard, opened a door, allowed Satan to come in, and he then proceeded to wreak havoc in our lives.  At that point, when the consequences are overwhelming us, we ask “is there any hope for me?”

To answer that, I think of the apostle Paul, who in his past life persecuted Christians, putting them in jail, splitting up families, even participating in the stoning of Stephen.  But Paul found something in the cross of Jesus Christ; GRACE.

For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.  – 1 Cor 15:9-10

Paul knew he had done terrible things to God’s people, yet by the grace of God through Jesus Christ, God restored him and gave him a ministry.

I think of David, who lusted after a woman, committed adultery with her, then had her husband killed.  When David looked in the mirror, he saw an adulterer, liar, and murderer.  It was at this time that he penned his heart thoughts, in Ps 38…

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! For Your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness. – Ps 38:1-5

David is in a place that many of us can releate to: We have blown it big time, and we feel so overwhelmed by our sin that we just want to lie in a heap on the ground.  But David didn’t stay on the ground.  David experienced the grace of God when he brought his sin before the throne of forgiveness, and cried out to God. 

I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD. – Ps 40:1-3

See, there is hope when we fail.  There is grace when we blow it.  We can seek the Lord, receive forgiveness and restoration! Can will forgive us, cleanse us, and even restore us!  When a person experiences the grace, forgiveness, and restoration of God, our natural response can be “The LORD be magnified!”

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The LORD be magnified!  Ps 40:16

Church, spread the word, hope is here!

Pastor Clay

The Cost of Compromise

In 1 Samuel 11 we come to an interesting little side drama.  The tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had settled on the east side of the Jordan River 350 years earlier (Joshua 1).  This location left them at risk militarily, as they were somewhat separated from the other tribes. Sure enough, right after Saul becomes king, an Ammonite king by the name of Nahash, sets a siege against the city of Jabesh Gilead.  The people of Jabesh, not wanting to die, decided to make a deal. A compromise. They sent a message to Nahash, saying “We’ll serve you as slaves if you will let us live.” Nahash’s response was quick and to the point, “No problem, you can be my slaves, and I’ll let you live.  Oh, and you have to let me poke out the right eye of all your men.” Wow.  I doubt that was what the men of Jabesh had hoped for.

But this example makes me think of how important it is for us, God’s people, to never compromise with our enemy. Who is our enemy?  The world, the devil, and our flesh!

See we are faced with decisions every day of our lives. Some are big, some are small, but every decision has at least two paths. One is to do what is best and right in obedience to God and His word.  The other options are usually some form of compromise.  The God option often looks hard, and may affect something we want or desire.  The other options may seem easier, but may require us to compromise something in obedience to God and His word.  We may weigh those compromises, thinking “it won’t be that bad.”  Right. 

The fact of the matter is that there is always a price to pay for compromise. We may think it’s the ‘easier way’ but in fact that compromise will cost us more than we ever bargained for.  A pastor once told me “sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay.”  Word.

When faced with a decision it’s important to remember that God does have a better way, we just have to come to the place in our life that we are willing to trust Him for that better way.

Join us Sunday for 1 Samuel 11, “The Cost of Compromise”.

… till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

...and God gave him a new heart. 1 Sam 10:9

So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart. – 1 Sam 10:9

In 1 Samuel chapter 11 Saul is going to encounter the first test of his kingship, when Nahash the Ammonite comes to Jabesh Gilead, which was on the east side of the Jordan river.  (This area was where the tribe of Reuben and Gad had settled, sort of “the other side of the river”)

Now, some 400 years later, they need help – Nahash is telling them “hey, you submit to me, and by the way I’m gonna gouge out your right eye just for good measure!” So, yea these guys need some help, and so they send messengers out to find Saul. Saul better be ready for action.

Which is why I go back to 1 Sam 10:9, because as we noted last week:  before we can fulfill the call of God on our life, God has to give us a new heart! See, if this part of us does not belong to God, then God is hindered from being able to move powerfully in our life.  Sure, He can guide us to the right place at the right time through circumstances and lost donkeys, but that is not the same as having His power in our lives. 

…but if we will surrender our heart to God, allow Him to give us a new heart, then we are able to be powerfully moved by His Spirit.

…and if we are submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives, God is then able to work in a powerful and meaningful way in our lives.

…calling us to tasks that are beyond our comfort zone. 

…empowering us to do things that are beyond our ability. 

And that is where Saul is on this day, he is about to be called upon to do something he’s never done before, something he would not be able to do on his own, and as preparation, what does God do? God gave him another heart.

And what happens after that? He has an encounter with a two groups of men…

One group are carrying some interesting supplies: a sacrifice, some bread, and some wine.  (hmm what does that sound like?)

And another group is doing something also interesting: they are playing music, worshiping God, and prophesying, or speaking the things of the Lord.

Hmmm, a sacrifice, bread, wine, worship, moving of the Holy Spirit, what does that make me think of?

It makes me think of our communion service, coming up this Sunday at Calvary of Wilmington.  Don’t miss it!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Hiding

In 1 Samuel 10 we find Saul, having been chosen by God to be the first king of Israel, I would have to guess feeling a little bewildered.  I mean think about it:  One day he is out looking for some lost donkeys, and the next day the prophet Samuel is anointing him king of the nation. Things are happening fast! Saul is not only told he will be king, but Samuel also tells him some very specific and supernatural things that will happen to him on his way back home, then after seven days Samuel will come to him and give him further instruction.  Sure enough, everything that Samuel told Saul came to pass. 

Then comes the big day, when Samuel gathers all of the people to the town of Mizpah to present their new king. Of all the tribes of Israel, one man will be chosen.  The selection process begins: The tribe of Benjamin is selected, then the family of Matri, then from that family God singles out one man, Saul! But Saul is nowhere to be found, and when Samuel inquires to the Lord, God responds, “There he is, hiding among the equipment.” Not very king-like!

Why would Saul hide on what was surely the biggest day of his life?  

    Was it humility, not wanting the attention? 

    Was it self-doubt, not sure that he could live up to the challenge? 

    Or was it self-preservation, where Saul wasn’t really sure he wanted to follow this call of God on his life? 

Perhaps the bigger question is this:  What would Saul do when faced with the reality of God’s better plan for his life?  Would he embrace it, or would he run and hide from it?

Perhaps we should ask ourselves the same question. Since last week we discovered that God not only has a plan for our life, He has a plan that is better than anything that we could ever come up with, we now have a decision to make: Will we embrace Gods better plan, or will we run and hide from it?

Join us Sunday for 1 Samuel 10, “Hiding”

… till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Hearing God

Sunday (1 Samuel 9) we talked about the stark contrast between Saul and Samuel:  Samuel is expecting to hear from God, he is seeking to hear from God, He has a relationship with God to where it is quite normal for him to hear from God.

Saul, while we are not told that he is “un-godly”, up to this point there has been no indication that he is seeking God at all:

   … there is no indication that he wants to hear from God;

   … there is no indication that he has any real relationship with God

Saul is being led by God through circumstance, situations, and lost donkeys.  The difference in these two men is clear:

Samuel is seeking “heavenly things”; the will of God for Israel and his life.  Saul is seeking “earthly things”; donkeys!

There is a parallel that we can apply to our lives:  Some Christians are led by God in a conscious way; where they hear from God, they understand what God is saying, and they obey.

God leads others in an unconscious way, in ignorance. God has to use circumstances and situations to guide them.  The interesting thing is that either way, God’s will is accomplished! The real question becomes this:  Do I choose to be an active participant in God’s work, or a blind participant?

And my point here is that we do not have to go through life blindly led by God through circumstances, blind situations, or lost donkeys for that matter.  We can live a life where we are led by hearing His voice, heeding His call, watching for Him to move in our lives.  

We can lead lives where, like Samuel, it is quite normal for us to hear from God, for Him to guide us, each and every day.

How?  By submitting our hearts and our lives to the Living God, and being led by Him daily, even moment by moment, through His Holy Spirit, and trusting that He has a better plan for our life than anything we could ever come up with… Gods Better Plan!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Prov 3:5-7

A Better Plan

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were looking for one thing, and found something else?  Something that was completely different? Something that was better? 

Sometimes in life we will go in a direction, or set off on a mission, and we think we know what we’re looking for, we think we know where we are going, but we come to find out that God has an altogether different plan. A better plan.

Some twenty-five years ago I went looking for something.  In 1985 I had just moved back home, and after I moved in my mom informed me that she thought I needed help!  So she gave me an ultimatum: Get some help for my “alleged” substance abuse problems, and I could live there. Now mind you, I didn’t think I needed any help, but apparently she thought I did, and if I wanted to crash at her house I was going to have to play by her rules. I had a pretty good job at the time, so I called our “Employee Assistance Hotline”, and told them I might, perhaps, drink a little too much, and could they recommend something for that.  They gave me another number to call, and within a few hours I was enrolled in some kind of program meeting ”thing” that I had to be at that next Tuesday night. So that evening I got the address, got in my truck and drove over to an office park, walked into this room full of people I didn’t know, where some guy named Woody was up front talking about getting sober or something, I really wasn’t paying much attention to Woody. My attention was focused on a cute little blond chick up on the front row that I felt like I really needed to introduce myself to.

Now I tell you this because on that day back in November of 1985 I thought I knew what I was looking for, I thought I knew what I was doing, I thought I knew where I was going.  But I came to find out that God had a completely and radically different plan for me, a better plan, and I really didn’t have a clue. It was several years before I was able to put together the pieces and begin to understand what God was doing in my life on that night in 1985.

In 1 Samuel chapter 9, we find a young man named Saul in a very similar situation. Saul is on a mission to find some lost donkeys, but he ends up finding out that God has a completely different plan for his life.  A better plan. Join us Sunday for the rest of the story!

…till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Our Money, or Gods?

A year or so ago I shared a series of posts about the area of finances. Since we as a church mostly teach through books of the bible, I don’t get as many changes to teach topically.  So every once in a while I feel its good to re-issue some of those past posts. 

The reason that it is important to teach our congregation about finances is not so that the church will have more money, but so that we can all experience the full blessing of God in this area of your life!

I pray that this series of posts will enrich your lives, and reveal a new perspective of God's unchanging principles. May you be richly blessed.

Pastor Clay

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The Principles of Firstborn and Firstfruits

When it comes to money, often we think the main issue is “how much do I have” coupled with “how can I get more.”  But in reality issue is not how much money we have, but moreso, what does God want to teach us about money?

Fact: there are approx 500 verses in the bible that deal with prayer, approx 500 verses that deal with faith, but there are over 2000 verses that deal with the subject of money and possessions. Jesus talked about money in 16 of His 38 parables. Clearly, from the bible's standpoint, God wants us to understand His principles concerning money and possessions.

Why? Perhaps it is because money is a test of our faith & our priorities. Money is something that is near and dear to us. We need it to live. We use it to buy stuff that we need, and stuff that we want. How we manage money reveals volumes about what is important to us.

In this first issue, we are going to explore two principles: The principles of the firstborn and firstfruits.

Principle of Firstborn

The principle of firstborn is found throughout the bible, from Exodus to Revelation. The first place we see this principle is in Exodus 13:

"Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine."  -- Ex 13:1-2

Here, God makes a declarative statement; "the firstborn is Mine". In fact, sixteen times God makes this statement in Exodus: Every firstborn was to be sacrificed or redeemed. Every time an animal delivered its firstborn, it was to be sacrificed to the Lord. If it were born unclean (with a spot or blemish), then it was to be redeemed.

But the firstborn of the animals, which should be the LORD's firstborn, no man shall dedicate; whether it is an ox or sheep, it is the LORD's. And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall redeem it according to your valuation, and shall add one-fifth to it; or if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation. -- Lev 27:26-27

This principle was true for man as well, as the firstborn sons of Israel were to be set apart for service to God; they were to be the priests! Later on, after the golden calf incident, God set apart the Levites for His service (and also re-affirmed the principle of the firstborn):

"Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine, because all the firstborn are Mine.
-- Num 3:12-13

Why is this important? This is a picture of our redemption in Christ, as when Jesus approached John the Baptist, John proclaimed:

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
-- John 1:29-30

Because man is born with a sin nature, we were born 'unclean'. We need to be redeemed. God redeemed us to Himself with the perfect, spotless, Lamb of God. Jesus was God's 'firstborn", His only begotten Son.  So this principle is not based on "we do all the giving", but in reality God gave to us first. God gave to us first, while we were yet sinners; He gave us His Son Jesus Christ. He gave us something that we could never put a price tag on. I mean, how much would you pay to be assured heaven? Everything you had!

The Principle of Firstfruits

Having noted that, there is a parallel principle that ties into the principle of the firstborn, and that is the principle of the firstruits.

The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. -- Ex 23:19

This scripture tells us two things: Bring your firstfruits, and bring them into the house of the Lord. Let's look at these two points.

First Things First
The bible doesn't tell us "give God what is left over". It says to give God our first. When an animal gave birth to it's first offspring, that first offspring was given to the Lord. When the crops were harvested, the first were given to the Lord.

How does this apply to us? When we sit down and write our bills, the first check we write should be our tithe to the Lord. This may sound somewhat ritualistic to some people, but trust me, this has meaning. What we do first says something about what we hold to be most important.

You see, as fallen people we are naturally selfish. Think about it, when the paycheck comes, our mind goes to the things we want or need to buy. Bills, clothes, dinner out, parts for my motorcycle. We hope that there is something left at the end so we can splurge a little. Why is it that our first thought is not "I get to give to the Lord!"

Guess what, God knows how we are. So God, in His infinite wisdom, tells me that I need to sit down and give to Him first, to establish a pattern in my life where I am thinking "Praise the Lord, I can give to the Lord! Thank you for your provision Lord!"

Think about it; When we give to the Lord first, it says "Lord I trust you." 

... see the next post for Part II

Our Money, or Gods? (Part II)

Faith Before Feelings
How many times have we run out of money before we run out of bills? Or we have to determine what we pay now, and what we pay later? When we are in this situation, it can seem easy to skip the tithe (we certainly can't let our cable TV get shut off!). Our feelings tell us "I have bills to pay! I have stuff I need!". We feel bound to our bills. But what that says is "God, these bills are a higher priority than you are."

In other words, it requires an activation of our faith to give the tithe first. Giving the tithe first says "God, I am going to be obedient to you, and trust you for the rest." Faith is being obedient to God when we cannot see the outcome. Faith is knowing that it may require the supernatural hand of God to meet our budget needs.

Think about it:

The first animal was to be given to God; there were no guarantees that more animals would be born.

The first of the crop was to be given to God; there were no guarantees that more crops would come up.

God told Abraham to give his firstborn son, and at Abraham's age, it was a certainty that there would be no more children!

When we give to God first, we are saying to God "I trust you". Do you think He will let us down? In my own experience, the answer to that question is unequivocal - NO! God will always come through! Why? Because it is His promise!

"Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, -- Deut 7:12-13

So when Satan comes at you and puts the thought in your mind "you're going to go broke if you tithe", you can respond: "No I won't, because God's Word says that God is going to bless me, and He will rebuke the devourer for my sakes!"

The House of God

Our scripture said to "bring your firstfruits into the house of the Lord, your God." It didn't say "give your firstfruits to whom you feel led". That means we don't give our firstfruits to a TV ministry, or to a missionary, or to some other organization as our "tithe". Now don't get me wrong, giving to worthwhile ministries and supporting missionaries are important, but we are not to take away from our giving to the house of the Lord in order to do so.

We've all heard Christian say "I gave to so-and-so ministry (or person) as my tithe." Think about it; would you send part of your mortgage payment to another bill? I'm sure they would understand. Thankfully, God does not foreclose on us (!), but we should heed the point: The firstfruits belong to God, and it belongs in His house! Paul echoed this to the church at Corinth:

For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? -- 1 Cor 9:9-11

The church is the place that we go for spiritual feeding, for ministry to our families. It is where we turn when we are having difficulties. It is where we turn when we have a financial need.  But more than that, the church is a place where we come and communally worship the Lord! And guess what, our giving is a form of worship. That's why giving is a matter of the heart:

God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. -- 2 Cor 9:7-8

When our hearts are turned to the Lord, we are fully aware that all that we have is a gift from Him. He is the source of our provision. When we give the tithe, it is an act of worship, acknowledging God as our provider. And God promises us, that when our heart is in this place, He will direct to us "all sufficiency in all things", so we will "have an abundance for every good work!"

Robbing God?

Many of us are familiar with this scripture:

"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. -- Mal 3:8-9

This scripture is often used to beat the flock into tithing, but let's look at the reality of what God is saying here:

The tithe belongs to Him

He considers it robbing from Him if we withhold it (the same as not paying something you owe)

OK. Those two points need no expounding on. We get it! But there are two additional points that we should look at:

• If we withhold the tithe, we are cursed with a curse
• If we give the tithe, we are the recipients of a blessing!

 ... see the next post for Part III