Do you know that uncomfortable feeling that only faith can bring?
I was talking to a friend of mine last week about tithing. He was so tight on money he was literally squeaking! He said that he wants to tithe, but 10% of his income would just kill him financially.
I told him that when we start to tithe it often starts in stages. I continued to tell him that instead of feeling guilty about not being able to give the dreaded 10% to rethink what tithing is. Basically it is giving back to God out of love and sacrifice from what he has given you. All God is asking is that you make a sacrifice out of love to him. I challenged my friend to give just past what he is comfortable with, or just past what he can handle alone. This is a sacrifice, and God honors our sacrifices.
So this past week, after telling this to my friend; God give me that uncomfortable feeling. He has brought some unique opportunities into my life concerning Generation Church. A building in a prime location which would be set up perfect for what we believe we are to do with Generation Church suddenly became available. This was one of those left field, back door opportunities (literally, I went through the back door!) that take you by surprise.
I’m not even sure if this is going to work out, but as Raquel and I started to dream and envision the possibilities, inside of me I had that incredible uncomfortable feeling of; oh no this may be God!
Just when we thought our long search for a location was over (we already had two options), this pops up! I’ll be honest, we probably couldn’t afford the lease, we couldn’t afford the renovations and we probably couldn’t afford the upkeep, but like I said to my friend, sometimes God asks you to step out just beyond where you feel comfortable!
This is for one reason! To totally rely on God, and to call o the name of Jesus!
September 3rd, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Old Testament – tithing for Israelite farmers ONLY, and ONLY on crops and animals raised on the Holy land.
The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was equal percentage (a tenth). The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of equal percentage. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving ten percent.
OLD TESTAMENT – THE FIRST OF THE FRUITS SHOULD GO TO GOD
Proverbs 3:9 (KJV) “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:”
NEW TESTAMENT – THE WORKER SHOULD BE FIRST TO RECEIVE A SHARE OF THE CROPS
2 Timothy 2:6 (KJV) “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.”
When was the last time you heard a pastor say you should spend the first part of your paycheck on yourself and your family?
1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV) “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
The New Testament makes it clear that we are to use the FIRST of our income to take care of ourselves and our family. We are talking about needs, here, not just anything we want. Then we should give generously from what is left.
September 4th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
It’s like we should already be used to this uncomfortable feeling BUT…it never gets comfortable!