. . . don't tithe regularly. God is more concerned about the heart of the giver.
Mark 12:41-42 And Jesus sat over against the treasury and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury; and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
In those days, if you lost your husband, you had a hard time. Two mites is less than a penny in our money. Jesus told his disciples that she gave more than the others. They gave from their abundance; she gave all she had to live on.
God had the poor widow woman's pocketbook because He had her heart. Don't you know He blessed this lady. He wants all of our heart. If He gets that, He has it all.
Are we there yet? Does He have our time, talents, and finances? We may not have a lot of money, and its easy to hold back, but tithing and offerings are an act of surrender and worship between you and God. He gives it back in so many ways.
. . . are far more important than golf trophies or home-run records, though its possible to have both. High school football squads and baseball teams endure callisthenics under the hot summer sun to be winners.
Likewise, spiritual exercises make strong Christians. Prayer, meditation, self-examination, fellowship, service, sacrifice, submission to God, and witnessing make a believer, through the Spirit, to become a godly person.
A Christian who wants to excel must really work at it, by the grace of God and to the glory of God. Spiritual exercise in godly living enables us to be good examples -- encourage others.
1 Timothy 4:11-12 These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers in the world; in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
. . . the will of God: Fire and hail, snow and vapor, and stormy wind fulfill His Word (Psalm 148:8).
In the book of Jonah you see the winds and waves and even the fish obeying God's commands; but the prophet persisted in disobeying. Even a plant and a little worm did what God commanded. But the prophet stubbornly wanted his own way.
Disobedience to God's will is a tragedy, but so is reluctant, grudging obedience. He loves a cheerful giver and doer.
What is the secret of cheerful obedience? It is to recognize it as a family matter.
D. L. Moody often said, "Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather." We show our love to God, not by empty words, but by willing works. We are not slaves obeying a master, we are children obeying a Father, and our sin is a family affair.
. . . that we often serve the Lord Jesus in partial surrender.
Luke 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus told him to let the dead bury their dead and he should preach the kingdom of God.
Any time we don't surrender to the Lord, we are not living under the Lordship of Christ. We want to do things our way. If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.
We should settle this "Lordship" issue. We may need to make difficult, unpopular decisions to follow Christ at any cost. Is He sending us to the harvest?
What good is it to study God's Word but not live it? If Jesus is Lord of our life, we are doing His will.
The Lord has supreme authority over matter, wind, fish, demons, death, graves, and everything else. Does He have authority in our life or are we only giving lip service?
If He is Lord of our life, we will be a more effective Christian with peace and joy.
