Category Archives: Giving / Tithing

What is the Purpose of the Sabbath Day? Numbers 15.

“Hey, Jim! Where have you been?” I asked my neighbor. He was entering his apartment as I was leaving mine. “Oh, you know. Working.” “But I haven’t seen you in weeks!” “Well, I’ve been working a lot.” “Every day? I mean, you’re not even around on the weekends?” “Oh, yeah. I work every day.” “Seriously?Continue reading “What is the Purpose of the Sabbath Day? Numbers 15.”

Meat, Salt, Perfection. Leviticus 1:9.

Image created with A.I. (they are getting better quickly!). Last week I met my buddies Paul and Chris for lunch at Lupe Tortilla Mexican Restaurant. After I had dutifully chosen something with the word ‘vegetable’ in the name, Paul suggested the three of us share an order of beef fajitas for two. It was Paul’sContinue reading “Meat, Salt, Perfection. Leviticus 1:9.”

God Loves a Cheerful Giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.

I planted some rye seed yesterday. I only had one bag—forty pounds. But I wish I had several more. Because the money I spend now will be more than repaid by the money I save on hay later. You see, whatever you plant grows, and grows far larger than the size of a single seed.Continue reading “God Loves a Cheerful Giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.”

Don’t Commit Simony. Acts 8:18-24

Simony, n. The buying or selling of church positions, spiritual power, or miracles. Putting a temporal (finite) value on something spiritual (infinite) in nature. If a priest was promoted to bishop after paying a bribe, the priest committed simony. The name comes from Acts 8:18-24. A man named Simon wanted to buy a gift onlyContinue reading “Don’t Commit Simony. Acts 8:18-24”

GIVE GOD THE GLORY–and the Money. Nehemiah 10:35-37.

It’s great to hear athletes and movie stars give God glory. Sometimes it is heartfelt, other times it may not be. The wording can be clichéd; when I was in a similar situation, I would say: “Yeah, God really blessed me.” But the point is, on some level the celebrity recognizes: I DID NOT DOContinue reading “GIVE GOD THE GLORY–and the Money. Nehemiah 10:35-37.”

Think Carefully About Your Ways. Haggai 1:5-7.

Imagine yourself a Mom or Dad, struggling to make ends meet. You work extra hours, earn extra money, but then the car breaks down and you have to spend more than you earned. And next month it happens again. And again. Just when you think you are getting caught up, another appliance breaks, or aContinue reading “Think Carefully About Your Ways. Haggai 1:5-7.”

Do You Put Your Money into a Bag Full of Holes? Haggai 1:6,9.

Do we still reap what we sow? Does that old idea still apply under the New Covenant? Do you harvest what you plant? Yes. When Israel delayed in rebuilding God’s temple, He said: think about it. Figure it out. “You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough to feel full.Continue reading “Do You Put Your Money into a Bag Full of Holes? Haggai 1:6,9.”

Gift Giving.

Prophecy says when the world receives a certain bit of news, everyone will “celebrate, and they will send gifts to one another” Rev. 11:10.  Consider human nature: when people are really happy, they celebrate by giving each other gifts. Have you ever been so happy you wanted to give gifts?  It is a rare andContinue reading “Gift Giving.”

Giving and Giving Back.

When I was a child, our church launched a building campaign so we could replace our decaying building downtown with a new and much larger building on the west side.  Everyone knew the slogan “two by two” meaning we would give two times as much for two years. That is, we would “tithe twenty percent”Continue reading “Giving and Giving Back.”