In Touch - October 28, 2005
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- 2005 Oct 28
In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley
God’s Financial Best
The most basic step in a wise financial plan is biblical giving. If you present the church with a sum that feels comfortable but falls short of what the Lord would have you offer amounts to robbing God (Malachi 3:8). The Old Testament tithe, which remains a principle for giving, was instituted for three reasons:
Providing — Christians’ combined ten percent helps kingdom work to continue. Without regular funding, programs for aid and evangelism diminish, church doors close indefinitely, and full-time staff are forced to seek other employment.
Testing — God invites believers to test His faithfulness (v. 10). Through giving, we discover an important principle of faith: the Lord’s nine-tenths goes farther than our hoarded ten-tenths. We may have to sacrifice some things, but our needs will never go unmet. Amounts less than ten percent lack the convicting evidence of His reliability to provide for us.
Honoring — By tithing, believers honor the Lord as the source of all they possess. What we own, whether little or much, comes to us through Him. If an important official came for dinner, we wouldn’t dare to serve yesterday’s leftovers, but that is precisely what we do to God by holding back our finances. Spending as we see fit, stinginess, and reluctant giving prevent the Lord from proving His faithfulness.
God’s children should desire to please the Father by acting on their faith in Him. When we give biblically to the Lord, He promises to care for our every need and abundantly bless us as well.
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