SATURDAY August 5, 2017
The House of God
Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. - Nehemiah 10:32-33
The people of Israel respected God and His Word. In making a covenant with Him, they resumed their tithing. God’s people made the choice to serve the Lord and began to set everything back in order, according to what was written in their Law. In their history, Joshua had challenged God’s people to make a choice: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve …as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
As Christians, we need to set godly priorities for our lives. At times, we fail to put God first. Are you obeying God’s Word and putting into practice the things you have read? How is your prayer life? Are you still tithing to the Lord, or have you stopped giving? God challenges us in Malachi 3:10:
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
Be honest with yourself. Have you neglected the house of God by not contributing to the work of the Lord? Every day we make life choices. We can choose to make God our number one priority or focus on ourselves and what we want to do in life. We must keep accountable before the Lord, as He has made atonement for our sins through Christ (1 John 1:9). Then, like the children of Israel, we can set our lives back in order.
The last thing one knows is what to put first.
~Blaise Pascal~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!