Bride of Christ

My love has gone down to his garden, to beds of spice, to feed in the gardens and gather lilies.
I am my love's and my love is mine; he feeds among the lilies.
Who is this who shines like the dawn- as beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awe-inspiring as an army with banners?
Song of Songs 6:2-3,10

Art © Lisa MD Skinner
 

Tithing

Just the other day we were told that we are under a curse (Malachi was quoted) if we don't tithe. But God gave me peace about this Old Testament practice when I went to Him in prayer about it and He led me to several verses in the New Testament. Peace is not what I had while giving under compulsion and I certainly was not a cheerful giver these last few months. I did give cheerfully before that, but due to circumstances we cannot give as much as we used to, so we are giving with a heavy heart, suffering actually.

So now we will be giving what we decided in our hearts to give and not 10% under compulsion or begrudgingly. Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light. 10% is a heavy burden when you don't have it to give! Then to tell us we are under a curse! Jesus became a curse in my place on that cross, NO MAN will drag me back under a curse or Old Testament law! JESUS set me FREE!! Hallelujah! God is good and merciful! Bless His Holy Name!

Trust NO MAN! Preachers are not God, don't put them on a pedestal. Don't believe every word that comes out of their mouth. PRAY and search the scriptures! God WILL answer you through His Word that is Holy Spirit breathed!

Please read the quoted article below for your edification and may God open your eyes and bless you in doing so.

"If you go to the New Testament to develop a biblical basis for Christian giving, you could never come up with what is commonly taught and practiced in the majority of churches today. Having spent eight years in Bible college and seminary, I can tell you I did not take one class or even hear one lesson on the theology of giving. So, like most pastors, my theology of giving carried over from what I had been taught in my church and I accepted it without question – a 10% tithe goes to the church.

It wasn’t until recent years when I decided to do an exhaustive, comprehensive study to support the doctrine of New Testament tithing that I realized from a biblical standpoint, I didn’t have a theological leg to stand on. So, allow me to share with you a very brief overview of what the Bible actually teaches on tithing and giving. I suspect you might be as surprised by what I learned as I was.

Tithing in the New Testament
First, it is important to know that nowhere in the New Testament is their even one verse stating that Christians are to tithe – not one verse. The word tithing is only mentioned on three occasions in the entire New Testament and all three are merely historical references to the practice.

(1) First, Jesus tells the Pharisees that they should be tithing (Matthew 23:23). Still being under the Old Testament Law and citizens of Israel, the Pharisees should have been doing so.
(2) The second reference is when the Pharisee is arrogantly bragging in his prayer about how he has kept all the law, including tithing (Luke 18:9-14).
(3) The third reference is an historical note that Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:5-10) from his spoils of war. Many try to claim that believers are obligated to tithe because the concept of tithing preceded the law based on Abraham’s tithe. But keep in mind Abraham’s tithe was a one-time “payment,” made of his own freewill from excess booty gained in war (Genesis 14:20). We have no indication that he ever did it again nor that his gift was intended to be normative for others, much less repeated on a weekly basis.

Keep in mind that almost all the New Testament was written by practicing Jews (Matthew, Mark, John, Paul, Peter and James) who certainly knew well the Old Covenant law on tithing, but none of them ever mentions tithing as a basis for Christian giving even when they were talking expressly about giving. Could we not rightly assume that if the Old Testament tithes were intended to be applied to us today, the New Testament authors would have said so at least once in all their writing to us about giving?

Tithing in the Old Testament
Old Testament tithing, simply stated, was a tax that the Jews had to pay to underwrite their theocratic nation whose King was God. There were three taxes/tithes they were required to pay.

Tax #1: Every year Jews were required to pay 10% of all their crops, livestock and whatever else they had (Leviticus 27:30-33, Deuteronomy 14:22-29) – what was called the Levites’ Tithe. Because Israel was a theocracy, the Levites and priests were the government officials that needed to be supported by the citizens of Israel. If you remember, the tribe of Levi received no land as an inheritance. They were only given cities in all the other tribes. The tribes as such were required to support them through this first 10% tax.
Tax #2: This second tax was collected to underwrite the cost of all the festivals and religious ceremonies that were required by Jewish law for Israel to observe (Deuteronomy 14:22-27). This helped underwrite all the national events that Israel celebrated.
Tax #3: This third tax was payable every third year to provide a welfare safety net for the poor in Israel (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).
The Jewish tax system was a flat tax of 23.33%. However, there were still other “taxes” due, like the temple tax (Matthew 17:24). The Jews were also not permitted to harvest their fields to the edges, leaving the corners unharvested as an additional welfare tax to help feed the poor (Leviticus 19:9). The annualized tax a Jew would be required to pay might total about 25%.
So, the Old Testament tithes were the taxation system used to underwrite Israel’s national expenses.

Giving in the New Testament
Let me say again, these Jewish taxes were never once applied to non-Jewish believers in the New Testament – never once.
In the early church, as you may recall, the Jews were trying to insist that the new Gentile converts needed to also obey the Jewish laws in order to become Christians? The Jerusalem Council determined that the Gentile Christians were only obligated to obey the following:
“…for it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements. You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well” (Acts 15:28-29).
Here the Jewish Christians had their chance to impose on the Gentile Christians the Jewish tax law, but it was not included in the list to the Gentile believers.

So, if tithing isn’t the basis for our Christian giving, what is it? You may be surprised to know that it is the same for us today as it was for the Old Testament Israelite – freewill offerings. The Jews had taxes to pay and we have taxes to pay. The Jews made freewill offerings and we make freewill offerings. Freewill offerings, contrary to taxes, have always been voluntary and in whatever amount the giver chooses. Freewill offerings are motivated out of grace and love. Taxes are motivated out of law and duty.

A major section of New Testament teaching on giving is found in II Corinthians 8-9 where Paul gives us a compelling example and crystal clear teaching on what New Testament giving should look like. He first shares about the giving of the Macedonian church that is currently in the midst of an incredible economic crisis:

And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
We must not miss the one striking fact in this passage. Paul tells us how all this out-of-control giving happened – they gave themselves first to the Lord. Once they gave themselves first to the Lord, giving away everything left in their almost empty moneybags was easy.

Paul goes on to set the giving basis for believers in II Corinthians 9:7. He directs us, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Do you notice what is missing in Paul’s giving directive? There is no formula or percentage for how much we ought to give. The amount of our giving is decided upon after carefully searching our hearts. Giving is a matter of the heart, not a matter of the wallet. If God gets our hearts, He will get our wallets. (Read Matthew 6:21.) Our giving decisions are to be internally motivated, not externally motivated.

I recently heard a pastor state quite emphatically that according to Malachi 3:8-10, if you are not tithing, you are living under a curse. How awful! Is this the kind of teaching on giving that creates a culture of open-handed, generous giving like we see in the Macedonian church? Are we saved by grace, but still required to give by law? I would suggest that this idea is completely dismissed by what Paul says about our giving – not grudgingly or under compulsion. Giving to avoid a curse might generate a relieved giver, but not a cheerful one.
 
Conclusion

Let me be perfectly clear here. Freedom from the law of Old Testament taxation is not freedom to give less. It is freedom to give in the ways and the amounts that properly reflect our deep, abiding love and gratitude for our Father and His Kingdom. It should reflect our desire to give to Him with the same sacrificial abandon that He gave to us when He sent His son to rescue us from Hell. We are now free to make sacrificial, love offerings to Him, not just pay a bill we are told we owe Him.

So, go and be free from the law and let the law of love direct you in the size and amount of your freewill offerings to your Father. And in so doing both God and you will love watching you turn into a truly cheerful giver!"

(Quoted Source Stewardship Ministries)

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Armies of Angels

Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?~ Matthew 26:53

If you ask God to place His angels around you and your family and loved ones, He will do it!!  :)

Talk to God in prayer, ask Him what you need, but you have to love this God, you have to pray to Him, talk to Him, praise Him, worship Him!  After all He is the God of the universe!  He created YOU.  He has a purpose for your life.  You were not just born for no reason.  God has a plan for your life.  Do not let the devil tell you otherwise!  The devil is a liar.  Jesus says he is the father of lies!  The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy.  The devil hates you, he hates me, he hates all of God's creation!  He wants to destroy us, but our God, our Abba Father in Heaven, LOVES you and has only good things planned for you.  Sometimes He allows bad things to happen to shape you, to mould you, to help you grow spiritually stronger and sometimes to test your faith.  Never forget though that God truly loves you.  No one can ever love you more than He does.  He is always there by your side.  So when you go through difficult times and trials, know that Jesus is there by your side.  He is 'in it' with you!!  Remember the disciples in the storm...Jesus was with them in the boat!  He never left them. :)

Now get into prayer with God and ask Him for His angels around you and He will be faithful to do just that because He LOVES you!  He is waiting for you to come talk to Him, He created you for that purpose to commune with Him.  He is your friend, eternal Father, Immanuel (God with us).
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ~ Isaiah 9:6

Oh I love Jesus so much!  Who am I that He should care for me?  I am nothing, yet He loves ME!  I don't care if no one on this earth loves me or cares for me, I know JESUS loves me!  He died for me (and you)!  He rose from the dead for me!  He sends His angels to protect me when I ask Him.  And that's enough for me. :) ♥

 

God's Protection

I just have to tell you what an awesome God we serve and how He loves and protects His children.  I am writing this, because I want to give Him all the glory! 

I am in South Africa and have a friend in America, Sandy.  Last night her daughter, Genie, let me know she had the sudden urge to pray for me, so she asked if everything was alright.  I said yes, but that she should keep praying if God put it on her heart to do.  So just after her Mom contacted me to ask if everything was okay and to say that she's praying too, a shot went off outside in the street somewhere!!  Not long after that a police truck came driving by.  Nothing happened, we are okay, by God's grace and protection!  

I do believe something bad was about to happen, but through the power of prayer it was stopped.  Just wanted to share how grateful I am to Jesus. :)  I LOVE YOU JESUS!  You might wonder why did He use a girl on the other side of the world to pray for me at that very moment.....because He wanted His Name to be glorified through all this! :D  What an awesome God we serve!  Thank you Jesus for protecting us! ♥♥♥

Psalm 27:1-3
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

Psalm 91
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a]
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.

Have you fed Jesus yet?

Have you fed Jesus yet, clothed Him, gave Him a drink?  You might ask, but how are you supposed to do that?

If you see a beggar on the street, do you walk by pretending he doesn't exist?  When someone knocks on your door asking for something to eat, do you feed them and give them something to drink?  When they ask you for clothes, do you send them away?

You might say, but there are so many beggars on the street, it is impossible to help them all.  Yes, but if you help just one, you've already done a great deal and if you've helped that beggar, Jesus says it is as though you've helped Him! :)  It pleases God that we do that for others.

It bothers me that some people say, "Oh I don't give money to beggars, they'll just spend it on alcohol!"  In my eyes, it's none of your business what they do with that money, you've done your bit for God, what they do with it is between them and God.  You should give to someone with love in your heart, for if you do all these things, but you do not have love in your heart, it means nothing.  You must have the compassion for others like Jesus has for them and for you.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:3   And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.  You see, it is all about LOVE.  That's what God is all about. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  See, God is all about love. :)

How about that jersey or jacket that's in your closet, that you haven't worn in a year?  Instead of feeding the moths, give it to a needy person!  Or when you come across a beggar, give some money, even if he may go and buy some drink, drunks get hungry too ya know. :)  You don't know what they are going to do, doesn't matter, just lend a helping hand, with love.

Matthew 25:34-43

34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;

36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;

43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 

Thanks for reading.  :)  God bless you in Jesus' Holy name.

Rivers of Living Water

 John 7:2 Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. John 7:37-39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  Out of the believer's heart will flow "rivers of living water".  That's the Holy Spirit! :)  But they did not receive Him yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  To think we have Jesus' Spirit dwelling in our hearts!  That is absolutely wonderful to think of, isn't it?! :D  You have the Spirit of the Creator of the Universe dwelling in you when you believe in His Son Jesus and repent of your sins!  What an absolutely great love our Creator has for us.  He could have just condemned us all to eternal damnation.  We surely deserve it, with all our sins.

But no, He cares about us, His creatures, His children.  GOD is LOVE.  So should we be when we have His Holy Spirit, full of love for others, even our enemies as Jesus commanded us in Matt 5:44-48 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Thanks for reading :)  God bless you in Jesus' Holy Name.

Faith

Scriptures on faith.

Luk 8:5  A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
Luk 8:6  And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
Luk 8:7  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
Luk 8:8  And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold.  And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Luk 8:9  And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
Luk 8:10  And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Luk 8:11  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Luk 8:12  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
Luk 8:13  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
Luk 8:14  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Luk 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Oh people of little faith!!  In times of trouble cling to Jesus!  We all go through trials on this earth.  Sometimes it is a test from God of our faith!  Don't let it get you down, know that God is in control and ultimately everything will work out in a way that brings glory to Him and Him alone! :) 

I've learned the hard way, failed miserably, but through it all came back to Jesus, who is my ONLY hope in times of trouble and sadness.  Don't let the spirit of fear overwhelm you.  2 Tim 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

I'm learning that when hard times come, not to feel desperate or panic, but to stay calm, think of Jesus, ask His help, get into the Word and ask the Holy Spirit to give me peace and He does!! :)

God's Grace and Love

Satan does not want you to know that sin does no longer have dominion over you under grace!  He wants you to think he's still in control.  Ha!

Please watch this awesome video and see God's Grace explained to you from the Bible.  Be blessed! :)

Have you turned your back on God?  Do you feel ashamed, guilty about your sins.  He wants you to come back to Him.  He's waiting for you with open arms! :D Come back to Him, before it's too late!