Gift From The Heart

Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them. Exodus 25:2 (NLT)

I was listening to my Bible the other day and I heard today's text. Made me think....the Bible is pretty clear that we are to give God our tithe (Malachi 3:10). And it notes that tithe is ten percent. We are also told to give offering above what we give in tithe. But there really isn't a set amount.

And there is the rub. There isn't an amount so it's easy to forget about what this really is. Our offering is the amount we give to God from our heart.  It says in Exodus 25:2 that God only wanted the contributions of those whose hearts were in it.  It also says that again in Exodus 35:5.

"Take a sacred offering for the Lord. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the Lord." And in 1 Chronicles 29:9, "Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord." and "You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake." Deuteronomy 15:10. 

The New Testament continues the thought. 

"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7

There are so many texts about giving and sharing, taking care of others and trusting that God will provide. The thing that amazed me is that with all God gives us, what he wants in return is for our hearts to be in it. He wants us to be so in love with him that we willingly give to him and his people. And from that overflowing of worship, all the needs would be cared for.

If this is how we are supposed to give and if we love God as much as we say we do, why do we have such poverty in our world?  Makes you wonder......

A Minute In It - Leadership

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and read the questions at the bottom of the post.

7 The Lord told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 9 Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. 10 Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.” 11 But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. “O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? 12 Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people!13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.[a] You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’” 14 So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people. Exodus 32:7-14 (NLT)

And

19 When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it. 21 Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?” 22 “Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!” 25 Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies. (v. 19-25)

There are two types of leaders represented in these passages. Which of these leaders would you want on your side? Which one truly cared about the people? What were the character differences between the two? Which type of leader are you?

For A Limited Time Only - Not!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace.  Hebrews 13:8-9a (NLT)

Ever hear these statements?

For a limited time only
Call today for the best offer (does this mean if I call tomorrow you won't give me your best offer?)
Can be finished in as little as one day (it probably won't be but it could be)
Change your apartment change the world (Really? If this were true I would have changed the world many times!)
Up to 70% off (and there is only one thing in the store that is 70% off - the rest are not on sale)

The other day I was cooking and I had the TV on in the background. I heard the line "Call today for the best offer" and I started thinking about how we are duped by all of the media, commercials, and twist on words that we hear. We are bombarded with information and with images that trick our souls. I started wondering why we never see a car commercial with a mom wearing no make-up driving the child who is screaming in the car seat because he wants to get out. And I wondered why we don't see a man sitting in his car who is covered with drywall dust because he was in the middle of a home project and the pipe burst and he doesn't have the right part to fix it or a woman who overslept and is putting her make-up on in the parking lot of a building because she's late for her meeting.

We look at the things we see on TV and we are subconsciously told that if you buy/own this particular thing your life will be all put together. And somewhere deep in our recesses, we believe it. But, it is a lie. Very good lies that Satan spins so we spend too much money and are always living in discontent. 

Ahhhh, but all is not doom and gloom. There are promises that are kept and statements that are made that are 100% true. They are found in the Word of God. No matter what, he does not change. Our verse today tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. When he says something, it holds. You don't have to call on the right day, it is not a limited time offer and there is not a bait and switch. 

Will you still have days when your child is screaming in the back seat as you are driving somewhere? Yes. Will you still break pipes during home improvement projects and not have what you need to fix it? Yes. Will you still oversleep and feel out of sorts as you try to catch up?  Definitely. But deep inside you will also have a peace that you are not in this alone and that there is something better waiting. That, is a statement you can take to the bank. 

A Minute In It - Promises, Promises

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and as you are reading, note how God says "If you do this, I will do this." What are some of the promises you find in this chapter? What one thing will you do to facilitate those promises?

1 My child, never forget the things I have taught you.
    Store my commands in your heart.
2 If you do this, you will live many years,
    and your life will be satisfying.
3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
    Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
    Write them deep within your heart.
4 Then you will find favor with both God and people,
    and you will earn a good reputation.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
    Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 Then you will have healing for your body
    and strength for your bones.

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with the best part of everything you produce.
10 Then he will fill your barns with grain,
    and your vats will overflow with good wine.

11 My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
    and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
12 For the Lord corrects those he loves,
    just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Who Are You Fighting For?

As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. Acts 9:3-5 (NLT)

Acts 8:1 says "Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen." And later, in 8:3 it says "But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church." This was Saul's job. The Bible doesn't say exactly why he felt this was his calling but we might assume he didn't like the new movement. Some of the beliefs were contrary to the Jewish traditions so many thought it was wrong.

Saul fought and fought for the cause he believed in. Then one day, on the road to Damascus he ran into Jesus, the Son of God. When Paul encountered the light of heaven and a Voice saying "Saul, why are you persecuting me?", what was his response? "Who are you?"

Saul was supposedly fighting for God but he didn't know who God was. Later in his life he regretted his actions and acknowledged the damage it did. How about you? Do you stand for something on behalf of God but don't know God himself? What are you fighting for? Better yet, who are you fighting for?

Up Close and Personal

Jethro was delighted when he heard about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel as he rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians. “Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.” Exodus 18:9-11 (NLT)

Moses had a lot of God stories. Jethro, his father-in-law, heard about the great things God had done. Think about that for a second. There was no internet, no telephones, just word of mouth as people traveled back and forth. The things God had done were being talked about. 

Jethro decided he wanted to hear it first-hand so he came to visit Moses. As he and Moses talked, Moses shared his stories about God and the things that he had experienced. No Bible Study, no quoting scripture, just telling what he knew about God personally. Because of these stories, Jethro said "I now know that the Lord is greater than the all other gods."

Do you have a God story? It may not be a story about parting a sea or bringing water from a rock but it is still just as significant. It's significant because it is your story and to the people you are close to, it's personal. To the people you talk to, it's real. Some of them have never experienced God up close and personal before.

So go ahead! Tell your story! God will take your story and use it to teach others about who he is, just like he did with Jethro. 

Not My Job

So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. 11 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. Exodus 17:10-13 (NLT)

As I read this story, I was wondering about what Joshua was thinking during this battle. Could he see Moses? Did he know that when Moses dropped his hands, he would start losing? Was he constantly looking over his shoulder checking out the situation? Maybe he'd see the arms sag and yell something like "Hands up! Hands up!" Was he trying to control something that was out of his reach? Somehow I doubt it.

When Joshua was on the battle field, I am sure he was focused on the battle. He was fighting with a bunch of unexperienced men who needed a leader that was engaged in what they were doing right then and there. That had to be Joshua's focus.

Moses was also doing what he what he was supposed to be doing at that moment. He was interceding. He was standing in the gap for Joshua and the Israelites. It's a good thing Joshua and Moses knew their roles and what they were supposed to be doing. And in the process they trusted God to do what he was supposed to be doing.

What about you? When God gives you a job, do you look around to see what everyone else is doing or do you look to God and trust that he is going to work it all out. Do you keep your focus on today's duties or are you trying to supervise God's plan for tomorrow?  I bet if Joshua kept looking back at Moses or if Moses kept trying to get into the fight with Joshua, things would not turned out as perfectly as they did.

I Can See You!

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4:13 (NLT)

My grandson is just learning to play hide and seek. Recently, we were playing and we were hiding from my husband. He ran to the bed and buried his face in the comforter. As far as he was concerned, he was hiding. Later, we said "Hide" and he covered his face with his hands. He thinks that if he can't see us, we can't see him.

Of course, this makes us laugh because it is so cute but then, my mind wondered to our relationship with God. We often think of our relationship with God in this way.  Since we can't see him, we tend to lose sight of the fact that he is right there with us.

I remember once I was trying to break a habit. I knew God wanted me to stop. Every time I did what I was trying not to do, I stopped praying. Part of that was guilt and part of it was that I somehow thought that if I didn't pray, I could ignore it. Finally one day God said, "You know I can see you when you do that, why do you stop talking to me?" I realized that no matter what I was up to, he was watching so I might as well just be upfront and honest about it. I started praying through it and breaking the habit became easier.

The Bible tells us that instead of hiding from God, we should be hiding in him.

For you are my hiding place;
    you protect me from trouble.
    You surround me with songs of victory. Psalms 32:7

Next time you feel like you want to hide from God, go to him instead and work through whatever is making you hide. He'll be your safe place and he will never, ever hide from you.