meditations for an everyday relationship with Jesus

Tithing: what does it mean?

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”

Interestingly, Christ does not directly address tithing, but suggests that money should be given away, or at the very least be placed in perspective because it can become obsessive.

If we are immersed in our faith, and worship is truly a lifestyle, then 10% of our accumulated (or earned) resources will be just the beginning. That is why Christ didn’t put a number on it. He wanted our faith to emanate from the heart not from the purse.

God is also wondering what you and I will do with the other 90% of our resources, since it all originated with Him. We have not earned anything that He did not first create. Invest wisely.

Cross training?

Luke 14:27 “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?”

It is vitally important that we understand what the cross that Jesus bore consisted of, and why it was essential to salvation The cross that He carried was more than physically heavy, cumbersome, and full of splinters. It contained our sins: all the sins of all of the world, past, present, and future. To redeem means that He both paid for them and was literally crucified on them. And because of this real event, Jesus paid for those sins with His life. He paid as an innocent lamb (one without blemish or spot). This is in keeping with Biblical prophecy and Hebrew messianic tradition.

Who carries a cross that has not counted the cost? Follow Him!

Titus 3:1-3 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people.