God stuff

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come The old has gone, the new is here!
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.


God is not angry with me. We have conquered death and sin by accepting Jesus. All those who accept Jesus become a new type of person. By the grace of God we are forgiven and now are greatly blessed. God has a job for us to do. God has given us all we need to complete our task.

I enjoy these verses because they are filled with the promise of better things in Jesus. It doesn't say you will be rich and never have another problem but it does say you will be able to handle anything that comes your way. They confirm there is a reason for each of us to be here. They reestablish the fact that you are loved, forgiven, and wanted.

I don't think there is anyone on the planet Earth who does not want to have a purpose. I think all of us want to be a better person and know there is someone on our side.

Money!

Matthew:6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

This wonderful verse is used over and over again by pastors trying to convince their parishioners to tithe. Such a wonderful part of the bible that originally was part of a larger message about not making money the most important priority in your life but instead to trust God and do the right thing without needing recognition and fame. Store up spiritual treasure in your heart.

I personally agree with the tithe. I don't enjoy hearing a money message every few months, but that is the part of church nobody really enjoys. I know that most churches want to do a lot of 'programs'. I also understand those programs cost money. I wish the pastor would just say to us,

"Hey, I want to do (A). It will achieve (B). In order to do that I need to raise (X) amount of money. That will fund the program for (such) an amount of time. Here is a form with all the programs we want to do. If you donate and want to support a certain program please mark the box near it. Thanks."

I know that there are passages which say if you will give the tithe the "floodgates" of blessing will flow for me. That's great. It's a wonderful lesson to give now and then. It fits when giving a sermon on financial responsibility. Money is a huge issue and there are biblical truths on how to handle money so as to avoid stress and starvation. I have given and I have noticed that money falls out of the sky for me when I do. Not literally, but bonuses and gifts, or extra work seems to come my way when I am tithing. It's tried and true for me.

I agree with a friend however, that you don't have to make the tithe with your church. You can take the 10% and give to charity instead. The money is for the continuation of good works. It also helps you maintain financial discipline. You should be donating money, saving money, and budgeting the rest. Living under your means or at least within them. This is a very hard lesson to learn. Those who know me personally know the lesson took a long time for my family to get in our heads. Luckily we are doing better now, and it was the biblical principles that helped us.

So dear reader do not take this as a tirade against the tithe, but as a small complaint of the use of a beautiful verse to get blood from a stone.