1. God is such and AMAZING provider! Yesterday He blessed our family with a surprise gift from people we have never even met before (well, one we met a long time ago)! It is yet another reminder that He is faithful, reliable, and TRUE! David says he will proclaim God’s goodness, and that’s what I’m doing! 2. I’m learning a lot…. which means there are a lot of discoveries, and even more questions. I’ve learned a lot about the difference between the Greek and Hebrew mindset. And I probably need to go and listen and read more so that it really sets in. Right now I’m listening to information about the book of Genesis. It’s fascinating and mindboggling and engrossing and challenging and makes me hungry to know more because it’s like cleaning a pair of glasses so I can see more clearly. I’m learning a lot about the Bible, but also a lot about the God who made me. 3. Today I’ve been reading about tithing. I almost hate posting about it because sometimes I get such strong responses from people who are seriously not happy with my opinion. But I’ll put it here anyway, because it’s my blog, and because I can. You don’t have to agree. And honestly, there’s so much to learn and so many views that I haven’t quite made up my mind what to do with all the information I’ve read and listened to. Anyhow, here it is: There seem to be several views on tithing. There is, of course, the traditional view: give 10% (either to the church or to the ministry, depending on your pastor/denomination). Then there’s two other views: a. The Hebrew View #1 (the Old Testament is still alive and valid, based on Jesus adherance as well as Paul’s, Peter’s and the other disciples, with the view that the Messianic sect of Judaism didn’t separate from the Jewish synagogue until Constantine became emperor and standardized Christianity as we know it today): this view says that the tithe originated when God gave Moses the Law. There were 3 tithes – one that was 10% and went to the Levites (and the priests); one that was 10% of the 90% left over after the first tithe that was saved for the annual pilgrimage to wherever God wanted them to worship (traditionally the temple in Jerusalem) and eaten in a huge celebratory feast. Then every 3rd and 6th year there was a tithe given to the poor, widow, and foreigner (those who didn’t have land to farm in order to provide for themselves). There was no tithing in the 7th year because the land was not farmed. Of course, the implications here are multiple: we no longer have a tribe of levites, nor a priesthood that serves at the temple. We no longer have a temple since it was razed by the Romans (I think). So, there is no tithe to be given unless you count the one in the 3rd and 6th year for the poor, widow, and foreigner. Our tithes don’t usually go to that (some do, but a lot of it goes to salaries and building maintenance). So, following the logical trail, the tithe doesn’t apply to us today. Okay, so what about Paul’s exhortation to the various churches (I think it was Galatia or Corinth)? The answer there is that Paul is applying an Old Testament principle of giving, but he’s not commanding it, nor is there any implication that God is commanding it. There’s a request for the church to be generous and give what they promised to give. There are no numbers commanded, just a statement that it should be whatever they decided in their hearts to give. b. The Hebrew View #2 (the Old Testament, or rather the Law, is no longer applicable to Christians today because Jesus’ death and resurrection was the ultimate sacrifice, fulfilling all the requirements of the law and nullifying it by creating a new Covenant based on the forgiveness found in the blood of Christ.): Similar to the Hebrew View #1, there are types of tithes, but all of the tithes were agricultural and meant to be eaten. The tithes were from anything that was grown, and sometimes livestock. The use of money in place of the agriculture was penalized by adding an additional 5% on top of the 10%. The tithe was meant to be consumed in a feast. The people were supposed to invite and include the poor, the widow, and the stranger/foreigner in these feasts. They reminded the people that the things we are given are fleeting and not meant to be hoarded (remember that thing about storing up heavenly treasure?). Anyhow, the implication, again, is that the tithe as is traditional in our churches is not mentioned again in any way (the obligatory 10% of all income). And even if the assumption is draw connecting the Old Testament system of tithes to Paul’s statements to the churches in Corinth or Galatia, if the Old Testament Law is no longer valid, then wouldn’t that invalidate the tithe as well? If it’s argued that the tithe dates back to before the Law was given, then closer look would show that Abraham only tithed one time that is recorded, and Jacob’s promise of tithing was based on an attempt to bribe God into blessing him. There aren’t any other records of anyone tithing (that I know of). Everyone agrees that our giving today should be an expression of our thanksgiving for the blessings that God gives us. It should be given without obligation. It should be of our own determination (not a prescribed amount). It should be given to support the ones who preach God’s word (pastors and the church), the poor, widown, orphans, and those within the church who are in need. And it’s not a tithe. It’s a reminder to us that everything we have belongs to God. It’s a voluntary symbol of His blessing given to others from what I’ve been given. I still don’t know how much or of what, or even if I’m completely off my rocker. I don’t know the answer. And maybe that’s okay. Maybe that’s part of the point. It’s not about me controlling everything. It’s about learning to listen to YHWH and about learning to relate to Him. It’s about being in the center where He is and doing what He wants in order to bring Him recognition and praise. It’s about faith. Here are some interesting articles: http://www.acts17-11.com/dialogs_tithe.html http://www.layhands.com/MustChristiansTitheTenPercent.htm http://skipmoen.com/2009/07/15/tithe/ http://skipmoen.com/2010/04/06/more-on-tithing/ http://skipmoen.com/2010/04/05/the-principle-of-excess/ http://www.eshavbooks.org/08-topical.htm (see All About Tithing mp3)
Psalm 31:22 As for me, I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before your eyes.” Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you. “In my haste,” says David. That sounds like me. In my Greek way of thinking, I need to know now. I often jump to a conclusion quickly and fail to wait for God’s answer. It’s that way in this verse. David jumps to the conclusion that God isn’t paying attention, but later God does answer. The beauty is that He answers even though David makes the assumption that He’s not going to. Sometimes we just need to wait longer and be quieter. Don’t be hasty!
Psalm 56:9 On the very day I call to you for help, my enemies will retreat. This I know: God is on my side. I’ve been listening to Skip Moen’s classes on Living the Biblical Worldview where he explains the way the Hebrew writers of the Bible thought and how it differs from the Greek way of thinking that we are saturated with today. It’s pretty much rocked the foundations of my world. I’ve realized that many of the things I thought I knew and understood are not what I believed, and are built of a philosophy of thinking that is alien and opposite to the philosophy and mindset of the very people who wrote the book that makes up the basis of what I believe. I’m not particularly sure I’m even articulating what I’m thinking. I cannot recommend enough these classes (they’re on downloadable CDs on Skip’s website – http://skipmoen.com/products/). Anyway, the Psalm in which today’s verse lies is one of my favorites. It’s one where it talks about God collecting all my sorrows and tears in his bottle. It’s a beautiful image. This verse reminds me that God hears me. He’s never far away and He’s never not paying attention. His answers come quickly (just not always in the form I expect). It may be that to answer my cry for help, other events get set in motion, some depending on the obedience of another person, ultimately resulting in the answer I need.
From Max Lucado’s Weekly Email: The Miracle of the Carpenter by Max Lucado Loretto Chapel took five years to complete. Modeled after the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, its delicate sanctuary contains an altar, a rose window, and a choir loft. The choir loft is the reason for wonder. Were you to stand in the newly built chapel in 1878, you might see the Sisters of Loretto looking forlornly at the balcony. Everything else was complete: the doors had been hung, the pews had been placed, the floor had been laid. Everything was finished. Even the choir loft. Except for one thing. No stairs. The chapel was too small to accommodate a conventional stairway. The best builders and designers in the region shook their heads when consulted. “Impossible,” they murmured. There simply wasn’t enough room. A ladder would serve the purpose, but mar the ambiance. The Sisters of Loretto, whose determination had led them from Kentucky to Santa Fe, now faced a challenge greater than their journey: a stairway that couldn’t be built. What they had dreamed of and what they could do were separated by fifteen impossible feet. So what did they do? The only thing they could do. They ascended the mountain. Not the high mountains near Santa Fe. No, they climbed even higher. They climbed the same mountain that Jesus climbed 1,800 years earlier in Bethsaida. They climbed the mountain of prayer. As the story goes, the nuns prayed for nine days. On the last day of the novena, a Mexican carpenter with a beard and a wind-burned face appeared at the convent. He explained that he had heard they needed a stairway to a chapel loft. He thought he could help. The mother superior had nothing to lose, so she gave him permission. He went to work with crude tools, painstaking patience, and uncanny skill. For eight months he worked. One morning the Sisters of Loretto entered the chapel to find their prayers had been answered. A masterpiece of carpentry spiraled from the floor to the loft. Two complete three-hundred-sixty-degree turns. Thirty-three steps held together with wooden pegs and no central support. The wood is said to be a variety of hard fir, one nonexistent in New Mexico! When the sisters turned to thank the craftsman, he was gone. He was never seen again. He never asked for money. He never asked for praise. He was a simple carpenter who did what no one else could do so singers could enter a choir loft and sing. See the stairway for yourself, if you like. Journey into the land of Enchantment. Step into this chapel of amazement and witness the fruit of prayer. Or, if you prefer, talk to the Master Carpenter yourself. He has already performed one impossible feat in your world. He, like the Santa Fe carpenter, built a stairway no one else could build. He, like the nameless craftsman, used material from another place. He, like the visitor to Loretto, came to span the gap between where you are and where you long to be. Each year of his life is a step. Thirty-three paces. Each step of the stair is an answered prayer. He built it so you can climb it. And sing. From In the Eye of the Storm Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado What an awesome reminder of how God works to answer our prayers. Like the angel who was delayed on his way to answer Daniel’s prayers, it probably took this man all those months to get to the chapel to be the answer to the nuns’ prayers. As long as we’re praying and being faithful to the vision God’s given, He can do some amazing (and uncanny) things – even when the solution seems impossible.
Zechariah 10:1 Ask the LORD for rain in the spring, and he will give it. It is the LORD who makes storm clouds that drop showers of rain so that every field becomes a lush pasture. I think there’s a danger of thinking the means to solve our problem is the answer instead of the Maker of the solution to the problem. I sometimes catch myself thinking “If I had more money things would be better” or “If I had or If I did…” See the problem? First, it’s all about ME – If I. And second, it doesn’t take into account the fact that God is ultimately the only one w ho can get me out of a problem. Sure, being financially stable would be nice, but it’s not going to make everything better. I still need to learn to depend on God and to trust Him to provide. There will always be challenges that seem insurmountable. I can’t trust in things to fix my issues. Only God can do that. My focus needs to shift back to the Maker of the solution. And it’s not all about me. I don’t know why I always seem to slip into that whole “If I” mindset. I should know from past experience that “If I” do try something it usually backfires and make everything worse! I get in my own way, and in God’s way, too. Again, I need to shift my focus back to Him and His strength, not mine. One last thought… It says to ask God for rain in the spring. I wonder how much of the effectiveness of our prayers depends on asking at the right time. If we ask God for rain in the winter, it would do more hard than good (at least in cold climates). Does God not answer prayers because they’re asked at the wrong time? They do say that “Timing is Everything… “ On a completely different note… isn’t the verse pretty?