Give to God Generously

Scripture 2 Chron 31:6 And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the LORD their God they laid in heaps.

Observation: One of the first things I did when I was saved was to tithe. Not sure why that was important to me then, because I was a very selfish person and what was mine was mine. It was one of the most dramatic changes in my life at that time and now over 16 years later there has not been anything that I have received that I haven’t tithed on. I’ve told others we should tithe on our first fruits as it tells us in the Bible and I tell others the most precious thing God has given us is time. To give a tithe of our time is 2.4 hours a day or 17 hours a week in studying, praying and serving others in our Lord’s name. I don’t come close even though those times that I dedicate to God are the times that are most full of joy and peace. Our Lord deserves so much more than a tithe and most of us haven’t been able to even mustard up that for the One who has given us everything.

Application: I need to work on my selfishness, which is what keeps me from giving to God what he deserves. If I wasn’t so concern about my time to rest or do what I want to do for my own pleasure I would be more free to give to my Lord who deserves all of my love praise, obedience and time. God needs to be my priority in this life and the life to come and if there is anything left I should be giving to others with me receiving what is left. I know if I live like that God would bless me even though I don’t deserve anything, because that’s the God we serve.

Prayer: My Lord you deserve so much better than I give you. Help me please set me free of the bondage of my selfish desires that I will give you freely all you deserve from this life you have blessed me with. I want to be a joyful servant in your presence and serve you will all of my heart mind and soul.