Twin Peaks

The scripture for today is Deuteronomy 16:17

 

Deuteronomy 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.

 

Everything that we have is a gift from God. We acknowledge our gratitude to Him by returning tithes and offerings as an expression of our dependence upon Him as our source. As we express our gratitude through giving, God replenishes our supply with more. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your lap. For with the same measure that you measure it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38 While some may consider it a hardship to give back to the Lord when they only have a little, it is out of our obedience to His principles that His blessings continue to accrue to us. We must not think of what we have as ours, but His.  And if what we have belongs to God, we as stewards must follow His directions in the disposition of that over which He has made us overseers.

 

“With the poor man, the tithe will be a comparatively small sum, and his gifts will be according to his ability. But it is not the greatness of the gift that makes the offering acceptable to God; it is the purpose of the heart, the spirit of gratitude and love that it expresses. Let not the poor feel that their gifts are so small as to be unworthy of notice. Let them give according to their ability, feeling that they are servants of God, and that He will accept their offering.

 

The one to whom God has entrusted a large capital will not, if he loves and fears God, find it a burden to meet the demands of an enlightened conscience according to the claims of God. The rich will be tempted to indulge in selfishness and avarice, and to withhold from the Lord His own. But he who is true to God will, when tempted, answer to Satan, “It is written,” “Will a man rob God?” “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, pp. 73-74

 

We must daily first give ourselves to the Lord and out of love for Him allow Him to use us in the distribution of the resources He has blessed us with.

 

God bless you as you continue in His service.

Tim