God's Unchanging Hand

People tend to be fickle. One day, they love you to pieces; the next day, they don't even know you. Thankfully, God never changes. In Malachi 3:6, the prophet declares "For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." Considering how we change from week to week and year to year, even concerning our faith and faithfulness, that's a good reason to praise God for His consistent, unchanging love.

Two Kings, Two Choices

In Genesis14: 23, the Bible recalls Abram's choice after gaining great wealth from defeating the four kings. He had two kings before him: Melchizedek the high priest, and the king of Sodom. The king of Sodom encouraged him to offer up the people to him, and keep the goods for himself; Abram chose to give his offering to Melchizedek as an act of worship to God. Regarding the king of Sodom, Genesis 14:23, Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and Earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, 'I have made Abram rich." Just as Abram, we meet the same two kings when we receive financial blessings, and must decide whether to tithe, as an act of worship, or give it away to the world and keep the rest for ourselves.

Worship in Giving

After Abram and his men defeated the four kings who captured his nephew Lot, he gained more than his nephew and his goods; he also gained all of the goods from the four kings. In Genesis 14:18-20, the Bible recalls that Melchizedek, king of Salem and high priest, brought out bread and wine when he met Abram. He blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." He gave him a tenth of all." Abram acknowledged that his victory was a blessing from God; instead of taking all of the spoils of his victory and keeping them for himself, he sought out the high priest to give an offering, just a tenth or tithe of all his spoils, as an act of worship to give thanks for what the Lord has done.

Recovering All

In Genesis 14:15-16, the Bible recalls the heroic rescue of Lot, his nephew. After they separated, Lot was kidnapped with all of his possessions. The Bible says that Abraham "divided his forces against the four kings by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people." Abram's rescue did not make sense: he was outnumbered, his army comprised of common men who lived in his household, and Abram was not a young man. His sheer determination to possess what God has promised him, in Genesis 13, was all that he needed to recover all that belonged to him.

Abundantly Blessed

In Genesis 14:14-16, the Bible declares that after Abram and Lot had separated, the Lord said to Abram "Look around to the north, south, east, and west. I will give you and your family all the land you can see. It will be theirs forever! I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and someday it will be easier to count the specks of dust than to count your descendants. " Abram was already wealthy; now God has promised to bless him abundantly, greater than he could imagine, not only for him, but for his decedents for generations to come.

Parting as Friends

The Lord led Abram and his household out of Egypt, but he took his nephew Lot with him on the journey. Eventually, the land where they settled became overcrowded, and Abram decided that was time for the two to separate cordially. In Genesis 13:8-9, Abram says to Lot" Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” At times, on our own journey, we must separate from those that we love dearly. As Abram, we must be led by the spirit to separate ourselves cordially and part as friends.

Handle with Care

In Genesis 4:6-7, the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." The Lord gave Cain a chance to change his mind about what he was plotting to do. Both Cain and Abel were exposed to the same teaching from their parents, and had the same opportunity to give an offering to the Lord, yet Cain became angry as the Lord favored his brother's offering over his. The Lord warned Cain to handle his anger, growing into sin, with great care before his anger overcame him.

Favor and Haters

In Genesis 4:4-5, the Bible says "the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but, for Cain and for his offering He had no regard So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell." The Bible does not say why God regarded Abel's sacrifice over Cain's sacrifice; it only says that He did, and it made Cain very angry, as we will see, to point of violence. When God shows favor to our brothers, sisters, and neighbors, it is a reason to rejoice, not to become angry, because our anger takes the focus off of our primary objective for our offering: honoring God.

Equal Sacrifice

In Genesis 4:2-4, the Bible says that "Abel became a sheep farmer, but Cain farmed the land. One day, Cain gave part of his harvest to the Lord, and Abel also gave an offering to the Lord." Both sons of Adam and Eve were given a job; they were both stewards: one over the land, the other over the animals. Their parents taught them the principle of giving an offering to the Lord. They were both willing to give it, however, the substance of their offerings were different. As we give our offerings to the Lord, He does not consider a larger offering as greater than a smaller; He considers our sacrifice as equal when we give willingly and cheerfully.

We Are One

In John 17:20-21, Jesus prays for unity among believers; His prayer was not just for the disciples, but for every believer "who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me." In verse 21, His prayer is for "all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me." When we are all in agreement in the basic principles of Christianity; the virgin birth, sinless life, death and resurrection of Christ, we are able to work together as one in the body of Christ to glorify God and draw others to faith through the strength in our unity.

Blessed to be a Blessing

It is God's desire to bless His people, as we are His people, those that He has chosen to carry out His work in the earth. Without finances, it is impossible to carry out the mission of Christ, as He declared in Matthew 25:35-36. He says "when I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me." As we continue to carry out the work of the ministry, God continues to provide all that we need, as well more than enough to bless others.

Love of Money

There is a common misconception that Christians should be poor; nothing could be further from the truth. In 1 Timothy 6:10, the Apostle declares "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." God desires His people to prosper, as the ministry must have money to meet the needs of the people; not for their own gain, but to bless His people and build up His kingdom.

Reversing the Curse

After the fall of Adam, God cursed the ground, but did not curse his people, as He proclaimed in Genesis 3:17," “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life."In Malachi 3: 10, God declares through the prophet, to "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows."As God is the only one who would curse the ground, He gave us opportunity to reverse the curse on the ground through our giving.

God Will Take Care of You

In Philippians 4:19, Paul declares "my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Paul writes this promise to the Philippian church, but this promise that Paul declares did not apply to all churches or believers. In verses 14-18, Paul remarks on the support that the church has given him during his time of great trouble. Just as the church has taken care of Paul, he promises that God will take care of the needs of the church, as well as the members of that church, as God will honors their covenant, with one another and with their God.

Prayer for a Friend

As believers, we should pray for our family, friends, and loved ones. In 3 John 2, Paul writes "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." The Apostle noticed that his friend Gaius experienced a similar problem that many modern-day Christians experience; prospering spiritually, but his finances are lacking. As Paul writes to his friend, he also writes to us today. Our prayers for friends, and for ourselves, should be to be made whole, surrendering our bodies, minds, and souls to our beloved Savior.

Forward Thinking

As we end the first week of a new year, it's common to reflect on the trials and triumphs of the last year, but now is the time to set our thoughts on the promises of God instead of the mistakes of our past. In Philippians 3:15-16, Paul declares "all of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you. But we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed." Even if we fall back to the things of our past, we are able to continue to move forward, starting with our thoughts in forward thinking.

Eyes on the Prize

With the expectation to multi-task effectively, we are busier now than we have been in the past. In Philippians 3:4, Paul declares "I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done." With all of our responsibilities and expectations, it easy to get distracted from our ultimate prize: heaven. As Paul, we must keep our focus on obtaining the prize and promise of heaven through the sacrifice of Christ.

Keep Pressing

In a race, all of the runners run forward; they may not run at the same speed, but they all move in the same direction, as moving forward is the most direct and effective way to arrive at any destination. In 1 Corinthians 3: 14, Paul declares "I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." As we continue on our goal for a closer relationship with Christ, we must press forward without looking back, because we have a much higher calling ahead of us.

Moving Forward

One of the most common traps of the enemy is to use our past against us. In 1 Corinthians 3:13, Paul says "Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before." Paul went from being a zealous murderer of believers to an enthusiastic minister serving Christ for the rest of his life. As Paul purposely forgets the sins of his past and moves forward through his life in Christ, we have the same hope to move forward in Christ in total freedom.

Keep Striving

Although Apostle Paul was brilliant, he was one of the most humble apostles, as he never forgot the terrible state he was in when he met Christ. In Philippians 3:12, Paul says "I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize." Paul compares himself to a runner in a great marathon, acknowledging that even he is far from perfect, but he continues to strive for the prize, a greater relationship with his Savior. As we begin 2011, we continue to strive through our own struggles, we too should continue to strive the prize of a greater, deeper relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, in spite of our shortcomings.