H.U.M.P. Day (The GOOD Edition)

Wednesday November 17, 2010

Today's Passage: Malachi 3:8-12
Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 10:26

What is GOOD?  What would be considered a good thing, or a good person?  I often think good is the absence of doing wrong.  I mean, people who label themselves as good, use deeds as the measuring stick.  Well, we know NOT doing something wrong may be considered a good quality, but what about the omission of doing the RIGHT thing?  For instance, you may see a neigbor or a co-worker in a painful situation.  Maybe they're going through a divorce, or a financial downturn.  Here you have the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them.  You know it's within you to be an encouraging voice, but you don't take the opportunity.  Now you didn't do anything wrong, but you ommitted the right thing.  So, are you GOOD?  Think about Robin Hood.  We've all heard the stories and/or seen the movies (there's only been 100's of them).  Robin Hood was made famous by robbing the rich and giving what he had stolen to the poor.  Is he good?  I guess it depends on what tax bracket you're in.  Let's look at it through God's eyes.

God owns the cattle of a thousand hills.  Which means by natural standards, He's rich.  He has everything one could ever want.  He doesn't need money, or property, or a job to maintain His economic status.  Yet, He requires us to "cheerfully" bring 10% of our income to His kingdom.  He even says refusing to do so is "robbing" Him.  Well, the truth is, it is robbing Him.  It's robbing Him because the harvest we get comes from the seed in His ground ("the Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof").  Also, it robs Him of the love and devotion (there's our word again Td Nation) He deserves.  A statement was made in one of our meetings that we should take our tithes and designate them to feeding the hungry instead of bringing them to the church.  What a great concept.  As Christians, feeding the hungry should always be a priority.  But we can't be Robin Hood folks.  We can't rob God to do it.  God said "Bring ALL the tithes into the storehouse, so that it can be meat in My house".  Meaning, feeding the poor, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, and caring for the broken, would all be easily done IF GOD'S STOREHOUSE WERE FULL!  When His storehouse is empty ministry is more difficult.  Now you might read this and say "but I'm a tither so I'm okay".  Which is true to some degree.  But we're the body.  We are one.  God said "You are cursed with a curse, because you have robbed Me, EVEN THE WHOLE NATION".  So, even if one person (or member of the body) decides God's not worthy of the tithe, all of Td Nation is cursed because we're short of the ALL He is requiring.  So if we rob God to feed the hungry is that GOOD?  I don't think so.  But you ask God for yourself.....

Our assignment is to strive to become habitual tithers.  That's right, habitual.  A habit is something you don't have to put thought into doing.  You just do it.  The need to do it is so strong, you feel uneasy if you don't.  You don't have to be persuaded, nor do you need to be reminded.  You wake up everyday looking forward to it.  Yeah, like an addict.  Also, pray that the revelation of God's love comes to those who aren't tithers.  We can't judge them.  We can only let them see the manifestation of God's favor on a life TOTALLY devoted to Him.  Let's serve notice to the devourer this is not Sherwood Forest.  And we are not a band of thieves or robbers.  This is the Kingdom of the Most High.  And we are His sons and daughters.  Prosperity lives here.  Obedience lives here.  Favor lives here. And blessing lives here, because HIS STOREHOUSE IS FULL!