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Malachi 3:10 – Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. (NRSV)
The other week, I received a letter from my bank, declaring that it would be making changes to my account.
This came as a surprise to me, so I asked God for His favour and rang my local branch. However, after a few minutes of conversing with the bank's assistant manager, my heart sank.
We had not met personally, so the young lady was reading my file and making assumptions about me based on the sparse information that was on her computer screen. I was not a money-maker for the bank, and it was evident from her brusque verbiage that she was sparing her sweet talking for the bank's rich clientele.
Then, out of nowhere, the assistant manager abruptly told me, "Mrs. Twooney, you should hold off giving monthly donations to your church for a while."
My forehead crinkled into a frown as I tried to decipher what she meant. What donations? Then, I realized that she was referring to my monthly tithe. Should I tell this lady that I was a Christian and as such, will honour God with my monthly tithe? Should I risk her ridicule?
With a voice as cool as a cucumber, but with my heart beating a nervous staccato rhythm in my chest, I replied to her, "They're not donations; that is my monthly tithe."
"What's a tithe?" she asked.
Okay, I thought. At least she didn't shoot me down.
"It's a biblical command where you give God the first 10% of your earnings," I replied tersely, steeling myself for a tirade of denunciation.
However, to my surprise, the young lady apologized to me for not knowing the purpose of my payments to the church. Her contriteness was evident in the way she stuttered and stumbled over her words.
Surprised and humbled at the change of her tone, I told the lady that she didn't have to apologize to me. However, I did inform her that I would continue paying my tithe regardless of the new conditions that my account had been placed in.
After I put the phone down, I thanked God for the change of the assistant manager's tone. However, I was also unsettled at how the modern world continues to distance itself further from the commands of God as they are set in the Bible.
Though I didn't receive the solution to my account that I had hoped for, I saw that God's greater purpose was to use that verbal exchange to show someone the relevance of God's Word in today's society. I am thankful that I bit the bullet and declared my faith to this lady.
Psalm 19:7 – The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple. (NRSV)
Are you feeling under pressure to live a life of faith and obedience to God in a broken world that hardly recognizes Him? In 1 John 4:4, we are told that "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (NRSV) Let the truth of God be our shield and buckler as we bring salt and light to the darkest corners of this world!
Prayer: Sovereign Lord, You breathed life into Your Word and built it on the foundation of Your perfect character. Help us to honour Your commandments, to trust in You, and not to lean on our own understandings, in a world that does not understand Your ways. Amen.
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Sunday, May 12, 2024 – In Czechia — We have, by faith and with trembling, set a target for launching off at the end of May. We are prayerfully working hard to be ready by then. God has been challenging us to ask for some "God-sized" gifts. Pray for God to prepare the team in the Czech Republic, to open the way to the hurting people, and to prepare us for His work.
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Amen! Bless you for your testimony.
Thanks for the good message, Madeline.
Thank you for sharing your courage my new friend.
Good job, Madeline! You were an example to her and us.
Thanks Madeline, may God continue to bless you every day!
Bravo Madeline another arrow into the enemy!
Blessings.
Thank you. I will continue to be faithful to God with my church givings. Thank you.
God always blesses us when we take a stand. Look for a change in your finances in the near future! And you can be sure your financial advisor is watching.
Oh Madeline, so beautiful said. I am so proud of you for sharing with someone who still needs to know the Lord. Keep up the good work you are doing for Him.
Dear Maddy,
thanks for the thought today. May God open up the storehouses of heaven and provide what is needed to get by without settling for second best, in Jesus’ name. amen.
Hello my friend
This is a great one, and good for you being able to share and being bold enough to do it. I just know you gave her something to think about.
God bless.
Madeline,
Thank you so much for your special devotional on giving in which you are so open and kind in relation to your giving and living according to God’s Word. We need testimonies like yours and examples of living it for God’s glory.
Hello Madeline,
Another great devotional today. Thank-you. When I see that you are the writer, I am always eager to read and see what you are going to be writing about. Your thoughts are thought-provoking and inspiring. Thanks again.
Mrs. Twooney,
Thank you so much for your devotional today – the very day I really needed to read this! My husband and I had to take early retirement unexpectedly and then I was hospitalized and left with many bills we are struggling to pay. Just yesterday I was despairing over our tithe! God had your devotional be the very one I read this morning! I thank you and I thank our God!
Dear Madeline,
Thank you for sharing the experience you had with the bank employee. You certainly handled the situation with God’s grace by explaining the meaning of tithing. Our God is truly awesome and ever present to guide us.
Blessings for the writings you share.
(B.C.)
Good for you, Madeline!!!
We are living in crazy times and we still need to keep using the opportunities to share Him with others. It is unnerving how many don’t even have a clue about spiritual things. Hopefully, this woman will be touched by what you shared, and it could be a turning point in her life!
Eve our little bit of light is totally enough for Christ to shed it around to others who are lost and living in darkness!
Bless you for being faithful!
(NV)
Good Morning Dear Madeline,
I read your devotional this morning.
I always long to write a favorable, encouraging, response to our devotional contributors and I want so much to be able to say Amen and thank you for writing today, but my heart is grieved at what it wants to do, and what it should do.
I do not ever seek division and strife within the Precious Body of Christ, but by God’s (and to quote how you so wonderfully described this: ‘with my heart beating a nervous staccato rhythm in my chest’.
There are serious changes on the horizon in Canadian government’s handling of “religious” institutions. People are already being arrested for speaking the gospel in a public space: charged with hate speech and inciting riots or anything else they can throw at us. Disenfranchising church property and charitable donations is coming soon. If we do not adhere to the policy of abortion, euthanasia and sexual diversity we will be no longer classed as charitable. Religion is long gone from the schools and the secular agenda is actively promoted. There is a storm rolling in, sooner than any of us expected. Time for serious repentance and prayer to God. Most of us, our faith is un-tested in the face of pressure. We need to encourage each other to be strong and bold and not “compromise” biblical values. This is worldwide as well. Blessings! Be prepared to take those stands.
What a wonderful opportunity for witness that was.
Good for you!