Today is March 22, 2019
Verse of the Day -- Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And
do not lean on your own understanding.THOUGHT FOR THE DAYStick
to a scriptural solution-even against all odds.
MINI BIBLE STUDY FOR THE DAYGod wants you to be completely yielded to His way, all day. To know His way means to have a good grasp of His Word
and His principles taught in Scripture.
Of course, many times this requires rejection of what
you may "feel" is right and instead acceptance of God's will. Most importantly, if you take on the day with an attitude
of "I want what God wants," you will have the opportunity to be used by God for something that will stand the test
of time and maybe even receive a reward on judgment day.
Do
not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves
. . . -Philippians 2:4-5
QUESTION FOR THE DAYDear Compass,
My pastor says we should all tithe ten percent of our income. Should this
be of the gross or what we net in our paycheck?
ANSWER:Gross, but
we don't necessarily agree with your pastor that 10 percent is "required" for Church Age Believers.
In the Old Testament, before the law was given, Abraham tithed (meaning to give one tenth) to the Lord.
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. -Genesis 14:19-20
Then
the law was given and Israel was required to give:
- 10 percent for the feasts.
There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices,
your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd
and of your flock.-Deuteronomy 12:6
- 10 percent
for the Levites (the tribe without an inheritance).
You
shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. You shall eat in the presence
of the LORD your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil,
and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. -Deuteronomy
14:22-23.
- Additional tithes for the Levites
every three years.
Also you shall not neglect
the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you. At the end of every third year you shall bring
out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. The Levite, because he has no portion or
inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied,
in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do. -Deuteronomy 14:27-28
- 10 percent for the widows every three years.
When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing,
then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and
be satisfied. -Deuteronomy 26:12
That averages about 27 percent
per year. There were also additional offerings (tithes of tithes) from time to time.
Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, "When you take from the sons of Israel
the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the LORD, a
tithe of the tithe. -Numbers 18:26
Israel, of course, was a theocracy
and that money also ran the government.
In the Church Age the instructions are different. You
are to give:
- Cheerfully.
Each
one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. -2 Corinthians
9:7
- As you have prayed through with the Lord.
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not
grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. -2 Corinthians 9:7
- Consistently.
On
the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when
I come. -1 Corinthians 16:2
- Privately.
But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand
know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret
will reward you. -Matthew 6:3-4
There
was no specific percentage given but rather it is according to how much you have been given.
On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no
collections be made when I come. -1 Corinthians 16:2
And you
are NOT compelled to give a certain amount, like 10 percent.
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves
a cheerful giver. -2 Corinthians 9:7
So, 10 percent MAY
be an appropriate amount, but that figure can't be applied universally to everyone as they must first pray (talk to God) about
it. Jesus' comments about the widow's mites shows that ten percent may be too much or it may be too little.
A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which
amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than
all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she
owned, all she had to live on." -Mark 12:42-44
We should never
get hung up on percentages as that is pure legalism.
Remember, the main reason we give is to show
God we understand that ALL of our income is from the Lord. You may want to share these verses with your pastor-but be sure
to have empathy when you hand him this list because it's difficult for a pastor to teach the truth about giving, and few do.
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QUESTION
Dear Compass,
I just read "The Purpose Driven Life" book; it's awesome! I just
love this man. He is just so wise, and his book has really helped me deal with some of my "stuff." You
know.......stuff!
ANSWER
We think a lot of what Rick Warren teaches is good, but there's also a lot of bad doctrine mixed in with the good.
And the bad can, very subtly, lead the reader into a life of bondage. For more on this subject we have two excellent Steeling
the Mind DVDs.
You can download and watch them for free from the Compass Digital Store by clicking
on the titles below-no credit/debit card needed. Enter the discount/coupon code "GML" and they will be free.
Or
you can order these DVDs to be mailed to you by clicking the title above and selecting that option or by calling 208-762-7777.
We also have a written article on our website on How to Spot Purpose Driven/Emergent in YOUR Local Church. Click on the title to download for free.
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