Day 30 - Our Heart Response To Blessing

What an incredible journey we are on as we near the end of this journey . We see these daughters stand for what is rightfully theirs. We have just watched a man called Abram fight for his family and then encounter an incredible blessing directly from God. A man who has been promised an inheritance and has not yet walked into the land that he was to possess. Yet on his journey we see such incredible faith as he walks it all out.

I am so aware that what we pray for and what we believe is ours this side of eternity is not always what we get. But there are some areas of our lives that I believe we live by principals regardless of outcome.

It is at this juncture that I just want to highlight one key to living in the inheritance God has promised us. It’s the smallest verse found where we have been over the last few days…. And it could feel strange that I bring it into a devotional on inheritance, but I am that convinced by it and would love to hear your thoughts.

Genesis 14:20 And [Abram] gave him a tenth of all [he had taken].

This is the first verse ever in the Bible to talk about the tithe. It is before the law made tithing a part of daily life with God. It was Abram's own personal heart response to God. He was grateful God had saved his family from destruction and he had just received the power of a blessing from a High Priest. Overwhelmed by this encounter HE CHOSE TO GIVE THIS PRIEST the first ten percent of all he had just acquired in his fight for his family safely back.

This may be random to put in a blog about walking into your rightful inheritance from God but I believe with such a deep conviction that tithing unlocks windows of heaven over your life in so many aspects.

Most weeks in our local church I am asked to teach our people about this principal. I honestly do not know if there I have a deeper conviction about anything in our walk following Christ. I teach it with boldness and assurance. It is our heartfelt passion and desire to see every Christ follower walk in this revelation. I teach people it is an adventure to experience. This weekend in the northern hemisphere is nearly the end of the tax year and all giving to churches get tax advantages because they are registered charities. We never had that luxury in Australia and we do it anyway.

If you are on this journey, believing God for crazy favour and making audacious requests, can I encourage you to test God in this area of your life also if you have never consistently been a tither to your local church! And if you are a faithful tither then stir the promises of God over your life, continue to stay grateful for blessing in your life and remind yourself always that tithing is a heart response rather than an obligation.

Then begin to look at the sacredness of your spending (hello Christmas craziness!), your savings, your sowing and your smiling at the future with a trust in a faithful God, and the knowing you are living with wisdom.

I personally am going to be praying for you in this area. It matters deeply to you and to God.

So leading into this Sunday in the House of God that you are planted in why don’t your BOLDLY TITHE. .

Take the tenth of your income or what the bible calls the ‘first fruits of your increase’ and tithe on purpose. Tithe with conviction. Tithe with faith. Tithe with expectation. Tithe with gratitude.