“Our Daily Bread” http://odb.org
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie
http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht
“Homily Grits Devotional” http://www.homilygrits.com

2 Corinthians 9:7… So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. (NKJV)

I spent my last day writing (4/09/2014) on what can be a difficult topic for many Christians… How much should we place in the offering plate each week at church, to please God… After all…it is God, not man that we should always be trying to please, as a bondservant of Christ…Galatians 1:10… I insinuated that we would be robbing God, as God tells us in…Malachi 3:8-9…if we didn’t tithe (give10% of our net pay), as God insisted upon in the Old Testament… But I also spoke about the test God gave us, to go ahead and tithe and see if He doesn’t multiply and return back to us what we give… Here is the scripture for God’s test for us, from the Old Testament…

Malachi 3:10… Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessings That there will not be room enough to receive it. (NKJV)    That’s a challenge that many Christians just won’t take up !!

There are a small percentage of Christians today that will consistently give a tithe to their church each and every week… But is this what God is looking for ?? What if you’re extremely wealthy, with enough to easily be able to give back 10% of your net pay to the Lord each week ?? But if you are that wealthy, should you limit your charitable donations to only 10% ?? And if you are on a fixed income in your old age, or out of work…and can’t afford to put in 10% of your net Social Security or unemployment check…are you still suppose to give money that you just don’t have ??

The apostle Paul gives us the answer in the New Testament, on the offering amount that I believe God would be pleased with, in the opening scripture… We as Christians are to give of our time and our resources with a pure heart…and we should be joyful givers, without reservation or regrets…when we give back to the Lord what our heart tells us is an appropriate amount of time and money, to help our church body function as an efficient body of Christ… Since God knows what is in our heart and mind (Jeremiah 17:9-10), there is no way we can fool Him…

When a Christian spiritually matures to the point where they truly understand what God’s grace that has been given to them is all about…and they are Walking in the Spirit on a more or less consistent basis…the Holy Spirit will guide them into what is an appropriate offering for their church… Whether your wealthy, or can barely make ends meet…as long as you are guided by the Holy Spirit to give as you are led…then I believe God will be satisfied… But the Christian who has been blessed with an abundance of wealth, whose heart is darkened with the sin of greed or regret as they place a few dollars into the offering plate…is missing what the apostle Paul clearly teaches us in the opening scripture…

This is why Christians should be diligent in spending time reading the Bible (hopefully daily…Matthew 4:4), digesting, and putting into practice what God teaches us in His inerrant, infallible Word… How can we as Christians please God…if we are ignorant to what God clearly teaches us in the Bible ?? The apostle James (Jesus’ half brother) gives us some good advice, in…James 1:22-25… Here is the link… http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jam1%3A22-25&version=NKJV;KJV Here is the important scripture for Christians…James 1:22… But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (NKJV)

Jesus tells us this about spending time reading His Word, in…John 8:31-32… Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (NKJV)

I spent a day writing… “What is a Disciple of Jesus Christ ??”, back on 11/18/2013…that can be found @ http://www.Godsmanforever.com by typing 11/18/2013 into the search window… In this day of writing, you will find scripture recorded of Jesus’ spoken words, which will define what Jesus requires of His redeemed children to be considered a true disciple (follower) of Jesus Christ…

Abiding in Jesus’ Word, from John 8:21-32 above, means the true disciple of Christ understands, obeys, and lives by Jesus’ teachings…by putting into practice what Jesus’ Word reveals as the inerrant truth God wants all of us to understand and obey…

Jesus’ first and most important commandment is to love the Lord with ALL of our heart…ALL of our mind…and ALL of our soul…Matthew 22:37-38… Jesus wants His redeemed children to keep Him at the very center of their being… And when we can live a “Christ Centered” life…not only will our church donations be given with a pure and cheerful heart…but we will be urged by the Holy Spirit to become “living sacrifices” that are holy and acceptable to God…

Romans 12:1-2… I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV)

Heavenly Father, the only way we can live a life that will be pleasing to You, is to live a life that is filled with, and controlled by the love of Christ that You have given to all of Your redeemed children… Help us Father, to humbly submit our lives to You… I Pray for this fullness of Christ in all of our lives, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

Blessings in Christ, bruce r mills

P.S. I am having a terrible time with my fonts and sizing in Microsoft Outlook 2003… I would appreciate anyone who can help me get things back in order…