Tithing

Recently I read a book entitled “Living on the Third River” by Craig Hill. I tend to get a lot of these book recommendations, because I subscribe to the daily devotion, “Today God is First” by Os Hillman.  (If you want to receive a daily devotion to your inbox, you can sign up for the devotions at www.crosswalk.com.  I highly recommend signing up for them, as they are very encouraging).

The book gives the analogy of living along three different rivers as a way of handling finances.  The first river involves a man who has never had quite enough water.  Life experience has taught him to conserve water, because he feels that he does not have enough water.  He cannot allow more water to flow downstream for other people to use, for fear that he will run out of water. So he builds a dam to conserve it, thinking that this will be his only provision.

The second river involves another man. Life experience has taught this man that there is an unlimited supply of water, and therefore is no need to build a dam. Because his life experience confirms that he has plenty of water, he will continue to build additional pools and fountains for his family.  He will allow some water to flow downstream, however, there really is never enough water to do everything that he wants with it.

Then there is the third man, whose view of the water coming down the mountain is unlimited.  He knows that the source is unlimited, and he digs canals to those farms and families that are in need of water.  He knows that more water will continue to flow down the river and down the canals that he just built.  He continues to dig new canals every year to new families.  He knows that he will have plenty of water not only for his family, but for others as well.

Which river do you live on?  Craig Hill uses this analogy to describe tithing in the Christian church.  I don’t know about you, but I think that at one point or another, all of us can say that we have held on to our resources, and not allowed the “water” to flow.  

My husband and I have definitely held on to our water supply. We have not tithed, nor helped those in need, and I feel horrible for it.  Tithing is almost like a lost art.  We have been attending a house church for a while, and assumed that we did not need to tithe, since there was no physical building in which we met, since we met in someone's house.  How wrong we were!! The Lord has recently begun to place on our hearts that, even though we are no longer attending a “regular” church with a building, it is still important to tithe and sow our seed into the Kingdom of God.  Whether that be to a local ministry, or tithing to someone who’s going abroad on a short or long term mission trip, I would encourage you to pray about where to tithe. You may be surprised at what the Lord has to say.

How much should we tithe?  Although tithing is traditionally considered to be 10% (or more) of your income according to Old Testament scriptures (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:26; Deuteronomy 14:24; 2 Chronicles 31:5), the New Testament (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; James 1:5; 2 Corinthians 9:7) does not specify an amount. Pray to the Lord to determine how much He is leading you to give. I promise, not only will you feel better about giving, but the Lord will provide for you in ways that you can’t even imagine.

Here is my favorite passage of this book:

Provision is not dependent upon...works.  Birds and flowers are cared for by God simply because he values them. Jesus then makes the point that you as a person are of much greater value to God than birds and flowers.  Thus, Jesus teaches that basic provision for life is made by your Heavenly Father just because He loves you. That's right! Just because He loves you.

Isn’t that awesome concept? The Lord provides for us just because He loves us!  That’s a pretty good feeling.  So if you lose your job or means of provision, don't worry!  The Lord will surely provide for you, because He loves you. We have to remember the job is simply the means through which God choose to provide for you.

Craig Hill has labeled this “Sparrow Faith”.  I encourage you all to read this book to learn more about it.  I also encourage you to tithe!  Lord, may we learn how to demonstrate our Sparrow Faith each day, and not to rely on our own works for provision alone, but instead look to you.

Judge Not...Lest You Be Judged

One of the problems with American society is the scale on which women rate each other. As I mentioned in our earlier post, women usually compare themselves to other women and see how they add up. When you compare yourself, you either think that the other woman is more beautiful than you, or you think that you are more beautiful than her.  As Beth Moore states in her book, So Long, Insecurity, "We fall headlong to one side with inferiority or swan-dive to the other side with superiority. A bloody tumble is inevitable either way." (p.279)

We usually act upon the feelings that are within our hearts, instead of the logical thoughts within our minds.  Let me tell you something that the Lord shared with me, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." That quote is from Matthew 7 verses 1 and 2.  This means that we are not to judge others, because if we do, we can surely expect to be judged in return.  Similarly, if we compare ourselves with other women, most likely, they are going to be comparing ourselves with them. Now, perhaps you're thinking, "If I don't judge other women, that doesn't mean they won't judge me." And this may be true. But at least you can rest assured knowing that you are making an effort to not compare yourself to any other woman or size her up. I know some women who have a chronic problem with insecurity and jealousy, and unfortunately, they may never change. But at least you can do your part and refuse to compare yourself with another woman. This will give you peace of mind.  You will learn how to trust in the Lord, while the other woman is still suffering from her faulty comparisons.

Beauty

As with many women throughout Western civilization, all my life I have struggled with what it means to be beautiful. Recently I watched a video entitled "Pretty," by Katie Makkai, a veteran poetry slammer.  You should check out her video below, if you have time.  This video really spoke to me.  Many women struggle with what it means to be pretty and mistakenly base their value on their outward appearance.  Society has not been kind to them in this manner.  I've often wondered if we will ever see an end to the countless pictures of photo-shopped women glaring back at us from the magazine rack at the checkout aisle.  Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." I have prayed that I would be able to incorporate this verse into my life many times, however, I seem to continue to struggle with my outward appearance.  I also seem to operate by some kind of earthly subconscious rating system in which I compare myself to other women.  If I think that I am prettier than another woman, then I will automatically think that I am better than her and proceed to treat her accordingly.  However, if she is prettier than myself, then I will automatically think that she is also better than me, and I start to feel horrible about myself and the way that I look.  I have prayed multiple times about this and as soon as I feel like God is moving in me, another wave of fear, pain, and embarrassment overshadows any progress that I have made.  I wanted to post this because I know that I am not the only one who struggles with their looks or their outward appearance in general.  Please feel free to leave your comments below. It is my hope that, perhaps with an online discussion group, we can talk through, pray for, and begin to heal one other.