WE ARE ALL MANAGERS! There are good managers, and there are bad managers. Which one are you? As managers of God’s family business, the day will come when we will have to give an account of how well we have managed His resources. How effective have you been as a manager?
We are living in very challenging and stressful times in which possession, money, and wealth matter to all. However, if not careful, the pursuit of wealth will pull us away from what really matters, which is our relationship with God and one another.
Satan uses the things of this world to tempt and lure us to him. However, the Word of God provides us with the guidance needed to avoid his trap. (Split)
In the Bible, God has provided us with practical guidance on how to live above the stresses of life, and we are given instructions on how to manage the resources He has given us.
In this series,
From a biblical perspective, we are looking at how to manage effectively the resources God has given us while prioritizing What Really Matters.
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Asking For God’s Guidance
Holy Father, we humbly come to you admitting that we have not been completely faithful and honest with the resources you have given us. We have used them selfishly. We ask that you forgive us and help us be committed to being good and faithful managers of your resources. In Jesus Name Amen
We have been adopted into God’s family. We are His children. Jesus is our Elder Brother. As God’s children, He has made us managers. In his family business, He has given us important work to do for Him. As His manager, Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:1, 2 tells us that God expects us to be loyal and honest with him.
1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. (I Corinthians 4:1-2)
In terms of honesty, we have learned that the tithe is the portion that God requires that we return to Him from everything that He gives us.
As a recap, here is what we have learned about returning tithe:
- Tithe is 10% of all the money we earn or get. It is 10% of all our increases or income. For example, if we earn 100 dollars, 10 of that 100 belongs to God, and the remaining 90 God leaves for us to manage effectively.
- We send or take our tithe to the storeroom. The storeroom is a word used to paint a picture of the place where the tithe is maintained or kept for the purpose of paying God’s workers and His ministers or preachers of the gospel.
- When we return tithe, we are saying we put God first and honor him with the first part of our income. We give Him back His tithe before we spend anything we have earned or obtained as a gift. (Split)
- God has not appointed us to manage His Tithes once it is in the hands of those responsible for overseeing the disbursement of funds in His storehouse. We have fulfilled our responsibility when we return an honest tithe.
It is, therefore, the responsibility of the storehouse manager to ensure that it is used for the purpose God intended.
The point is: The Tithe is not ours. It belongs to God. So, it is our duty to give God our tithe and offerings.
As expressed in Malachi 3, when we fail to return an honest tithe and give an offering according to how the Lord has blessed us, we rob God. The offering is discretionary. God gives us the right to choose how much we want to give. In contrast, the tithe is not.
God has specifically established that we return 10% of all our increases to Him. If we choose to return less than 10%, we are still robbing God because he asks for a full tithe, the total 10%.
In Matthew 25:19–21, Jesus tells a parable, a story to make a point about the reward awaiting his faithful and honest managers.
In this parable, we find that the day will come when we must give an account of how well we have managed God’s resources.
To those who have been faithful in their management, God pronounces a special blessing:
19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’
21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matthew 25:19-21)
When God asks you to give an account of how you have managed his resources, what will you say?
God commands us to: “ ‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse’ (Malachi 3:10). In this command, no appeal is made to gratitude or to generosity. This is a matter of simple honesty. The tithe is the Lord’s, and He asks us to return to Him that which is His own.”—Ellen G. White, Education, p. 138. Adapted
“In the third chapter of Malachi is found the contract God has made with us related to tithes and offerings. In it, the Lord specifies the part He will play in giving His great gifts to those who will faithfully return tithes and offerings to Him.—Ellen G. White, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, December 17, 1901. Adapted
Thus, God has claims on us. He has made an agreement with those who have become a member of His family. He has made us managers of His family business. He has redeemed us; we are His through the precious blood of His son, Jesus.
In his contract with us, God provides us with all the resources we need to live on this earth, all he asks is that a tenth of what he gives us be returned to Him. He has graciously made us managers of his possession, but of the tenth, He says: This is Mine. Why not keep your end of the contract and return to Him that which He requires of you? Put him to the test and see if He will not pour you out blessings that you will not have enough room to store them.
If you want to return tithe and do not have a church home, consider giving online
@ Adventisgiving.org
in the name of
my local Church:
Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church 7902 Wheatly Street in Houston, TX 77088
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