Simplify to Glorify!

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." Psalm 126:5,6

Sacrificial Obedience

Those who wholeheartedly live for God and His Kingdom willingly say "no" to this world and "yes" to God. 

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead at his reward." Hebrews 11:24-26

Moses said "no" to his worldly status and wealth and "yes" to Christ and His purposes because Moses' focus was not on earthly and temporary things but on the heavenly and eternal fruit that sacrifice would bring.

Jesus sowed His life willingly because He was looking ahead. He saw the joy of fruitfulness that His sacrificial sowing would bring!

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb. 12:2 (emphasis mine)

True sacrifice is costly. Jesus sowed His life with tears to return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with Him! We read in the letter to the Hebrews that, 

"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered" (Heb. 5:7,8).

The suffering spoken of here is not the result of disobedience but the consequence of sacrificial obedience for the sake of God. Jesus chose to lay down His life to please the Father, to benefit others and for the joy of fruitfulness set before Him.

When we say "no" to the things of this world, we make room for God. It costs us and we sow Kingdom seed with tears but we do it because the reward will be far greater than anything this world can offer. 

Living for eternity may bring temporary tears 

but it brings eternal joy!

Sacrifice makes room for God!

Sacrificial obedience is motivated by a desire to see God's Kingdom established on earth as it is in Heaven. God even challenges His people to test Him in this! In Malachi 3:10 - 12, the Lord commands His people to bring the whole tithe to the storehouse so that God can throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that we will not have enough room for it!

For many people tithing is costly. Giving a tenth of one's income can mean saying "no" to many things in this world. However, even if the tithe is sown in tears, it will relase the abundance of heaven! The tithe, sown in sacrificial obedience with tears will bring a harvest with joy!

Sadly many misappropriate these verses and try to coerce God to bless them by giving their tithe. However, those who sacrifice to release God's Kingdom to please the Father, to benefit others and to glorify God are those who will reap a harvest with joy!

Make room for the King!

The Lord is calling His people to make room for Him. The Father wants to manifest His presence, His power and His Kingdom in and through our lives but He needs space. Making room for God means there are some things we enjoy in life that we will need to say "no" to so that His Kingdom can come. God's purpose in getting His chiildren to make room for Him is not to be a spoil sport or for us to be miserable! He wants His people to live for the sake of eternity and to be filled with "inexpressible joy" as we sow our lives sacrificially and receive the abundance of heaven for His glory.  

What is God calling you to say "no" to so that He can manifest His Kingdom in and through your life? How can you simplify your life to live for God? How can you simplify your life to glorify God? Child of God:  

Simplify to Glorify!

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Do Christians need to tithe?

As soon as the word "money" or "tithe" is mentioned in the church, people either get suspicious, offended, frustrated, excited or self-righteous. Why is that?

I believe there is confusion in the Body of Christ regarding tithing. Asking whether Christians need to tithe is the wrong question as it already assumes that tithing is either a requirement or not. Subsequently people will try to prove that the believer is either still obligated to tithe because it was practiced before the giving of the law (see Matt. 23:23; Hebrew 7:1-10) or people will argue that the believer is no longer under law and is therefore not obligated to tithe, using Scriptures like: 2 Cor. 9:7; Rom. 6:14; Col. 2:14).

The question is not whether the believer is supposed to tithe or not. The question is rather

"What reveals the heart of God?"

When the Church was filled with the Holy Spirit, she was filled with God. Subsequently, all the believers, filled with the love of God (because God is love - 1 John 4:15,16), laid down their lives for one another by not holding on to anything for themselves.

"All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need." Acts 2:44

The evidence of the believers being filled with God was that they became selfless, considering their lives to have been bought with a price and no longer belonging to themselves but to God (see 2 Cor. 5:14,15).

This spirit of generosity was a work the Lord brought forth in the hearts of the believers. There was no longer the sense of obligation to a law but the overflow of love, demonstrated by their giving. Giving became a heart issue and it was insincerity and hypocrisy that offended God when Ananias and Sapphira pretended to be completely selfless (see Acts 5).

God looks at the heart. If the believer wants to honour God with what God provides for him, he will tithe because that is the model God has revealed to His people. When believers live in the fear of the Lord and seek to do what pleases Him, they will search the Scriptures to find out what God's heart is.

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." Proverbs 3:3-10

Giving the firstfruits of what we receive in the form of the tithe (10% of our income) because we acknowledge God and want to honour Him is God's way for His people that also brings many blessings (see Mal. 3:10).

As the tithe honours God so an offering reveals His love. In 2 Cor. 8 and 9, the apostle Paul asks the Corinthians to take up a collection for the other churches to demonstrate their love.

"I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it to the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." 2 Cor. 8:8,9

Paul is not talking about tithing here! He is talking about believers demonstrating their love for one another by meeting each others' needs. Yes, there is the spiritual principle that "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will aslo reap generously" (2 Cor. 9:6) but it is not about laws and principles but about giving out of love.

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Cor. 9:7

Could it be that Christians don't tithe and give offerings because of a lack of love and faith? Is it not our lack of trust in God and the hardness of our hearts that causes us to resist tithing and giving?

Let us search our hearts. Let's be honest with ourselves and ask why we don't give to others as we could. Ask the Lord to fill you afresh with His love and begin to overflow with His love by laying down your life for others and demonstrating the nature of your Father - the God who is love.