ABSOLUTE
COMPLIANCE OR NOTHING: Devotion for Tuesday August 9, 2016
Text:
Leviticus 27:26 – 34
Memory
verse: Leviticus 27:30 – And all the tithe of the
land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s.
It is holy to the Lord.
For the past five days, we have been reading
about reasons why we should pay our tithes. We saw five reasons why we should
pay tithe. As a reminder, the five reasons are: A means of providing for the
church, providing for the less privileged in the society, a means of insurance
and assurance, covenant to receive more and a test of our obedience.
Tithing is an obligation on us Christians. It
is not negotiable or optional just as we have in our memory verse for the day. In
our text we have things that are God’s which cannot be redeemed. However, 27:31
says, “If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add
one-fifth to it.” Things or persons devoted are distinguished from things or
persons that were only sanctified.
Devoted things were most holy to the Lord, and
could neither be taken back nor applied to other purposes. Many of us no longer
remember that we have fruit of the trees and the seed of the land belongs to
the Lord. Presently, our emphasis is on money alone. For those who owe fruit
bearing trees, you shouldn’t
forget this instruction here. The essence of these laws is to help us
acknowledge God as the owner of our land, the giver of its fruits, and
ourselves as His tenants, and dependants upon Him.
Many of the principles regarding sacrifices
and tithes were intended to encourage inward attitudes as well as outward actions.
The inward attitude include obedience, faith, dependence on God, etc while the
outward action includes honour for God, dedication, commitment, etc. This
teaches us to honour the Lord with our substance (Proverbs 3:9). If a person
gives grudgingly, it shows that he has a stingy heart. God wants us to be
cheerful givers (2 Cor. 9:7), who give with gratitude to Him. Remember, what
God requires from us in tithes and offerings are obedience, gratitude and
honour for Him. He doesn’t
even eat or use them. They are reserved for His services.
Food
for Thought: Do
you give grudgingly or cheerfully?
Prayer: Almighty God, help me to acknowledge and appreciate you as the source of all that I have and all that I am in Jesus name.
