Finances

Pastor Mike spoke about how we can simplify our lives financially this past Sunday. Some questions that he gave us to think about are:
1. How much do I own?
2. How much do I make?
3. How much do I owe?
4. How much do I spend?
Wow, these are some tough questions if you reall start to think about them!

As I thought back many years ago, there was one area that I really struggled with and that was the area of giving. Man, I remember the pastor talking about giving and I thought to myself "that's all he wants is my money!" Although, the pastor spoke about money only a couple of times a year but it seemed like everyday to me.

It took me several years to understand that the reason I did not like it when the pastor talked about giving is because I was not giving what the bible says we should give! As I continued to grow in my faith, I began to realize that it is all God's anyway!

Malachi 3:10 is specific on how much we should give. The scripture tells us to give a tithe, which is a tenth of your gross income. I remember the first time I heard this, I almost came unglued! I was thinking, "not only does this guy want me to give but he wants me to give 10% of my check?". This was nuts! But in that verse, God says to test Him, so I did.

Since that day, we give a tenth of all that we make and have never missed it. God has provided in so many ways, there are too many to talk about.

My dare to all who read this is this; I dare you to trust God with your finances and give a tenth to your local church. See if He will not pour open the floodgates on you and your family! As the Nike slogan says "Just do it!"