Quote:
Originally Posted by gloryseeker
You are correct that we don't know the situation here, BUT even in your example of mortgage, electric, or car insurance all points to the fact that we put our living before God.
How is God first in our life if He is not first?
As for me, if God couldn't be first because my mortgage was too high I would downsize. If my car insurance was too high I would get a cheaper car. It is no different then cutting the cable or the HBO package. It all comes down to priorities.
The reason most Christians don't see God's blessings on their lives is because God is not first. He is an after thought. Offerings are budgetary items and God is not a budgetary item.
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If I ran your accounts and yearly equity, I would note that you nor anyone else is putting God first.
The Jew in the old testement took the vaule of all things on a yearly basis.
That would mean your 401K, equity in your home, earned income etc.
We American's do not understand networth.
The church teaches tithing as associated with earned income from a place of employment.
A good self-employed person could show no income.
Also the Jew when they lost numbers of sheep due to disease etc.
They could show a loss for the year and pay nothing...
Just as in the past 2 years my loss of home equity.
Loss of over 100K in my 401k and stock has me sitting at a negative since my income and networth in 2007.
I have lost a total of $175 from my networth since mid 2007.
That is not because of not being able to pay my mortgage or payments being to high or bad investments.
It is the simple supply and demand on our economy.
So to the church I would say, I have not had and income in a positive light since 2006.
So as for tithing there are no first fruits.
The money coming in from earned income has not been keeping up with networth loss.
So since mid 2007 there has been zero increase...
But many will preach that the check I receive are the first fruits...
The first fruits actually are tied to my networth of which a tithe was already paid.
Those increases became decreases which out paced my pay for employment.
So again since Dec 2006 there have been no first fruits to bring to the storehouse....
The Jew did not bring their income forward on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis.
They did at the beginning of each year and only once per year.
To show the total of their increase from the prior year.
In the same mannor the priest walked through the Holiest of Holies to seek forgiveness of their sins for a year.
But yet I am still preached to that I should give 10% from my check!
Which is not equal to the custom from the OT in any light or doctrine...
God is first, the fact is there has been "no" increase!