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Saturday, April 4th, 2015
CityLight Church’s One Year Bible Reading Plan
Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26
Luke 10:38-11:13
Psalm 76:1-12
Proverbs 12:15-17
For full text click here: http://bit.ly/1q0JDPI
Commentary from Pastor Mike White:
…then you shall say before the Lord your God: “I have removed the holy tithe from my house…” – Deut 26:13
Moses instructed the people of Israel to tithe. The tithe literally means “ten percent”; God expects us to honor Him with the first ten percent of our increase.
In Deut 26:13 (above), we see that it is the removal of the tithe that makes our household blessed. When we hang on to our tithe, a blockage is created that blessings cannot get around. But when we release our tithe to God, giving back into His hand what is rightfully His, blessings flow freely.
Many Christians assume that the tithe is a principle that only applies under the Old Covenant. However, tithing is actually pre-Covenant. We see Abraham give a tithe to Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High, in Genesis 14. That event took place more than seven generations before the Law was established! God saw fit to continue the practice of the tithe under the Law. Then, Jesus explained to the Pharisees that the tithe was a practice that was to be continued under the New Covenant (Matt 23:23).
We are heirs to the blessings of Abraham (Gal 3:29). We are righteous by faith, just as he was; and we are blessed to be a blessing, just like he was! If we want to be blessed like him, we have to give in faith like him!
Prayer:
Father, thank You for the increase You have provided in my life. I am blessed, just as your servant Abraham was blessed. I will give faithfully to You, because You are my God!