With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: stewardship the final part

Hope this finds you well. I am blessed to be here as always.

We have seen so far how we are stewards, and how we absolutely live, move and have our being in God. Everything we have is the Lord's. The jobs we have, the shelter we have, the means to survive, all we get from God. The time, talents, means and health are all blessings from God. We are stewards for all the things God gives us namely:

1. Means
2. Time
3. Health

We have seen how the tithe serves to remind us that God is the source of our well being. Whatever increase we get, we return a portion to Him in acknowledgment of His blessings. The Sabbath is also a portion of our time that we return to God. It is holy time to be spent with Him not only in praising Him for His goodness towards us but also as a symbol of our rest in Him by faith from sin, the daily toils in providing for daily living for He is the provider, and also from trying to work and earn righteousness. It is a testimony of complete rest in God from all these things.

There is one more thing which we are stewards of and that is our health.

Health is a blessing. Without it we are incapable of doing much. All the wealth in the world means nothing without health. All the things we do in life, we are allowed to do them because God would have blessed us with health. We are able to work at our jobs because of health. We are able to enjoy time with family and friends because of it. Without it we lose all these things and life almost comes to a standstill.

Something as important as our health we are also stewards of just as we are stewards of our means, talents and time. We are managers of our health, just as much as we are managers of all these other things. As managers we have a responsibility, and in this case, to manage our health just as much as we manage all these other things.

What makes health especially central in stewardship is because all the other things hang upon health. Without health we are unable to work effectively if at all, so the means we have are directly dependent on it. To have time means that different activities are apportioned to it. If one's health is failing, the number one priority at that point is getting well, there is no time for other things. Talents are unused because one is down healthwise and they might do very little, if at all.

So we see that though health is probably the most neglected of all the different things God has given us to manage, it is actually the most important of all them which is why Paul wrote:

[2] Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 2.

Above all, prosperity in health means prosperity in other things if we recognize our stewardship including health of the soul. God desires that we prosper not only in physical health but also spirtually.

Health, though being the keystone which can enable us to do all these other things is surprisingly neglected. There are many who mistreat their bodies and abuse themselves by not recognizing God's role in their health. They live for themselves and yet expect God to work wonders when they are in need of healing. God is more than powerful enough to heal, but he also requires obedience as is written:

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice 1 Samuel 15:22.

Prevention is better than cure. If you know to do something, it is better to do it than to try and fix it, as is written:

[17] Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4;17.

To manage our bodies is one of the things we are responsible for in this life. We live not for ourselves but we belong to God whether we realize it or not, as it is written:

[20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:20.

He bought us with His blood. How can we continue to live for ourselves ignorant of His sacrifice for us? To live for ourselves and to mismanage our health means that we do not acknowledge God not only as the source of our health but also of His sacrifice on our behalf to redeem us with His blood.

By recognizing God as the source of our health and that we are stewards, we cannot continue to live for ourselves as if we are our own but will do our best to manage it, as is written:

[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12;1.

Our bodies are not only bought by the price of his blood to redeem us but He has the intention that His Spirit dwell in us as is written:

[16] Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16.

[19] What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
[20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

To mismanage our health is like mismanaging the means He provides for us. Just as we are responsible for the means we have to manage them well, so is our health. You cannot blame another for mismanagement of your own means and the same is true for health.

If you have money and are supposed to use it for paying rent for example, it would be grossly mismanaging it by using it for something like gambling which the Word instructs us not to do. Though God is powerful enough to deliver us from anything, to cry for help to pay for rent when you have used it to gamble is a prayer He would be justified in not answering, lest you do it again as is written:

[3] Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:3.

We always seek God to deliver us and heal us from the diseases that come along with disobedience when He has instructed us that obedience is better than sacrifice. 

The same is true for our health. If our health is that important, it is our responsibility to know how best to manage it. It is our responsibility to learn and inform ourselves of how best to manage it, just as we take the time to learn about other things. We take the time to learn about other things which are nowhere near as important as our health, and yet many are dying everyday because of mismanagement of health, as is written:

[6] My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: Hosea 4:6.

For many it is a lack of knowledge out of willful ignorance. If you intentionally go against what you know you ought to do, you are being willfully ignorant. We indulge in activities that we know will hurt us, and yet we continue to do them anyway. It could be the way we eat, drink, sleep or even engage in activities like casual sex outside of marriage, sometimes with multiple partners. For some, their bellies are their god, as is written:

[19] Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) Philippians 3:19.

There are many who live for the moment and abuse their health and choose to continue this kind of lifestyle though knowing what they ought to do, and yet God to deliver them out of the consequences of their actions at the drop of a hat.

God has promised to bless us with good health, if we are obedient and follow His instructions, as is written:

[26] And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. Exodus 15:26.

This statement is just as true for us today. If we listen to His instructions and treat our health as an important aspect of our lives as it is, he will bless us with good health. But if we are willfully ignorant and continue to live as if for ourselves, then we will reap what we sow. How can we have good health if we mismanage it?

So let us be faithful stewards my brothers and sisters. Let us recognize God in every aspect of our lives, that in Him we live and move and have our being. Let us recognize that all we have is His, and just as he gives, he can also take away.

Health is a blessing and just as He gives it to us, He can also take it away. If we manage it well, He can bless us with more, and if we mismanage it, he can take it away if He sees fit.

With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: pt 4 stewardship

I am blessed and hope you are too today. So far  I have been sharing thoughts on stewardship. last time, we saw how we are stewards in every sense of the word. In God we live, move and have our being, utterly. he owns everything and it is by his grace to be alive and to be His stewards while we are here. It is important and a major blessing for us to recognize our position as stewards.

We are basically stewards of :

1. Anything God gives us to manage while we are here like wealth, etc
2. Time
3. Health

We have already seen how we are stewards of the means God provides to sustain us.  Everything we have does not belong to us and we are just managers while we are on this earth. God owns everything and if we recognize this, we will not let any of these things become idols. We will have the right perspective and recognize that God ultimately gives us all things and just as He gives, He can also take away.

Through the tithe, we recognize and acknowledge that He owns all things and that whatever increase we get it is His, as we saw the last time. By returning tithe, it keeps at the forefront in our minds that God would have blessed with increase, and that he is the source of all blessings. Not because we are so business savvy, or because we are hard workers or anything which can tempt us to give credit to ourselves, but that God saw fit by His grace to bless.

You can be business savvy, or hardworking, intelligent, and any or all of these things and still not reap any fruit from your labour, as is written:

But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth...I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. Deuteronomy 8:18; Ecclesiastes 9:11.

Ultimately, it is by God's blessing that we can have any increase to return tithe on, so it is a privilege and a blessing to be able to return what is His to Him in acknowledgment of this fact.


Time

[8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
[10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
[11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11.

Just as the tithe is an acknowledgment that any increase we get from our labours, it is a blessing from God, likewise the Sabbath is an acknowledgment that time is also God's. To be alive is a blessing and it is by God's blessing that we are alive and thus able to have any time to use. In Him we live, move and our being indeed.
 
How we use that time is another question. We spend the best of our time on ourselves and things that we think are important and yet God deserves to be the first priority since he is the one who would have blessed us to be alive and thus have that time in the first place.

We spend more time at our jobs than with God and even family time suffers. God would have blessed us with that time, and yet we give Him leftovers if there are any of our time. The Sabbath he gave us to recognize Him and to remind us that if he is the creator of all things, He is the one who sustains us.

 We find all our rest in Him as is written:

[28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30.

The Sabbath helps us to recognise that there are certain things we can not do for ourselves.

1. He is the one who sustains us. No matter how hard we labor, God is the one who provides our daily bread.
2. We are in bondage to sin, and our souls can only find rest in Him from the labors of sin.
3. Though we have a desire to do good, it is impossible for us to do any good on our within ourselves except we rest in Him and he help us to do the good we desire to do 

Symbol that God is our provider

God is our provider and it is by His will and blessing that we get our daily bread. It is not because you are so hardworking, because today you might have your job and the company might close tomorrow. Your business can do good today and fail tomorrow. 
We work so hard at jobs or businesses or jobs God would have blessed us with, failing to recognize that he is the one who would have provided them. He has only asked for a special time set aside to spend with him, just as the tithe is a special portion to be returned to Him in acknowledgement of His blessing. But we are afraid to spend that time with him in fear of losing jobs, or business. Yet it is because of Him, that we would have a job or a business.

He has promised that if we put him first, he will give us all these things we seek and worry about. if we acknowledge him by spending the Sabbath with Him and hallowing it, we put Him first and testify that it is not because of a job that we live or sustain oursleves, it is by His grace and in Him we live move and have our being, as is written:

[31] Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
[32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
[33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
[34] Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:31-34.

He already knows that you have bills, and so on, but he has promised to take care of all these things, if you put Him first. By spending the Sabbath with Him when you could have been working, you acknowledge that ultimately he is the provider, it is not by you working during that Holy time, but that in him, you live, move and have your being. By not honoring and spending the Sabbath time with him out of fear of losing jobs, or less business since no work during that time, we say in other words that we are our own provider. That it is because of our hard work and by our strength that we sustain ourselves. By lack of faith we then trust in ourselves and yet:

[5] Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
[6] For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
[7] Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
[8] For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:5-8.

So honoring the Sabbath, which is a tithe of our time so to speak, we testify that God provides not we ourselves. We trust in His sustainance and that he has asked for one day to spend with him and return that time just as the tithe. it is a symbol of our trust and utter dependence upon God, whether we are jobless or not, have any business or not.



Symbol that we rest from our labors of sin

We are in bondage to sin and though we desire to do good, it seems impossible for us to do the good we desire to do, as is written:

[15] For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
 [19] For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
[20] Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Romans 7:15, 19-20.

We have a sinful nature through which we are in bondage to the devil as is written:

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6:16.

...for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 2 peter 2:19.

And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. 2 Timothy 2:26.

That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? Isaiah 14:17.

We are the devil's captives and labour or work for him against our will through our sinful nature as is written:

[19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
[20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
[21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21.

It is from these works of the flesh, when we are laboring our captor the devil that Christ seeks to give us rest for our souls. Only by our resting in Christ can He set us free from this bondage and this is the rest for our souls that we testify to when we keep the Sabbath as is written:

[28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30.



Symbol that we rest in His works not ours to do the good we desire to do

We all do the wrong we don't desire to do and fail at doing the good we desire to do, as is written:

[15] For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
 [19] For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
[20] Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Romans 7:15, 19-20.

Not only do we labor for the devil through the works of the flesh, or sin, but it is equally hard for us to labor and be fruitful in doing good. it is not natural for us, given our sinful nature to be selfless, and to put others first before oursleves and to love our neighbour as ourselves.

We are inclined through our sinful nature to be selfish, to put ourselves first and to be the centers of our worlds. That is why it is hard labor for us to do any good because we will be working to do something that is not natural for us to do, our attempts at this are failures. That is why we are not justified by works but by faith as it is written:

[3] For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
[4] Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
[5] But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:3-5.

[19] And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
[20] He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
[21] And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
[22] And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
[23] Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
[24] But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
[25] Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Romans 4:19-25.

Abraham was justified by faith believing in God doing what seemed impossible. He was too old and Sarah was also. it would be nothing short of a miracle for him to have a son in his ripe old age. He believed that God would deliver on his promise, and thus was justified by faith and not works. There was absolutely nothing he could have done on his part to enable himself or Sarah to concieve.

Just as it was impossible for Him, it is impossible for us to be righteous, or to do the good we would like to do but keep failing at doing. Our will is naturally to sin, and we are the devil's captives slaving for him through the works of the flesh. It is impossible for us to stop sinning on our own because it is not natural for us. It is equally impossible for us to do good or be righteous on our own.

Only by resting in Christ, by faith, we cease from the labors of the flesh which is sin, and also from trying to earn righteousness through works.

Only by surrendering our will through carrying our crosses and following Him can we find rest from our souls. When we surrender our will, we allow His will to be done in our lives  as is written:

[24] Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24.

By denying ourselves, we allow His will work to work in our lives as is written:

[13] For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13.

By surrendering to His will, we cease from being the devil's subjects, laboring for him through sin and instead become Christ's subjects and allow His will to be done in our lives, and His will being:

[39] And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
[40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:39-40.

God's will is for us to be saved from this bondage to sin.

The Sabbath comemorates this rest for our souls. Rest from our efforts and worries in sustaining ourselves temporally, because He has already promised that if we rest in Him by trusting in His promise that if we put Him first, He will take care of our needs no matter what the circumstances.

The Sabbath comemorates rest from our labors to the devil through sin. Unless Christ sets us free, we will continue to be slaves to sin and be in bondage. By faith we rest in Christ from this labor as He sets us free from bondage.

The Sabbath commemorates also, our rest in Christ from trying to be righteous by works. It is not natural for us to do good, therefore only when we rest in Christ can He work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. It is unfruitful labor for us to try to earn righteousness by our works, and it is from this labor that He seeks to give us rest.

The Sabbath is a symbol of complete and utter dependence on God for everything. it is a symbol of our faith in a God we can not see. it is in essence a tithe of our time. By spending that time with Him, by faith we also testify to the world that in God we live, move and have our being. He is the source of all things, and only in Him do we find rest for our souls.


We conlclude next time, and God Bless.

With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: pt 3 stewardship

Hallo people! I am blessed once again to share the Word with you. It's been really cold here for the last 4 days. It had been good up until Monday evening when the temperature suddenly dropped from the daily average of the 60s to the teens. I thank God for the shelter, warmth, all these good things which are so easy for I and us all to take for granted.

I had something on my mind today. I was just thinking about how amazing it is that God sustains us and blesses us, even when He is foreign and unknown to us. He blesses us with the rain for our harvests, and even causes His rain to fall on both the evil and the good, as is written,

[16] Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
[17] Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. Acts 14:16, 17.

[45] That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45.

Even as some curse Him, He is long suffering and blesses with rain for us all to eat and to live.

I was just thinking about this, how even when we don't recognize Him or choose not to, that He is merciful enough to give us daily bread and another chance to ask for His forgiveness for our sins.

The strength for us to work we get from Him. To even wake up each day, it is by His power. The good health which allows us to work at those jobs which He also gives us, comes from Him. The money which we spend, we get from Him through these jobs He would have provided and enabled also by the health which He would have blessed us with.

Though not something we consciously think about daily, it is by His power and providence that we are alive and we have anything that we call ours.

If it is absolutely by His power:

[28] For in him we live, and move, and have our being; Acts 17:28.

Our life, our breathe and all things which we think are ours are in His hands. It is very easy for us to forget that God is the source of all things, and it is by His power that we live, move and have our being indeed. it is very easy for us to fool ourselves that because of our hard work we are successful. It is very easy to attribute the blessings which He gives us to ourselves, or that somehow we earned them and therefore deserved them, and yet it is pure Grace.

It is tempting to think that we are responsible for all these good things in our lives, whether it be a promotion, or a business doing well, etc. But it is important for us to realize that everything we are and think we have, belongs to Him. We don't own anything, and ultimately don't have control over the circumstances surrounding our lives as is written:

[1] The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Psalms 24:1.

We are stewards in every sense of the word. What is a steward? According to the oxford dictionary, it is one who looks after or manages another's property. We don't own anything but are managers, looking after what God gives us to manage while on this earth.

Just as the Lord gives to us, He can also take away, as is written:

[18] But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 8:18.

[21] And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. Job 1:21.

All of these things would be blessings from Him but we get blinded so easily to this fact. For us to live to see another day, it is by His power. Just as He allows us to manage these things, He can also take away. 

As stewards, we even get sidetracked by His blessings which in many cases become an idol in themselves. God desires to be first in our lives, yet we end up putting these things first, which He would have given us, in His stead. 

They can be material things like a house, good job, car, wealth in general, or intangible things like intelligence, gifts, talents, etc. But just as He gives these things to us, He can also take them away.

Being alive allows us to enjoy the blessings which He gives us, yet we even take for granted that we wake up everyday. I confess that it is not something I think about daily, that I am actually alive and well. It is not a guarantee to wake up the next morning.

The health which allows us to do all things, it come from Him. You can have all the wealth, power, etc but without health it is all nothing. One cannot enjoy the success, the wealth, all these things that God might have blessed with if their health is failing.

So to wake up alive, to be healthy enough to work and to enjoy these blessings, are all blessings from Him. But it is unfortunate that oftentimes we take all this for granted and  even make idols out of the very blessings that He gives us, and put them first instead of putting Him the Source of all things first in our lives.

We see God's generosity in His blessing us daily, allowing us to live, giving us health, blessing us even in ways we don't consciously realize. We see His generosity even more in that when we are His enemies, when we do not know Him or recognize His hand in our lives, He is still merciful to allow us to wake up and see another day, and to bless us with all these things.

What more for us who do know Him and recognize. We have a bigger responsibility in realizing our position as stewards of all His blessings.

Life itself is His, the health we enjoy, and all these other things which even end up getting in the way of our relationship with Him, they are all blessings from Him. Just as He is more than generous with us, we ought to recognize His role in every blessing in our lives and that everything is His, even our lives and health.

Through the tithe and offering God was teaching us something that is hard for us to do on our own naturally. We are inclined to forget God and the role He plays in every aspect of our lives. Through the tithe, He was teaching us that he is the source of anything we think belongs to us. We are just managers, and don't own anything. He owns everything. He was teaching us not to get attached to these things as if they belonged to us, because they don't.

By returning tithe to Him, it would be a reminder that He is the source of all these things He would have given us to manage. Not that He needs the money from us. Instead it would be a reminder to us that God has blessed us with whatever increase we would be returning tithe on. Naturally we would rather spend all the money or increase, because we think we earned it and deserve it.

Yet it is by His blessing that we be alive and healthy enough to work and get that increase which we grudgingly return to Him, if at all.  So the tithe serves that purpose of reminding us that He is the source of all the blessings. He does not desire us to return tithe to Him as a chore but He loves a cheerful giver. He doesn't need the money, but it is blessed to return Him with a thankful heart as a sign of gratitude for the blessings He would have blessed with. it is written:

[8] Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
[9] Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
[10] Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.[11] And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:8-11.

When we withold tithe and offerings, we are actually robbing God. He owns these things and yet by witholding, we refuse to recognize that He is the owner of all things and we are just managers, and yet we hold on to them as if ours. We become robbers because we claim ownership of things which are not ours and deny that they actually belong to Him.

In verse 10 and 11 of the above verses, there is a blessing that attends recognizing that God is the owner of all things we are managing, by promising blessings.

When we return what's rightfully His to Him, not that He needs it but just so we recognize Him as the source, He will bless us. Herein is that principle of giving again.  When we return or give Him a portion of what He gives us, we are recognizing and testifying to the fact that even though we have never seen God, we do believe that all blessings come from Him. There are blessings in returning tithes and offerings, and there are also curses in witholding them. When we are faithful, He multiplies even the little and makes it seem like much.

By witholding tithes and offerings, it is almost as if we are refusing to acknowledge the role God plays in sustaining us. Things do not go as well or could be better. A lot seems like little and it is as if one puts coins in a pocket with holes, as is written:

 [24] There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
[25] The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. Proverbs 11:24, 25.

He has promised to rebuke the devourer who as is written:

10] The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10.

God will multiply little into much but the devil will destroy even much to little or nothing. The devourer will steal that which you withold, or destroy it, and yet God will multiply and increase the little you are faithful with and give you more, as is written:

[10] He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
[11] If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
[12] And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? Luke 16:10-12.

I will end here and conclude with the last part next time, God willing.