It Takes Discipline
Prayer 365 // Kingdom Generosity (Day 3)
More from this week:
Today's Scripture:
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” - Psalms 24:1 NIV
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.” - Malachi 3:8 NIV
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.” - Malachi 3:8 NIV
Today's Devotional:
Today we’re talking about the third principle and it’s this: Kingdom Generosity requires discipline. Say this aloud “It take discipline."
One of the key ways that Kingdom Generosity is demonstrated in the life of the believer is through tithing. This is where we set aside of 10% of our gross income (all increase) and return it to the Source (God). This is first, an act of honor, recognizing God as first in our lives. Second, it is an act of stewardship, recognizing that all we have belongs to God – therefore, we are not owners but managers of what He’s entrusted to us. All in all, tithing is an act of generosity that keeps us connected to the rhythm of God’s generosity.
Chanell and I agreed early in our marriage that we would tithe regularly. I'll be honest with you, this wasn't easy. We made the mistake that most make when they first start giving regularly, we believed that tithing would magically cause our financial health to improve. Here's the thing, tithing is not a fix for poor spending habits. It's not meant to be a bandaid on a broken financial system. Instead of fixing it what’s broken, it reveals it. What tithing showed us is that we had very little discipline – if any at all. Giving to God revealed an absence of order in our lives.
When we first began to tithe, we gave God our money but not our hearts. We looked at Him as a tool and not as our source. God was just a means to fulfilling our dreams and was not honored as King in our lives. Therefore when times got difficult, the strength of my loyalty to God was revealed where I began to withhold my tithe in partial or in full. It was clear that He was not first. Not in our finances and clearly not in our lives. However, even in our inconsistency, tithing was a door that gave God access to our hearts to correct what was causing chaos in our lives, to establish order.
There are three ways that tithing establishes order in our lives:
My prayer is that you would embrace the rhythm of generosity, allowing it to establish order in your life in every way, returning God to His rightful place as chief priority.
I'm praying with you and for you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
One of the key ways that Kingdom Generosity is demonstrated in the life of the believer is through tithing. This is where we set aside of 10% of our gross income (all increase) and return it to the Source (God). This is first, an act of honor, recognizing God as first in our lives. Second, it is an act of stewardship, recognizing that all we have belongs to God – therefore, we are not owners but managers of what He’s entrusted to us. All in all, tithing is an act of generosity that keeps us connected to the rhythm of God’s generosity.
Chanell and I agreed early in our marriage that we would tithe regularly. I'll be honest with you, this wasn't easy. We made the mistake that most make when they first start giving regularly, we believed that tithing would magically cause our financial health to improve. Here's the thing, tithing is not a fix for poor spending habits. It's not meant to be a bandaid on a broken financial system. Instead of fixing it what’s broken, it reveals it. What tithing showed us is that we had very little discipline – if any at all. Giving to God revealed an absence of order in our lives.
When we first began to tithe, we gave God our money but not our hearts. We looked at Him as a tool and not as our source. God was just a means to fulfilling our dreams and was not honored as King in our lives. Therefore when times got difficult, the strength of my loyalty to God was revealed where I began to withhold my tithe in partial or in full. It was clear that He was not first. Not in our finances and clearly not in our lives. However, even in our inconsistency, tithing was a door that gave God access to our hearts to correct what was causing chaos in our lives, to establish order.
There are three ways that tithing establishes order in our lives:
- Tithing establishes order. Placing God as first in our lives establishes the flow of order in our lives, homes, relationships and finances. How do we know this to be true? Because Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:21 “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Therefore if our resources are in order, our lives will follow.
- Tithing requires planning. Because tithing is an act of honor, identifying God as first in our lives, it cannot be treated as an afterthought. It must be planned for effectively. Chanell and I have our tithe listed at the top of our budget along with our offering and benevolence.
- Tithing calls for consistency. Because tithing is an act of stewardship, meaning we possess responsibility to manage but are not owners, if we choose to not give, we are in fact stealing. This is referred to in Malachi 3 where God declares that His people were robbing Him in tithes and offering. God cannot be first in our lives if we would do something violent such as robbing Him.
My prayer is that you would embrace the rhythm of generosity, allowing it to establish order in your life in every way, returning God to His rightful place as chief priority.
I'm praying with you and for you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
Did you know that Thryve Church prays together 365 days a year? Join us Monday-Friday at 6:30am & Saturdays at 8am for "Prayer at the Altar" by dialing 339- 207-7471 and then join us Sundays at 11am for Worship Service! Learn More