Episode Transcript
[00:00:07] I have been so absolutely blessed in yesterday's meeting, you know, at a certain time after the service, when our pastor asked us to give our tithing, and he asked this question, and he said, when last did you pray over your tithing?
[00:00:25] Got me. You know, our house, and in our house, we believe in tithing. It's not.
[00:00:31] It's not something that we bargain with or talk about. It's just there.
[00:00:38] And we teach our children that as well.
[00:00:41] So after church, I had quite a. I had quite a number of our church going. People asking me if I would write about it.
[00:00:50] And I've been thinking about it since yesterday. But, you know, it's always such a difficult thing to talk about finances in church. And some people would say, oh, you're touching it. Right? You're touching on those buttons this morning.
[00:01:05] But I've done the research.
[00:01:09] I want to read you something that really blessed my heart. It really, really did.
[00:01:14] So in Genesis, chapter 28, I'm going to start with verse 12.
[00:01:22] So Jacob is running from his brother Esau. You know the story he stole Esau's birthright, but we're not going to read about that. So now he's running, and he comes to a place where he had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on earth with its top reaching heaven, and the angels of God was ascending and descending on it.
[00:01:44] Thereabout stood the Lord and said, I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. And I will give you your descendants, the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like dust of earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south.
[00:02:03] All people on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go.
[00:02:11] And I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
[00:02:17] Jacob wakes up and he says, surely the Lord is in this place. And I was not aware of it. He was afraid. And he said, how awesome is this place.
[00:02:31] Now that is verse 17.
[00:02:35] How awesome, this place.
[00:02:39] I want you to have a how awesome is this place moment. I want you to have a how awesome is this place. Reality, revelation, in your spirit, man, because then only will you understand this and will it open up your eyes, your spiritual eyes, to see.
[00:03:00] You know that Jacob went on and he made a vow, saying, God will be with me and he will watch over me. And on this journey I'm taking, he will give me Food to eat, clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be my God. And this stone that I have set up as a pillar with God's house, and of all that you will give me, I will give you a tent.
[00:03:23] Now, kingdom principles, right?
[00:03:26] You are going to say to me, yes, Vicky, tithing is part of the Old Testament. And then I am going to say to you, so is the wisdom of Solomon, and so is the courage that David had, and so is the courage that Esther had, and so is many other things.
[00:03:52] But what I want to teach you is how.
[00:03:55] How awesome is this place. Genesis 28:17.
[00:04:00] What happened there is Jacob didn't. He didn't bargain with God. He made a vow.
[00:04:07] He vowed to God. He made a covenant with God and he was obedient and he tithed or he made a promise that he will tithe because of. It's part of his worship.
[00:04:21] Now, if you understand what I'm saying, there are many forms to worship the Lord. And we worship because we were built to worship.
[00:04:32] Sometimes we worship out of gratitude, sometimes we worship out of depression. Sometimes we worship for breakthrough.
[00:04:39] But we were actually created to worship when God created us. And the separation came in because of the fall. That longing that you feel in your spirit, man. God put it there. He put it there. And it's not going away until the day that he comes back and we are again reunited with our Father. But until then, worship is going to be part of our being. DNA. It's part of our DNA. Worship is.
[00:05:10] Worship is the way that we react to a God that has already given us everything.
[00:05:17] Everything. And I know in stages and in times in your life, it might feel like you don't have things. And from what can you worship? From what can you tithe? From what can you be obedient? You have nothing to give. Trust me when I say to you that I have been at a very bad place for a very long time and I know all of those things.
[00:05:37] I know all of those questions.
[00:05:39] But Jacob was saying to God, if you truly God, if you are truly choosing me, I will choose you back. With my life, with my journey and with my resources.
[00:05:55] Everything is already God's. God's being kind enough to let you keep 90%.
[00:06:02] The Bible is one story book. There's not Old Testament, New Testament. When I say that, I mean there is Old and New Testament, but it's not two books playing off against each other. It is one book of absolute love.
[00:06:15] That is actually what it is.
[00:06:18] And it is there to guide us and it is there to give us wisdom.
[00:06:23] Catch another story.
[00:06:27] This is touching on that one.
[00:06:31] So in Chronicles, when King David passed, obviously we all know that Solomon was his son, who was the wisest man who ever lived, also the richest in 2 Chronicles 1:7, that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, ask for whatever you want me to give you.
[00:06:56] How cool is that? How awesome is this place?
[00:06:59] How awesome is the word?
[00:07:01] God just rocks up and says to him, ask me whatever you want and I will give it to you.
[00:07:08] So Solomon answered, give me wisdom and knowledge that I may lead your people who is able to govern this great people of yours. God said to Solomon, since this is your heart's desire, you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor the death of your enemies.
[00:07:29] And since you have not asked for a long life but wisdom and knowledge to govern my people, over whom I have made you king. Therefore, wisdom and knowledge will be given to you and I will also give you all the wealth in the world. Now, how awesome is this this place?
[00:07:48] Can we just stop and pause there for a moment and say, you know what?
[00:07:52] These are Old Testament guys that came face to face with the true living God, where he arrived in their desperation and he made a covenant with them.
[00:08:09] And that's where we learn from.
[00:08:13] So it's different for different households and I suppose it's different for different churches as well.
[00:08:19] For us here at Grace Family Church and in my house, we tithe and we tithe not to manipulate God.
[00:08:30] We don't tithe because we want something.
[00:08:33] We tithe because we want seed in the ground.
[00:08:37] And we tithe we because it's an act of obedience and worship.
[00:08:42] And because we read this passage and every day we want how awesome is this place Experience with God.
[00:08:52] The Bible is fun.
[00:08:55] The Lord is an amazing God. He is the one that provides. He's the one that gives his. He's the one that loves and protects.
[00:09:07] We believe that everything we have is already his.
[00:09:10] So from that principle we live and we try and teach our children.
[00:09:16] I really hope this helped you a bit and that it blessed your heart as much as it did mine.
[00:09:22] And please search for it. Search for it in the Word where He says, how awesome is this place.
[00:09:29] How awesome is it to be in the presence of the Lord. How awesome is it to see him come through for you, protect you, provide for you.
[00:09:39] It is such an amazing privilege to be called a daughter or son of the Most High God.
[00:09:46] And I really want you to have that experience.
[00:09:49] So bless you. And I look forward to see you Sunday in church.
