Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 TITHE – GIVING FROM THE HEART

  Bible portion:  Acts 5:1-11

Verse: 4   Did n't  it belong to you before it was sold?  And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal?  What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied  just to human beings but to God.

Devotion:

  Luke tells us the story of lying and consequent death of Ananias and Sapphira, in this passage. It is important to the contemporary society as well for various reasons.   They were members of the early church community, who might have even witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus. And they enjoyed the close fellowship of the apostles, and others believers who shared everything in common, they lived as one group, one faith , one mind and one goal. They were recipients of the grace of God and enjoyed the proximity of the Holy spirit. Apostles expected a   perfect,  and righteous behavior from all the close-knit group of members.    
             It is an example of Satan's strategy  to attack the growing early church. Having failed to destroy the church from  outside, Satan attempted through Ananias and his wife to infuse  evil   into the inner life of the church and ruin the community. A study on the Satan's attack on the early church in the first century
will help us plan, how to withstand his strategies  in various activities of our church in 21st century.  The spirit of judgement reveals, reproves, and removes  the hindering obstacle which keeps us from the fullness of God's blessings – sin.
To ignore the spirit of judgement  is – to walk the way of foolishness and disaster
but to respect the spirit is  - to follow the way of  holiness and dedication.
              God is trying to teach  us 5 things through this tragic episode described in this passage.   1.  In  the church there 2 types of people, and it is nearly impossible to distinguish from the outside life. ( Barnabas vs Ananias in Acts )
2.We cannot  hide anything from Holy spirit of the Lord. There are no locked doors or hidden closets for the Holy spirit.  . 3  The The closer we are to Grace greater is the offense f sin. Though God  does not punish   everyone who lies to the Spirit  today, but this incident  is a glimpse of the future judgement  for all who share the heart of Ananias.  4. Fear is a part of worship   5. Sin is a  deadly serious matter  to God.
 The main principle   of the   New testament about giving is to give generously. Tithing is not to be done  out of obligation or with a reluctant heart.

Prayer:
 O lord our precious master, forgive all our inadequacies in being faithful to our stewardship of all our blessings. Pardon our trespasses in  not  being able to give  with a generous heart. Please help and strengthen us. Amen.
Thought for the Day:
God desires that  his people give from a generous heart. The amount you give back to the church from what you have earned, should be a decision   made from the heart and how God is leading you to give.

Dr.John K.Thomas  Tabor MTC, New York

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