DAILY DEVOTION - 16 JANUARY 2020

Good morning. Peace be with you all. Rejoice in the Lord always. "You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored—and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear the LORD your God." Deuteronomy 14:22-23 NLT. Insight The Bible makes the purpose of tithing very clear: It teaches us to fear the Lord and put Him first in our lives. We are to give God the first and best of what we harvest. In biblical times people grew their own crops and had their own livestock. For example, they offered a tenth to God and shared it with others that did not have in the temple. The only place they could find God was in the temple. Today, Jesus has changed that and thus we can find God at anytime and in any place. He is with us who believe in Him through His Holy Spirit. This shows what we value most in our lives. Giving the first part of our harvest to the poor immediately focuses our attention on God. It also reminds us that all we have is because of His blessing over our lives. Challenge A habit of regular tithing can keep God at the top of our priority list and give us a proper perspective on everything else we have. Today, we don't grow our own crops or have our own livestock. We need money and have to work to get a salary with which we can buy our food of which a tenth should be offered up for those that don't have. The poor and destitute. When you buy food try to buy for someone in need as well. In this way we will fear God and He will bless us in abundance. May God bless and protect you all. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.