Every time we enter a new year, many people suddenly diligently read newspapers or magazine and listen to radio to find out what experts in politics and economy, as well as government officials have to say concerning the new year. Television often times broadcast talk shows or interactive dialogues with national leaders on what to expect in the coming year. Personally, a lot of people innocently read their horoscopes to predict their fate in 2002. Some even purposely go to a fortune teller to get a peek on what's in store in the new year.
The future is a mystery for many people. A lot of people spend much time to predict what's going to happen to them in the future. However, what's coming in the future may not have to be a mystery to those who have made Jesus the Lord of their lives. One thing for sure, we don't have to be bothered by daily supply because Father God has promised to add it all to us (read Matthew 6:31-34).
God has promised that when we seek first His kingdom and its righteousness then He can add to us all that the heathens look for (Matthew 6:32-33). If God tells us to seek His kingdom and its righteousness, that means we can find those things if we look for it. But where can we find the kingdom of God?
When Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus the following conversation happened: Rabbi we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:2-3).
It take eyes to look for something. According to Jesus, if you are not born again then you cannot see Kingdom of God. Therefore, if you want to look for God's Kingdom you have to be born again.
When you got born again you may see
the Kingdom of God. Born again believers can see the kingdom because they
have been translated into the kingdom (read Colossians 1:13). In the
Kingdom of God, you naturally worship the King Jesus Christ (read 1 Corinthians
15:25; Colossians 1:13; 1 Timothy 6:14-15).
As in man's kingdom where the words of the king become law that cannot be broken, the word of God also becomes law. The difference is, in God's Kingdom He lets His people to exercise their will power to choose to obey or disobey His Word. This freedom to will and to choose often times become a stumbling block for us. God cannot even impose His will on us to obey His Word.
"Why not? Isn't He the Almighty God? Why can't He make us obedient to His Word?"
God is indeed Almighty, however He cannot violate our right to choose. The fact is He cannot even force Adam to obey Him in the Garden of Eden. The fact is He cannot make us receive the salvation even though Jesus died on the cross and was risen from the dead for mankind. God may only become Almighty if we let Him become God in our lives by being born again.
After the new birth, we are able to see the kingdom of God. Then Matthew 6:33 says that we also must find out its truth. What is the truth? How do we find it?
In John 17:17 Jesus says, Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. If the truth is the Word of God, it means that we can get the truth from our own Bible.
All electronic appliances that we buy are accompanied by User's Manuals. In the manual we can find all sorts of information concerning the appliance: what it can do, functions of the buttons or accessories, how to maintain it, what to do if there's trouble, etc. The manual is made by the creator.
We are created by God and the Bible is the Life Manual for us. If we don't read the Bible and find out everything about life, then we may not live the way God desires us to. If we don't know the Word of God, then we may not be able to enjoy life the way we're supposed to.
God says that we have to seek first His kingdom and its righteousness so that He can add all that we need into our life.
Since the beginning, God created man to be troubled to support himself. Genesis 2:7-8 says, And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
God created man and then He gave man a comfortable place to live in that he (and later his wife also) didn't have to be bothered to feed themselves. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; (Genesis 2:9). God didn't even ask Adam to plant the trees. God Himself made the trees grow and bring forth good fruits so that Adam may eat.
Furthermore God didn't ask Adam to water the plants in the garden. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; (Genesis 2:10). Then, the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it (Genesis 2:15). God put man in the garden to become Manager of the garden.
Then God trained Adam to use his words. God trained Adam to become like Him: whatever Adam says will come to pass. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof (Genesis 2:19).
Do you see that? God didn't even chip in ideas when Adam named those beasts and also his wife. Adam was the one who named all creatures that were created after him. Adam was the one who named "woman" to the one God created to be his help meet. God let Adam exercised his authority over the earth and all that's in the earth (read Genesis 1:28) through his words. Remember that man was created in the image and likeness of God to have dominion (read Genesis 1:26).
With his words man conquer and have
dominion over the earth. With the power of his tongue, man determines his
life (read Proverbs 18:20-21; Proverbs 21:23; Proverbs 10:11; Joshua
1:8; Matthew 12:37; Romans 10:10).
If we read carefully, since the creation of Adam, God never intended man to earn his own living through hard work. God added all to Adam: the garden, rivers, fruitful trees, rich natural resources, animals, and a help meet.
All hard works to earn a living that man nowadays live by is the wage of sin. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of they face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for our of it was thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return (Genesis 3:17-19).
However, God always reminds us that we don't have to live under the curse. How do we do that?
If you are born again the Father God has delivered you from the power of darkness and has translated you into the kingdom of Jesus (read Colossians 1:13). We are not anymore under the power of the devil and we also are not in the kingdom of Satan. We already moved in to the kingdom of Jesus where there's only prosperity and abundance. Even though we are already free from the evil power and live in God's kingdom, it doesn't mean that our lives automatically become good, comfortable and in abundance. Why not automatic? Because it takes faith to receive from God. Faith can only come by hearing God's Word (Romans 10:17).
Matthew 6:33 says that all we need to live will be added into our lives. Then Colossians 1:13 say that we are already in the kingdom of Jesus. How do we increase? Many people who are born again, Holy Ghost filled, love God so much, and diligent serving God in the ministry, do not receive any increase in their lives. Some of them even lost their spouse, children, possession, health, etc.
You may ask, "Yeah, but they're spiritually rich." Exactly, they indeed are rich spiritually. I can't argue with you about that. In fact, every new born again believer is spiritually wealthy as Ephesians 1:3 says, Blessed be the God and Father of Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. So, every born again believer is evenly rich. None is richer than others because we have been made joint heirs with Christ (read Romans 8:17).
If we read Matthew 6:19-34 carefully, Jesus was actually teaching His disciples to not worry about worldly matters, necessities of daily life since the our heavenly Father knows it well. Jesus says that if we focus our mind toward our daily needs, then we live just like those who don't know God. Jesus wants us to set our mind toward heavenly matters, His kingdom and its righteousness or His Word, so that He can add all those needs into our lives.
As we have seen from the beginning, man was not created to bear burden to earn his living. It is God's will to fulfill his needs all of his life. There are spiritual laws that we must do in order to receive all our needs fulfilled by God.
One of them is tithing, which is a tenth of our income. Why tithing? God has declared that tithe is holy—And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord (Leviticus 27:30).
Since the Lord has declared that the
tithe is holy, then don't be surprised if He called us robbers when we failed to
give our tithes—Will a man rob God? Yet
ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and
offerings (Malachi 3:8).
And we honor Him when we give our
tithes—Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all
thine increase (Proverbs 3:9).
The most frequently asked question
with regards to tithing is "Do we tithe before income tax or
after?" Remember what Jesus said about tax in Matthew 22:19-21, Show
me the tribute money, And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them,
Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith
he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and
unto God the things that are God's. Consequently, our tithe should be
taken from our gross income before income tax deduction—read
again Leviticus 27:30.
Since God is the One Who sanctifies
the tithe, He also promised that we will never live in lack for bringing our
tithes to Him. 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. 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 3:10-12).
He also said in Proverbs 3:9-10, Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firsfruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out of with new wine.
Besides the tithe, the other thing that will enable us to receive increase is our giving or offering. In Proverbs 3:9-10 the promise of abundance may be received when we honor Him with our giving and our tithe. In the book of Malachi God was upset at the Israelis for being negligent in tithing and offering. In consequence the nation was under curse.
Luke 6:38 says, Give and it shall
be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running
over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete
withal it shall be measured to you again. If we give, we will receive
back according to the measure we used in giving. This is reiterated by God
in 2 Corinthians 9:8, And God is able to make all grace abound toward you;
that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good
work (2 Corinthians 9:8).
You need to meditate on the above promises of God until your heart is established to pay your tithe and give offering according to your faith. Remember that if you pay tithe and give offering to honor Him, then abundance is the definite result that you will enjoy (read Proverbs 3:9-10).
Stop working so hard, and enjoy your life by obeying the Word of God in the areas of tithing and giving so that He can add all things into your life. Enjoy the abundant life!