21 DAY ENCOURAGEMENTS PRAYER & FASTING - CARE FOR THE HOUSE OF GOD - Sherman Bradley - 01/13/16 - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

Today is the 4th Day of New Life Covenant's 21-Day Fast.  We are fasting and praying for many things...one of them is self-control and discipline in our financial lives.  To that end, members of the church and its pastors are writing daily encouragements.  Thought we'd share them with you.  Be blessed!

CARE FOR THE HOUSE OF GOD

The LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give….Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Exodus 25:1-2; 8

And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing, and they said to Moses, "The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform."  Exodus 36:4-5

In the Old Testament, God was specifically concerned for the building of His Sanctuary.  The obedience of the children of Israel when Moses approached them with God’s command to give an offering was remarkable. They continued to give freewill offerings until there was more than enough to build the sanctuary.  God told Moses to tell them to stop giving.

Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work. Exodus 36:6-7

This is every pastor’s dream!  It’s one thing for you as a leader to be committed to God’s dwelling place…it’s another when your people are so cheerful and generous about the Lord’s house, and the Lord’s work that they give more than what is needed. 

Giving to God will never leave us bankrupt, but our withholding and sparse giving counteracts potential blessings (2 Cor 9:6) and prevents us from prospering. As we take care of God's house He will assuredly take care of ours. You can never out-do Gods giving!

In Peanuts, Charlie Brown was trick or treating for Halloween, but his bag had a hole in it. As he walked the streets, his spoils of candy leaked out a trail. He had worked and toiled but ended up with nothing. This reminds me of the Word from the prophet Haggai to Israel:

“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”  Haggai 1:4-11

In my analogy, the effort of the Peanuts characters who had bags without holes produced a harvest of goodies. When we obey God’s stewardship principles and prioritize what’s important to Him, it brings us into financial wholeness. When we do not obey Gods truths about stewardship we are laboring in vain and we will never have enough nor live in true prosperity and wealth. Don’t trade in the future inheritance for yourself, your children and your grandchildren by disobeying God!  Each time you acquire income don’t hold back and only take care of your own house. Instead trust God at his word. He says try me, prove me and let me show you. I will pour you out blessings you do not have room enough to receive. (Mal 3:7-12)

 Pastor Sherman