Daily Encouragements for a 21-Day Fast - New Life Covenant Cincinnati 1/10/16

Today marks the first 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 share them with you.  Be blessed!

Day One - God Owns It All

“The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, declares the LORD Almighty.“ Haggai 2:8

“For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.” Psalm 50:10

We ‘know this!!’ At least we give mental assent to it the fact that God owns it all but…

We have grown accustomed to using the words my and mine to refer to almost everything.  My money, my car, my house, my time, my child, my husband, my wife, my marriage, my gifts, my calling, my ministry, my life… all the things and people that we are to love less than God. God, who is the true owner could require any of them at any time. Paul asked the church at Corinth, “What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift? (1 Cor. 4:7b NLT)

David had been disqualified from building the Lord a house for Him to dwell, but was asked to gather all of the resources for his son Solomon to build it.  1 Chronicles 29:1-9 details the effort he took to collect the large quantities of metals, precious stones and the skillful craftsmen who would consecrate themselves to the construction of the Temple.  The leaders of families, officers of the tribes of Israel, and the officials gave willingly toward the work on the temple. (Then something great happened!)

The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders who had given wholeheartedly to the LORD.  David the king rejoiced greatly.  In verse 11, David praises God saying “Yours, Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.” In humility, he exclaims, “But who am I, and who are my of army people that we should be able to give as generously as this?  Everything comes from YOU and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

On this first day of fasting, let it sink in deeply…God owns it ALL! even our lives. Let us put aside pride, boasting and stinginess about what we claim to be ‘ours.’

Lay down all that you have and all that you are at His feet because it’s ALL His!

Sadell