People are like diamonds. The truly beautiful ones are multifaceted and full of fire.
There are so many parts that make up a whole person. When any of those parts are weak, it weakens the whole.
While "Get Fit Friday" started out as my attempt to keep a weight loss journey diary, it has morphed into an all encompassing attempt to record how God is shaping me into who He created me to be.
For the next few weeks, we're going to go on a little side journey. Well, I'm on a journey and you are going with me by default simply because you are here reading my ramblings. Thank you for that. Really. I mean it. Thank you for traveling this road with me.
Anyway, for the next few weeks, I'm examining my Spiritual life. I feel like the Holy Spirit is working on me, growing me, and stretching me...challenging my beliefs. There are things that I'm working through that I'll need to see in print in order to properly process them. I'm just wired that way. Getting things out of my head and into print helps me to be more objective...maybe.
The first thing I'm examining is tithing.
Scripture says give a tenth. In the Old Testament, this was an offering to the Lord...it was The Best that was expected...not left overs. Scripture even addresses how God reacted to offerings that were not one's best.
In our society, where so many of us work tirelessly and often find ourselves with more month than money, it's easy to see why we have rationalized tithing away. "I don't make enough" is the most common answer given to why we don't tithe. Many of us give out of what's left over. The problem is that we spend or commit to spend (through debt) our tithe, not that we don't have the money to tithe. I am convicted that I need to improve my financial situation so that I can give a tenth.
What do I expect to get from tithing? Nothing super natural or spectacular. I know that God has blessed my heart every time I have given something I love to Him. These aren't tangible, physical blessings and may not be things that are socially accepted as blessings. God blesses my soul. He gives me peace and joy and fills me with love and gentleness. He soothes my heart and gives me rest. These are the sorts of blessings God gives me when I am obedient to His Word.
I need those things.
I'm not testing Him....
I'm trusting Him.
I'm trusting that, as I increase my giving to a full tithe, God will meet our financial and physical needs and that He will give peace to my soul in the process. That is all. I'm trusting him to do what I cannot... trusting Him to make the ends meet.
There are other things that I'm working through that I'll share in the weeks to come. I'm convicted about the Sabbath. Maybe "convicted" is not the correct word to use. I feel a need to observe the Sabbath. Maybe I'll be in a place to share my thoughts on that next week. I'm also looking at my prayer life, and the time I spend in God's Word as well as the way I prepare for worship.
Please understand, I am not approaching ANY of this as a way to plant seeds of pride or cultivate "Pharisee - ish" behavior. These are areas where I believe my faith and dependence on God are weak and need to be strengthened. This is strictly between me and God, building our relationship and strengthening the bond I have with Him. I'm not making a list of things to check off. Instead I'm recording things as I work through them so that I can look back and see where God has stretched my faith and blessed my obedience. That make sense?
Much love and big hugs,
K
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