I was really impressed with how Kirsten took the opportunity to evanglize. This was not your normal talk on tithing but it was "on topic" and was just what they needed to hear.
She did not give the entire talk because she was limited to just 4 minutes but I thought you would appreciate the full text.
One more reason why I love Kirsten.Why I Tithe
Tithing is a demonstration of my surrendered life to God. It is a symbol of the faith I have in Him as well as a way to say, "Thank you" for all He has done. Afterall, it's not really MY money anyway. It's HIS.
We have a concern as Christians. It is the same concern that I had in my own life. You may or may not relate to this. I grew up in a family with 5 generations of Methodist ministers. I was baptised as a baby, went to church regularly (when I wanted to go), recited the Lord's prayer, sang the hymns, took communion - hoping to keep up a Christian life which I never seriously contracted to begin.
My intentions were good! Was I committed? Only half way. Was I a good person? Oh, Yes! But there was no genuine decision day. No D-Day. When I would hear preachers on TV say, "Have you committed your life to Jesus Christ?"
I would scoff and say, "You're preaching to the choir, man!! I come from 5 generations of Methodists ministers. I know all about Jesus!!"
However, in the Lord's prayer when we say, "Give us this day our daily bread."(Matthew 6:11) I actually didn't believe it. I was so self sufficient. I thought I could do it on my own. I didn't even consider letting God lead the way.
I had NOT surrendered my life to Jesus Christ.
Either a person can live a self centered life, or he can live a Christ filled life. There are no other choices.
Luke 9:23 "Then He said to them all, "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me."
Unlike other religions, Christianity is about a relationship with Jesus Christ. Religion is man's way of working himself towards God. Christianity is about surrendering your life to Him.
Surrendering means giving up pride, giving up control, giving up independence, giving up all those things in our life that we have deemed important and precious and have placed ahead of Jesus Christ.
Before the birth of Christ, people in the old Biblical days constantly made sacrifices to God. They would take their best animals, or the best portions of their crops, or fresh baked loaves of bread, or containers of oil, or just about anything of value, and they would surrender it totally and completely up to God.
Surrendering the best they had, showed that they themselves were surrendering to God. After the Messiah Jesus Christ came into this world, we no longer had to sacrifice animals and other things up to God.
Now our sacrifices to God consists of the surrendering of our minds, our bodies, and our souls up to the Son of God. After Jesus was born our sacrifices were to become faith, trust, and obedience. Tithing is a symbol of this.
I never understood the following scriptures until I surrendered to God.
2 Corinthians 5:17. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new".
Ephesians 4:23-24 "Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
And do you want to know exactly what God himself said would happen to you the very second that you surrendered and accepted Jesus Christ and were born again?
He told you something very interesting at:
Ezekiel 36:26-27.
"Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you".
In conclusion, I tithe as a symbol of my faith and trust in God. I also tithe, because I am so grateful for all He has done. It is the least I could do.
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