Ps Mark Foster - First Things First

It's just the principle saying, firstly, I'm gonna honor God with everything. I am not gonna put it to question because first things first. Who I honor with my first pound, it really matters. Wherever your first portion goes, that is where you're putting your first honor. Let's make sure we honor God. Amen? Matthew six twenty one, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Your heart follows what you spend your money on. Whether you whether you know it or not, your heart follows where you put your finances. [00:24:07] (35 seconds)  #HonorGodFirst

And so the tithe, the 10% is testing, do you really trust me? Do you really trust God? So every month that happens, we face a test. What am I gonna do with the 10%, the test that God is asking of me? Am I gonna pass the test or am I gonna just submit to my own reasoning, my own logic, my own bills, everything that's happening? Am I just gonna give that the first honor? [00:26:44] (33 seconds)  #TitheTrustTest

because Jesus was not just saying the law's done with or even that the law continues, but Jesus was saying there's now a higher level. Post law, he takes things to the to the next level, and so he says murder, an outward sign is not just enough. It's now murdering your heart. And so the principle with the tithe is now not not just a religious act that I do outwardly, but there's something in my heart. And so for me, the tithe is not just about an act I do, it's a position of my heart. [00:15:12] (38 seconds)  #HeartOverRitual

It's just you wanna put honor on that on that person. You wanna show your appreciation. You wanna thank that person. You want an atmosphere of honor, and you wanna lift them up. And so whenever I bring my I return my tithe back to God, I'm showing I honor him. Proverbs chapter three verse nine, honor the Lord with your what is it? It's pretty obvious. It says it there. It states it in matter of fact, honor god with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops. [00:21:29] (39 seconds)  #HonorWithWealth

Me and my house, we've tied month in month out, and we've seen the goodness of God. Even in seasons where we've been without or it's been hard, yet we've made a decision. We are gonna put first things first no matter what. We're gonna continue in the practice that we see through the bible of tithing because we believe when we put first things first, it matters to everything else. [00:10:02] (29 seconds)  #FamilyTitheCommitment

But, you know, it seems to be that if we put a few practical things in, sometimes it might not completely eliminate the stress, but it can at least help in small ways. And so we'll try and say to the kids, come on, help us. Just put your uniform out or, you know, just pack your bag. Maybe even do your homework the night before rather than on the morning off. Anyone? You know, those things are gonna help us because the things that we do first, they help the rest of the things a little bit. And so we're gonna talk about today, the message is called first things first because I believe that what you do first makes a real difference to the rest. [00:06:02] (46 seconds)  #FirstThingsFirst

How you start your day in the morning, it matters. And so that's why it's really important that when we wake up in the morning, we should when we open our eyes, just take a moment to thank God. Say, god, thank you. This is the day that the lord has made. I will be I will be blessed. And I'll rejoice in it. God, you have blessing for me today. I believe that everything that happens today is for my good, whether I like it or not, because you work all things together for Good. Good. And so whatever happens, God, I believe that you can teach me something, you can bless me with something, you can help encourage me. And so I think just making that little adjustment at the start of the your day can make all the difference. [00:06:48] (54 seconds)  #StartWithGratitude

You're not gonna turn up to that person's birthday, look them in the eyes, and say, you know what? I'm gonna I'm gonna just just keep a a tally over the next twelve months. I know you're a friend, but I'm just gonna check out how you perform for the next twelve months. Feel good. You come through for me. You're there when I need you. You bless me, you're generous to me, then maybe I'll bring you a gift next year. No. No. You bring them a gift because what does it do? It honors the person who they are right now. It's not performance related. [00:20:50] (40 seconds)  #HonorWithoutConditions