Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Take Ownership and Give First

They were doing this because they were showing the preeminence they desired for God to have in their lives. This commitment wasn't they weren't trying to squeeze it in with their other priorities. Can I keep all my other priorities and fit God in with them? That's what we often do. It was first. See, we can't say God is first in our lives and that our relationship with him is the most important thing to us if we won't open the door to the greatest treasure and then give him the priority when we get there. [00:50:14] (37 seconds)  #PutGodFirst

In short, he isn't first if he isn't first. Here's the point that we see with the Israelites, and I think that God calls us to, is to give him our best, not our leftovers. The place that many of our convictions die is when they run up against something that is an idol in our lives or that we have placed as immovable in our lives. Case in point, what happens when God calls you through trial and circumstance to surrender your kids to him, but you find all of your identity in being a a a mother or a father? [00:50:51] (39 seconds)  #GiveGodYourBest

Because the door to a person's treasure is often the most guarded one, and it's the last one to open, and it's the surest way to freedom. These people were full on showing a courageous response to very real conviction. Notice that their commitment wasn't just about leftovers or whatever they could fit in. It was first fruits of the ground and their orchards and their livestock. What that is is like when they were bringing in their produce, it wasn't if we have anything left over, then that is the Lord's. It was literally, we're gonna take the first, the best off the top and give that to the Lord, and then the rest is what we'll live on. [00:49:32] (41 seconds)  #FirstFruitsFaith

Jesus said in Matthew six, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The surest and purest sign of how these people in Nehemiah 10 are responding to their convictions is how they decided to prioritize their resources. [00:51:29] (18 seconds)  #TreasureRevealsHeart

And one of the most common ones in my twenty years of ministry has been about tithing and whether or not it's only an Old Testament thing, or is it still a New Testament thing, or wah wah wah wah. I've heard had this a thousand times. And I don't mean to belittle it, but I've just had that argument a million times. And I just wanna suggest this to you. What if the real issue isn't about the percentage, but about your heart and about surrender? [00:52:35] (29 seconds)  #HeartOverPercentage

A man came to Jesus one time who had followed all of his law driven convictions, which had to have included tithing because that was part of the law. He followed all of these things. He said perfectly. I don't really believe him, but he said he had done it perfectly. And he gets to Jesus, and he says, like, what else do I need to do? And here's what Jesus says to him in Matthew 19. Jesus said, if you would be perfect, go sell what you possess, some versions say everything, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and then come follow me. [00:53:13] (36 seconds)  #SellAndFollow

You know what happens next? The man walks away sad because it was never about the dollar amount. It was a matter of the heart. And while I think you and I can debate, and I think I can show you that 10% is consistent in scripture from before the law all the way through Jesus at least inferring its continuance, I would just argue that the real issue is if we're struggling with the idea of giving up our resources to the Lord so much that we are going to argue and haggle over percentage points, perhaps we've missed the point altogether. [00:53:41] (39 seconds)  #SurrenderOverPercent

Perhaps we're much more like the guy in Matthew 19 than we realize. We got a bigger heart issue. It seems a lot more simple to me to just obey what it seems scripture is pretty clear about than try to haggle over a little bit so that I can maintain my own. [00:54:17] (18 seconds)  #ObeyDontHaggle