“Honor the Lord With Thy Substance”
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for themselves treasures in heaven, by keeping the Lord’s storehouse
supplied with the portion He claims as His own, and with gifts and
offerings.
Those who are honestly inquiring what God requires of them
in regard to the property they claim as their own should search the
Old Testament Scriptures, and see what Christ, the invisible leader
of Israel in their long wilderness journey, directed His people to do
in this respect. We should individually be willing to be put to any
inconvenience, to be brought into any straits, rather than rob God of the
portion that should come into His house. Those who are Bible readers
and Bible believers will have an intelligent knowledge of “What saith
the Lord” in this matter.
Without Excuse
In that day when every man shall be judged according to the deeds
done in the body, every excuse that selfishness may now make for
withholding the tithe, the gifts and offerings, from the Lord will melt
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away as the dew before the sun. If it were not forever too late, how
glad would many be to go back and rebuild their characters! But it will
be too late then to change the record of those who, weekly, monthly,
and yearly, have robbed God. Their destiny will be fixed, unalterably
fixed....
Selfishness is a deadly evil. Self-love and careless indifference to
the specific terms of agreement between God and man, the refusal to
act as his faithful stewards, have brought upon them His curse, just as
He declared would be the case. These souls have separated themselves
from God; by precept and example they have led others to disregard
God’s plain commandments, and He could not bestow His blessing
upon them.
The Tithe
The Lord has specified: The tenth of all your possessions is Mine;
your gifts and offerings are to be brought into the treasury, to be used
to advance My cause, to send the living preacher to open the Scriptures
to those who sit in darkness.