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The following are my Bible study notes from my pastor's sermon titled "Wisdom in Generous Living."

Wisdom in Generous Living

Honor the Lord from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;
So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine. - Proverbs 3:9-10

When we honor God, He will bless our lives.

Wisdom keeps us from foolishness.

Wisdom protects us.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. - James 1:5

Our God is a generous God.  He will bless our lives.

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. - 1 Timothy 6:9

 The rich fall into temptation.  We all fall into temptation.

There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. - Proverbs 11:24

1.  God expects generous giving.

Honor = to give weight to.

Honor = to glorify God.

First Fruits = Tithing

Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. - Leviticus 27:30

You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. - Deuteronomy 14:22

New Testament = Not commanded, but grace giving.


And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand. - Genesis 14:20

Before the law, there was tithing.

What is a tithe?  A tithe is 10% of your income off the top.

Who should tithe?  Everyone should tithe.

Ask yourselves this question.  Are you unable to tithe because you are broke or are you broke because you do not tithe?

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. - Malachi 3:10-11

Why should we tithe?  We should tithe because God tells us to tithe in His Word.  We should tithe because tithing shows gratitude.

Giving and Tithing by Larry Burkett is available here.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:20-21

2.  God blesses generous living.

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.  - 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

 

The Alter of the Tabernacle (Bible Study by Beth Moore)

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 The Alter of the Tabernacle

Today, in our Beth Moore Bible study, A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place, we are studying the Altar of Sacrifice.  If we were entering the tabernacle court through the eastern gate, the first thing we would see is the altar of sacrifice.  It was made of acacia wood.  Acacia wood was well know for its resistance to decay.  It is also said to have born heavy, sharp thorns.  Sound familiar?  Jesus, our supreme sacrifice also bore heavy, sharp thorns as He was beaten and traveled the road to Golgotha.

To understand the significance of the altar, Beth directs us to the book of Matthew.

You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? – Matthew 23:19

I never thought of the altar as being more important that the offering, but we learn in the scriptures that the altar is more important than the offering itself because the altar sanctifies the offering.  Thus the altar had to be built as God commanded.  We learn in Leviticus that God was pleased with the altar.

So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole congregation came near and stood before the Lord. Moses said, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” – Leviticus 9:5-6

Beth then directs us to the importance of obedience.

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. – John 15:10-11

“Our obedience does not make God bigger or better than He already is.  His essence is unchanged by our obedience or lack of it.  Anything God commands of us is so that our joy may be full – the joy of seeing His glory revealed to us and in us!  Two major reasons for obedience are that we may become targets of blessing and that He may have the pleasure of bestowing it.” – Beth Moore

A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore is overflowing with knowledge and wisdom.  What I share with you here is just a brief summary of the things I learn and the things that stand out to me.  If you would like to complete this study on your own or with a group, you can get your copy here.

Read all posts in this series here.

The leader's kit which contains materials for a group Bible Study including the videos is available here.

This item is available here.