Sometimes it feels like everyone has a hand in our pocketbook. The cable company is on autopay, the gas pump debits our account twice a week, and taxes knock us for a loop every spring.
Even in the church, it seems there are more programs in need of funds than our pocketbooks can cover. The missions department is sending a team to South America, the children’s department needs to refurbish the nursery, and the air conditioner is on the fritz. Even if we wanted, we couldn’t do it all.
What does God expect of us?
We can find the answer in his Word. One aspect of God’s tithe is to bless God when God blesses us.
In Genesis 14, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah had run for their lives, leaving the land to be devastated by four opposing kings. Lot was spirited away with all his worldly goods. Abram called together the men in his household and rescued his nephew and all his possessions from the four kings.
Abram started his journey with nothing, and brought back all God had promised him.
In Verse 20, Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, honored Abram, then praised God, saying, “Blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Melchizedek recognized it was only by the hand of God that Abram was able to defeat four enemy armies with only 318 trained men from his household.
Isn’t that like what God expects from us? The evil one comes as a roaring lion, and God expects us to defeat him with what we can find in the broom closet. In our finances, the bills hit at the very worst time, and yet we are expected to be overcomers, funding God’s work with only the leftovers from last week’s paycheck.
When God took Abram’s 318 men and defeated the four kings, Abram could have become proud. However, he recognized God’s participation in winning the battle by giving Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had rescued from the enemy kings. He refused any praise from the king of Sodom, telling him that his allegiance was to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.
When mighty armies threaten to overcome us financially, and we see nothing but defeat, all God needs is what we have available. He will bless it and provide us a great victory.
All he wants from us is our recognition that the victory is his.
When God blesses us with a victory, we should acknowledge his supernatural hand by blessing our spiritual leaders. It is a sign to the world that we give God all the glory.
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