Jan 9

Today I received in my email a devotion from Proverbs 21 ministries that kind of spoke a little to me. The scripture reference was Matthew 7:24-27. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

What speaks to me about that is the fact that here I am trying to read the Bible everyday for a solid year but this time I am trying to meditate on it a little more make that a lot more than have ever done in the past several attempts. I am not just sitting down and reading it like a book which eventually I will hit the parts that will get a little boring to me and I may not see the relevance to my life but if I keep reading and meditating and learn a little more maybe some day it will.

Also what is interesting is because I have recently had a very serious conversation with my husband about the state of our finances and I believe and know with every fiber of my being that we need to be better tithers but he sees it as throwing money away instead of being like Christ suggests in Matthew 6:19-20 of storing your treasures in Heaven. Plus I have always been taught that one way to show that you have complete faith in God is to pay your tithes. God really doesn't ask much of us but that little 10% of our first fruits that we bring into our homes. I am not going to push it with him because he is my husband and God has required of me to submit to him and I try to respectful of my husband's place as the head of my household, but as I ask this of him every year and I get the same reaction from him, (Its not that he is coming right out and saying no, he is basically saying that it will be more of hindrance than a blessing), it makes me wonder if the problems we have had with his job stability has to do with this area in not trusting God to take care and provide for us and God is trying to show us that we can not do this alone.

When I was going thru a rough patch in my previous jobs and new I deserved better like most people I turned to God for help and part of what I did was trying to tithe on a regular basis, but I made the mistake of not tithing first and trying to tithe my 10% with what I had left after paying bills and spending money on going out to eat and shopping and that put a real burden on my pocketbook, but this time I believe I have learned my lesson albeit the hard way but it was well received this time around. But any ways once I received my current job, which I love I then turned my tithe over with a very thankful and grateful heart and I know looking back that it was all God's doing. As a matter of fact I might have even gotten the job months sooner if I had had my mind and heart in the right place but like many people I had to get desperate for God. But I don't want to do that again.

Today's Scripture:
Matthew 6:19-34
Genesis 20-22