Participants: John Bradshaw (Host), Ed Reid
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001230
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00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:12 God's book, the Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written. 00:25 Sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 I've come to eastern Tennessee today to speak with 00:38 Ed Reid on the subject of stewardship, Christian 00:43 stewardship from a biblical point of view. 00:45 A moment ago, Ed, we talked about tithing. 00:47 That's the practice of taking a tenth of one's income and 00:49 giving it to the Lord in harmony with what He has 00:53 asked us to do in both the Old Testament and the New 00:55 Testament. 00:56 But someone wanting to tithe or thinking of tithing is 00:59 going to ask the question "Where do I put this money? 01:01 To whom do I give the money?" 01:04 Where do we tithe? 01:05 ER: A very good question and it's a common question that 01:08 people have. 01:09 There are three things, elements, that are involved 01:11 in an honest tithe and that is the percent, which 01:14 everyone pretty well agrees is 10. 01:16 The second one is the place to return it. 01:19 And then the third one is "What should it be used for?" 01:22 So, the tithe is not like an offering because it belongs 01:26 to God. 01:27 And you know, Leviticus 27:30 says the tithe is holy and it 01:30 belongs to the Lord. 01:31 So, God determines what is done with it, not me. 01:35 If I want to support a ministry with my offering, I 01:37 can do that but my tithe is a different story. 01:40 So, since we have Numbers 18:21 that God says he wants 01:44 to support the preachers with his tithe, he could take his 01:46 tithe back to heaven if he wanted to or he could do it 01:49 like the they did to the sacrificial Lamb, burn it up. 01:51 It's his. 01:52 He could do whatever he wants to. 01:54 But he says, I've used it to support the ministry. 01:55 And it's a very, very interesting thing. 01:58 In the Bible, and in the Old Testament and the New 02:01 Testament there was a central storehouse to which the tithe 02:04 is brought. 02:05 And it's a very interesting one and it's to show you how 02:08 important it is right over in the Book of Exodus, just two 02:11 chapters away from the Ten Commandments, and this would 02:13 be Exodus 23 and I'll point it out to you as well so you 02:18 can see it, Exodus 23:14-19, three times every year all 02:26 the males had to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem 02:30 and the real interesting thing about it, this to me is 02:32 a fascinating thing, it's Pentecost, well, first 02:35 Passover, then Pentecost, then the Feast of the 02:38 Tabernacles, three times a year all the males, and v. 02:40 19 says the first fruits of your land you shall bring to 02:43 the House of the Lord. 02:44 In other words, part of that, and you see it also over in 02:46 Deuteronomy, the 12th chapter of the law of the storehouse, 02:50 three times a year they brought their tithes to the 02:52 storehouse. 02:53 Now this is an interesting situation because even though 02:56 in Israel, there were 48 cities given to the Levites. 02:59 So essentially, they were all over the place, including the 03:03 six cities of refuge - you know three were on each side 03:05 of the Jordan. 03:06 JB: Right. 03:07 ER: Still, three times a year God asked them to come to the 03:09 central storehouse in Jerusalem to bring their 03:11 tithes. 03:12 Then the Bible talks in Nehemiah and 2 Chronicles how 03:13 the Levites took it back out to their fellow Levites to 03:16 pay their salaries but there was this central storehouse, 03:19 I guess for accountability. 03:20 In fact, when Jesus was 12 years old in the temple, 03:23 remember? 03:25 Talking with the elders? 03:25 He was there because the Bible says it was Passover 03:27 and his family had a custom of going to Jerusalem on the 03:30 Passover. 03:31 And there were lots of people. 03:33 He got lost in the crowd. 03:34 They thought he was with him. 03:34 You understand? 03:35 JB: That's right. 03:36 ER: Because everybody came. 03:37 JB: Sure ER: This is a very important thing. 03:39 Here's a real interesting one. 03:40 Three times a year-and two of those feasts were eight days 03:43 long so they're gone like a whole month of the year, just 03:47 traveling to Jerusalem and being in those feasts. 03:49 Well, you know there are war-like tribes all around 03:51 the Israelites and you would think, well, somebody is 03:53 going to take their land or come and ransack their 03:54 property, but God says in Exodus 34, when you come 03:57 those three times a year, I'm going to protect your place 04:00 and nobody is going to bother it. 04:02 ER: Isn't that incredible? 04:02 JB: And that's what God did. 04:03 ER: Oh yeah. 04:04 Amazing. 04:05 JB: That's remarkable. 04:06 So tithing, then, to the central storehouse. 04:08 ER: That's what our church practices. 04:10 I would just say that that's what our church practices but 04:12 I will just tell you that you bring it to the church for 04:14 the salary of the pastors. 04:15 This is not to pay parking lots or buy choir robes. 04:18 This is for pastors' salaries, those salaries of 04:21 church workers, you know, throughout the Christian 04:23 denomination. 04:24 So that's what you do with your tithe. 04:25 You take it to a central storehouse. 04:28 If you belong to a Christian denomination, you would take 04:30 it to that denomination to pay their pastors. 04:33 That is the Biblical model. 04:34 JB: It requires a bit of faith, doesn't it, on the 04:36 part of the person to look at his or her paycheck and say, 04:39 I'm cutting 10% out of that and taking that to the Lord. 04:41 ER: Yes. 04:42 Oh yes, indeed. 04:43 And it takes even more if you don't think the church is 04:45 doing the right thing. 04:46 JB: What do you do if you don't think the church is 04:47 doing the right thing? 04:48 ER: Remember that the people that handle the tithe, that's 04:50 their responsibility at that point. 04:52 I've just done what God has asked me to do. 04:54 And God will hold them responsible if it is 04:56 mismanaged. 04:57 And by the way, you read earlier in our presentation 05:00 here Malachi 3. 05:01 JB: Yes. 05:03 ER: Well that was given at a time of great apostasy. 05:06 You know, the tithe legislation is back in 05:08 Leviticus, Exodus and Deuteronomy. 05:11 But here you have in Malachi, the last book of the Old 05:13 Testament, a time of great apostasy right before that 05:15 great long period of quietness and no prophets for 05:18 400 years and God is saying come back to me but they 05:21 weren't tithing because of problems in the church. 05:24 But God said, that's not your problem. 05:26 That's my problem. 05:27 I'll deal with that. 05:27 You do what I ask you to do. 05:28 JB: I notice that Jesus commended the lady who 05:31 brought the two mites. 05:32 Now we are not told it was tithe. 05:34 It was that plus it was all she had. 05:36 ER: Yes. 05:36 JB: He commended her because she made a gift to a church 05:41 who was planning to kill him. 05:42 ER: Yes indeed. 05:43 JB: Church can't get much worse than that. 05:45 ER: That's exactly right. 05:46 JB:And Jesus still said this is the right thing to do. 05:47 ER: Yes. 05:48 JB: And in fact - let's talk about this briefly because 05:50 you're going to get the people that say, Oh, that's 05:52 Jewish. 05:53 What I find is that if Christians don't want to do 05:54 something, they blame the Jews. 05:56 That's a Jewish thing. 05:57 They do that about all kinds of different things. 05:59 ER: Yes. 06:00 JB: How do we know that it's a New Testament principle? 06:01 ER: Well, it's really interesting that you ask 06:03 that. 06:03 By the way, the Old Testament was the only Bible that Jesus 06:05 and the disciples had. 06:06 JB: Right. 06:07 ER: That's where we believe in the principles of the Old 06:09 Testament. 06:10 But you have tithing clearly taught in the Old Testament. 06:12 Jesus in Matthew 23:23 talked about how detailed the 06:16 leaders, especially the Pharisees, were. 06:19 You tithe the mint, the anise and cumin ... 06:21 but he's not criticizing them. 06:23 He says this you ought to do but don't leave the other 06:26 things undone-justice and mercy and so on. 06:28 And then Paul, over in his writings, in Corinthians, 06:31 looks back at the Old Testament and says: Those who 06:34 preach the gospel should live of the gospel, just like they 06:37 did in the Old Testament. 06:39 JB: That's right. 06:40 ER: So it's clearly there. 06:41 Plus over in Hebrews 7:10, where it talks about 06:45 returning tithe unto the Lord who is a priest forever in 06:48 the order of Melchizedec so it's clearly in the New 06:50 Testament as well. 06:51 JB: That's right. 06:51 You have Jesus endorsing the system. 06:53 Paul endorsing the system. 06:55 The writer to the Hebrews endorsing the system. 06:57 It can't get much more clearer than that, can it? 06:59 ER: That's true. 06:59 JB: No it can't. 07:00 And what I'd like to do is as we've spoken already, we're 07:02 talking about tithing not just as a well let's all pull 07:05 together and pay the bills. 07:06 It's not just that. 07:07 God has given this to us as a spiritual exercise. 07:10 As a step of faith and as preparation for real 07:13 challenges that are coming. 07:14 ER: You brought in the spiritual aspect of it and I 07:17 am 100% agreeable with that. 07:19 But let me just tell you, more than we think, Jesus 07:22 tied our stewardship to eternal life. 07:25 Now this is amazing. 07:27 This is not a legalistic thing but it shows an 07:29 attitude. 07:30 Let me show you an example. 07:31 The rich young ruler came to Jesus. 07:33 And he said, "What can I do to inherit eternal life?" 07:35 Well Jesus said, "Keep the Commandments", and he says 07:37 "which ones" so Jesus started quoting some of the 10 07:40 commandments. 07:41 He says I've been doing this since I was a little kid. 07:42 What do I lack yet? 07:43 And then this bombshell of the whole New Testament. 07:46 "Sell everything you have and give it to the poor. 07:48 Then you will have treasures in heaven and come and follow 07:49 me. 07:50 Well, he went away sorrowful because he had great 07:52 possessions. 07:53 But the interesting thing about it when we see it 07:54 because Matthew, Mark and Luke all talk about this 07:56 story. 07:57 It's an amazing thing. 07:59 He was sincere when he asked, "what could I do?" 08:02 If Jesus said, "well, you know, give a tithe, you know, 08:05 or put some of you money into an escrow account and give 08:07 the interest to the poor", he didn't say it. 08:09 He asked him to give everything, because he knew 08:12 that man's problem was the money. 08:15 He doesn't you and he doesn't ask you or me to do that 08:17 unless that's our big problem. 08:19 But remember his first question, "What do I need to 08:21 do to inherit eternal life?" 08:21 Don't let money get in the way, Jesus said. 08:23 You come and follow me and you'll be safe. 08:25 So give everything. 08:26 But he lost eternal life over that. 08:29 JB: He let money get in the way. 08:30 ER: Oh yes. 08:30 Isn't that incredible? 08:32 Now another amazing one is this, when Zacchaeus-tax 08:35 collector, Jewish tax collector-he decided he 08:38 wanted to see Jesus. 08:40 Now this is amazing because when you want to see Jesus, 08:42 He wants to see you too. 08:43 But when he came to the place where Jesus was to pass, 08:46 people were lined up already. 08:47 We know he was a rich man, he was a short man, and he 08:49 wanted to see Jesus. 08:50 So, he ran ahead, climbed up in a tree. 08:53 Now he's an attorney or a CPA. 08:55 He's probably got a business suit on. 08:57 He climbed a tree. 08:58 This is incredible. 08:59 JB: Wearing his best clothes. 09:00 ER: Jesus walks under the tree, looks up. 09:02 This is incredible. 09:03 He calls him by name, though they have never met. 09:06 Now the story is he invited himself home for lunch. 09:09 And when Jesus, by the way, you can imagine what 09:12 Zacchaeus must have thought of because when you get 09:15 Jesus, you get 12 hungry disciples that don't get 09:17 regular meals, so 13 hungry men are coming to lunch. 09:19 But of course, he's a wealthy man. 09:21 At the end of the meal, Zacchaeus stands up and says 09:23 - this is after one encounter with Jesus - "I am gonna do 09:27 something now. 09:28 My life is going to be different. 09:30 Anything that I have taken from people I am going to 09:32 return it fourfold and I am going to give half of what I 09:34 have to the poor." 09:35 Jesus did not tell him "good idea, that's a wonderful 09:38 idea". 09:39 He said, "Today, salvation has come to your house. 09:43 The rich young ruler and Zachaeus both tie stewardship 09:45 to eternal life. 09:47 JB: Because for very many people their stewardship, or 09:50 lack thereof, or their stewardship practices reveal 09:52 what is going on in the heart. 09:54 ER: Exactly. 09:55 Jesus' whole goal for us is to transform us from the 09:58 inside out through the Holy Spirit's power so that we can 10:00 be fit to live in the company of the holy beings in heaven. 10:04 And that's an amazing thing! 10:05 No selfishness will be there. 10:07 JB: Great points. 10:10 Back with more with Ed Reid and stewardship principles in 10:12 just a moment. 10:13 Don't go away. 10:14 And it's time for today's Bible question. 10:30 In the Bible it talks about God and Jesus and the Holy 10:36 Spirit. 10:38 I've heard our preacher call them the trinity and that 10:40 they are like one person, but also three separate 10:44 individuals. 10:45 I'm confused, is there one God or are there three? 10:51 There's one God. 10:52 But that one God is made up of three separate 10:54 individuals. 10:55 The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 10:58 Does that sound simple? 11:00 If not, I'm not worried about that one bit. 11:03 We're discussing GOD here - I don't expect that everything 11:06 about God would be super easy for us to understand. 11:09 But I know we can understand enough about this to make it 11:11 easy for us to accept by faith what the Bible says. 11:14 One place in the Bible that shows us this clearly is 11:19 Matthew chapter 3. 11:21 Verse 16 talks about Jesus being baptized. 11:26 So there you have Jesus. 11:30 That's one Person. 11:31 Verse 16 then talks about the Holy Spirit resting upon Him. 11:33 That's another Person. 11:34 So now there's two. 11:35 And then verse 17 mentions a voice from heaven saying, 11:37 this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. 11:39 That's the Father, and there you have three distinct 11:42 individuals. 11:44 The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 11:49 They are not one Being, or one God who expresses Himself 11:52 in three ways. 11:54 They are three persons. 11:58 But are they all God? 11:59 Now I don't know that anyone would doubt that the Father 12:01 is God. 12:02 He is referred to as God in the Bible countless times. 12:04 I don't think we need to debate that. 12:09 But is Jesus God? 12:10 Let's hear what the Bible plainly says. 12:13 John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and 12:19 the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 12:21 And then verse 14 says, "And the word was made flesh, and 12:23 dwelt among us." 12:25 That's Jesus we're talking about - and the Bible plainly 12:31 says He is or was God. 12:32 No question. 12:33 Or should I say He is and was God. 12:36 But what about the Holy Spirit? 12:37 Is the Holy Spirit Divine? 12:39 Yes He is. 12:40 In Acts 5 Peter speaks to Ananias and tells him he has 12:42 lied to the Holy Spirit - and then he says that Ananias has 12:47 lied to God. 12:48 A parallel thought - lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to 12:51 God. 12:52 The Holy Spirit can be sinned against - you read about that 12:56 in Matthew 12. 12:57 The Bible says that the Bible was given by inspiration of 13:01 God, and we read that holy men of God spoke as they were 13:04 moved by the Holy Spirit. 13:07 From many directions you can see clearly that the Holy 13:10 Spirit is God. 13:12 Three gods? 13:13 No. 13:14 One God, made up of three Persons. 13:17 The Biblical word is the "Godhead" - and that's what 13:20 the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit comprise 13:25 together. 13:26 If you have a question you'd like answered, go to our 13:28 website - www.ItIsWritten.com and click on the questions 13:32 tab. 13:32 Submit your question, and in a future program I'll do my 13:34 very best to answer your question. 13:36 If you have a Bible question for pastor John Bradshaw, 13:42 please write to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand 13:45 Oaks, California 91359 or visit our website 13:49 itiswritten.com and send us your questions on-line. 13:54 It Is Written is dedicated to sharing the gospel around the 13:57 world. 13:58 Our dream is to impact the world for God. 14:01 Our television program is only one aspect of how we try 14:04 to accomplish that. 14:05 To discover more about It is Written, I invite you to 14:07 visit our website itiswritten.com and browse 14:11 the dozens of pages that describe what we do and how 14:13 we do it. 14:15 You will also find an archive of past programs in script 14:17 form, and as a streaming video and audio files, along 14:22 with many other helpful inspirational resources. 14:25 Let's get to know each other a little better. 14:27 Visit our website itiswritten.com today. 14:35 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says, "It is written 'Man 14:39 shall not live by bread alone but by every word that 14:43 proceeds from of the mouth of God'." 14:45 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 14:48 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 14:51 especially for busy people like you. 14:53 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it 14:56 on-line everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 15:01 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 15:03 Watch Every Word. 15:04 You'll be glad you did. 15:06 Here's a sample. 15:16 The crash of the housing market left a lot of people 15:18 " under water" as they say -owning more in their homes 15:21 than their homes are worth. 15:22 And this has affected average home buyers, 15:24 as well as those who own luxury homes. 15:26 Bought for a certain price, and now worth much less 15:29 than what was originally paid. 15:30 But what did almost everyone say? 15:32 You can't go wrong in real estate. 15:35 Evidently you can. 15:36 Which tells me that nothing is certain when it comes to 15:38 investments. 15:38 Anything can take an unexpected turn 15:41 What would you do if your financial ship hit 15:43 an iceberg and sank? 15:44 Maybe you've experienced that, and if so I feel for you. 15:48 What does someone have when they wake up and discover 15:50 they've got nothing at all? 15:51 God says in Malachi 3:10, I will... open you 15:54 The windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, 15:57 that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 15:59 There's little in this world that is certain. 16:01 There's any number of things to invest your money in 16:03 and not all of them are as shady as some well-known 16:06 Ponzi schemes that have cleaned out 16:07 a lot of people. 16:08 There's gold and gold has had some 16:10 golden times silver, stamps, art, 16:12 antique tractors - seriously or you could put your money 16:14 in the bank or under a mattress. 16:15 People who invest in the stock market 16:18 can make thousands or millions in a day, on paper at least, 16:21 but it works the other way as well: 16:23 fortunes can be wiped out in a single trading day. 16:26 There isn't much that is a sure bet. 16:28 Except... 16:29 God has said that He will pour us out 16:31 a blessing so great that we won't have 16:35 room enough to receive it. 16:36 Now that IS NOT to say all our investments 16:38 will pay big and that we'll never have any 16:40 money worries.. 16:41 It IS to say, God promises to look after 16:43 and to bless the one who is faithful to Him 16:45 in his or her finances. 16:46 If you'll be faithful to God He has promised 16:49 to look after you no matter how bleak things look. 16:52 Even though you migh be called to endure some 16:55 let your faith remain strong. 16:56 You can't see the end of the line from here 16:59 but God can and you can trust Him today. 17:02 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written 17:06 Let's live today by Every Word. 17:09 JB: Thank you for being with me today. 17:11 Today I am speaking with Ed Reid on the subject of 17:13 Christian stewardship. 17:15 Ed, we have been speaking about tithing and as you look 17:18 at tithing in the Bible, well, there's two things 17:23 here: The Word of God says in Malachi, particularly: Tithes 17:28 and offerings. 17:29 We alluded to this a moment ago but let's briefly touch 17:32 on the difference between tithing and offering and how 17:34 both are important. 17:37 ER: Well, the Bible is very clear that God is the owner 17:39 of everything. 17:40 Psalms 24:10, Genesis 1:1, etc. But the real bottom line 17:43 is God says I've reserved the tithe and made it holy and 17:48 you give that for the support of ministry but tithe is 17:51 almost always mentioned in conjunction with offerings as 17:55 well, our free will offerings, as we call it, and 17:58 they are special offerings like the building of the 18:00 temple, and so on, but a thank offering, or a special 18:02 offering that we give. 18:04 But the Bible specifies a percentage for tithe, a tenth 18:06 and I say only a tenth because who be fool enough 18:12 not to have the Creator of the Universe not as a 18:15 partner, a 10th partner, running your whole business 18:17 for you. 18:18 But the offerings are not given a percentage because 18:23 they are at our discretion, based on as the Bible says, 18:25 as God has prospered you. 18:28 So I could say, my wife and I have been tithing on what we 18:31 call 10 plus 10 for many years. 18:34 We do a 10th for tithe and a 10th for offering. 18:37 But as we get older and our children are educated and our 18:39 debts are paid off, we can do more than that and there are 18:41 many people in their professional life who make 18:43 significant enough income that once their tenth of 18:46 their profit or their increase or their income is 18:50 taking away as the tithe then they could give away huge 18:53 portions as offerings to advance the cause of God that 18:56 they like and so that's not a percentage, it could even be 18:58 more than a tenth, it could be a lot more. 19:01 JB: Which leads me to an important point. 19:03 Some people may wish to do more. 19:05 Now some people approach tithing as (groan) 10 19:08 percent, I'll get 10% of that ER: Yeah. 19:12 JB: The idea of giving tithes and offerings should be 19:16 onerous to us. 19:17 We should consider it a huge blessing. 19:18 ER: Look for opportunities. 19:19 JB: Yeah, opportunities. 19:20 Now, what would you say to someone who is kind of 19:22 struggling with the whole concept of tithing and maybe 19:24 giving more in terms of offering? 19:26 ER: I would just say that tithing is not an expression 19:29 of gratitude or generosity. 19:30 It is a matter of simple honesty. 19:32 Once I get that part taken care of, then the gratitude 19:34 comes in with my offerings and I can just look at my 19:36 life and say, "God has blessed our family so much, I 19:37 just want to say thank you." 19:39 And I want to say it on a regular basis because God 19:42 blesses me so much. 19:43 That's what offerings are. 19:45 And I want to say, for example, I want to keep our 19:48 church looking nice, or paid off, whatever it is. 19:50 And I want to make contributions to that because 19:53 the way our church looks is a reflection of what I think 19:59 about God. 20:00 I mean there's lots of things about that that are very 20:03 interesting and if I want to advance other ministries that 20:04 are, you know, maybe independent or supporting 20:06 ministries, I can do that with my offerings because 20:08 they are discretionary. 20:09 Oh, and let me say another thing. 20:11 Since God is the owner of every thing, when I am done 20:14 with it, what do I do with it? 20:17 JB: There's a good question. 20:18 ER: Give it back to him. 20:19 Now once my needs are taken care of and my family's needs 20:20 are taken care of, then I return to God what I don't 20:24 need and I make provision to do that through my estate 20:26 plan when I pass away. 20:28 And much of the ministry of It Is Written and other 20:30 organizations depend on estate planning and gifts of 20:33 people returning to God. 20:34 Now these are considered offerings, because I have 20:39 already tithed it all along so I have the discretion to 20:40 do what I do with that. 20:41 So I can give it for certain ministries that have 20:44 attracted my attention over the years. 20:45 JB: So most people, they will never have as much money to 20:48 give, as they will have when they die. 20:49 ER: That's exactly right. 20:52 Sure. 20:53 And I would say that if you do, you're giving while 20:55 you're living and you're knowing where it's going. 20:57 I would only save what I actually needed to keep, like 20:58 maybe the house I lived in but other assets I would 21:00 return to God so I am sure I can see the benefit of it, so 21:01 that I can send Godpods to Papua New Guinea, or 21:07 wherever. 21:08 Do you see what I'm saying? 21:09 JB: Yeah, sure. 21:10 ER: Or I can sponsor evangelism in Las Vegas or 21:12 wherever it might be. 21:14 I can see the good it will do right now, with my own eyes. 21:17 JB: Let's encourage people from the Bible. 21:19 What are the encouraging principles, thoughts, Bible 21:22 verses that will encourage people to be faithful 21:25 stewards to put God first, to have the courage to say, 21:27 Lord, if belongs to you I want to give it to you and if 21:30 I've got more I want to give it to you too. 21:32 ER: Well, this is a good question because in spite of 21:35 the fact that tithes and offerings are clearly taught 21:37 in Scripture, they are almost always accompanied with God's 21:41 promised blessings. 21:42 He doesn't have to do that, I mean, it's just something we 21:44 should do. 21:44 But he promises us to bless us. 21:45 Just think about it. 21:46 From Malachi 3, I will open the windows of heaven and 21:48 pour out such blessings you don't have enough room to 21:50 receive it. 21:51 JB: Right ER: And I love the part in verse 11 that you 21:55 read: I will rebuke the devourer for your sake. 21:56 Your old car is going to run longer. 21:58 Your tires will wear longer. 21:59 You know, things like that really happen. 22:01 JB: Have you experienced that? 22:03 ER: I have indeed. 22:03 JB: So have I. 22:03 ER: Yeah. 22:04 This is incredible. 22:04 JB: The tires that you were going to have to replace. 22:06 We were looking for something to buy ... 22:08 well, let's wait a week ... 22:09 Wow, look at that, we get it 75% off. 22:11 Where did that come from? 22:12 I think it's a blessing from God. 22:14 ER: Yes, it is indeed. 22:16 JB: Oh, question. 22:17 How about the person who says I've just found me a get rich 22:20 quick scheme. 22:20 I'll tithe and expect God to make me rich. 22:22 ER: Well the real interesting thing is if it is the chicken 22:24 or the egg question. 22:24 Should we tithe to get blessings or do we tithe the 22:27 blessings we already have? 22:29 God says you be faithful with the blessings I've given you 22:32 and I'll keep the channel open. 22:35 There will be more blessings coming. 22:36 JB: That's right. 22:36 I don't know that it's wise to be selfish about it. 22:37 Okay, if I do this, God is going to make me a rich man 22:40 or a rich woman. 22:41 You know, that may happen but that's really not the point, 22:43 is it? 22:44 ER: Many people will lose their lives because of 22:46 riches. 22:47 And so I will just tell you that as a young man, I told 22:50 God in prayer You have my permission to do whatever it 22:53 takes to save me, and I really meant it. 22:56 But then I added please help me learn my lessons the easy 22:57 way. 22:58 In other words, if it's not healthy for me to be wealthy, 23:01 I'll be happy with what you give me. 23:02 And I'll give your tenth to you, be honest and offerings 23:04 as I am able to do. 23:05 JB: Biblically speaking, this is a very important subject. 23:08 ER: Oh yes. 23:09 JB: Tremendously important and God has proven time and 23:12 time again that he is faithful. 23:13 Wouldn't you say one of the key ideas undergirding this 23:17 subject is simply ... 23:18 it's a matter of faith and trust in God. 23:23 ER: Oh, it has to be. 23:24 It wouldn't make sense to a CPA to say that you could 23:26 live just as well on 90% less 10% and when you add in 23:30 offerings, say another 10% on 80%. 23:32 But some of the people who have done that, big people, 23:35 like JC Penny and LaTurno, the big earth moving 23:37 equipment, some of these people lived on 10% and gave 23:39 God 90% because they said, you know, God has blessed me, 23:43 it's his money and I'll use it to advance His kingdom. 23:46 JB: Friend, I want to encourage you today to put 23:47 God first and to be faithful. 23:48 Be faithful with your finances and the stewardship 23:51 matters and you can know you can trust God. 23:55 He will never let you down. 23:57 You can't out give God. 23:57 You will never worse off because you followed biblical 24:01 principles when it comes to matters of finances and 24:03 stewardship. 24:04 Ed, thank you. 24:05 Thanks for joining me today. 24:06 This has been a blessing. 24:07 ER: Well, we have had a good time discussing a very 24:09 fascinating topic. 24:10 JB: And an important subject. 24:11 ER: Yes. 24:12 JB: I appreciate your time. 24:13 Thank you very much. 24:14 ER: Thank you. 24:15 Friend, how about we pray together and ask God to bless 24:17 us as we step forward faithfully to put the Lord 24:22 first and to follow those Biblical principals he has 24:24 given us in terms of stewardship. 24:26 Ed, lets pray. 24:27 Our father in heaven, we are thankful. 24:29 You have told us that we can trust you, we can give to 24:32 you, we can be faithful stewards, confident that you 24:37 will never let us down, you will never leave us high and 24:39 dry. 24:40 We are not going to be worse off. 24:43 What a joy, Lord, to know that we can do our part 24:45 financially but then participate with Jesus in 24:47 being faithful in walking side-by-side with him and 24:50 allowing your will to be done in our finances. 24:52 We need your wisdom. 24:53 We need your guidance but we are confident in your 24:56 blessing. 24:58 Keep us now, we pray, in Jesus' name. 24:59 Amen. 25:17 Planning for your financial future is a vital aspect of 25:20 Christian stewardship. 25:22 For this reason It Is Written offers FREE planned giving 25:24 and estate services to our viewers. 25:27 For more information on how we can help you, please call 25:30 1-800-922-2219. 25:33 To receive additional material on the advantages of 25:36 life income plans, such as a charitable gift annuity, 25:39 which can provide you with tax benefits and income for 25:42 life, call today, or visit our planned giving website: 25:45 www.HisLegacy.com You may also write to It Is Written, 25:55 Planned Giving & Trust Services, Box O, Thousand 25:56 Oaks, California 91359. 25:59 Our toll free number again: 1.800.922.2219 and our web 26:04 address: www.HisLegacy.com Today, we've been talking 26:12 about crucial financial issues that affect all of us. 26:15 Our goal at It Is Written is to help you live a more 26:17 satisfying and God-centered life. 26:20 So this week, our fee offer is a helpful book on finance 26:23 called God will provide. 26:26 It's a practical discussion on how a faithful God has 26:29 promised to provide for the needs of his faithful 26:31 children and includes a special section prepared by 26:33 Ed Reid, whom you met on today's program on Managing 26:37 Finances in Difficult Times. 26:39 Please call or write us and this free book will be on its 26:42 way to you. 26:43 There is no cost and no obligation. 26:45 Just call 1 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Revised 2015-02-06