Tithe

"You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always." -Deuteronomy 14.22-23

Moses reminds the people that they are to give a tithe back to God. The people are to bring a portion of what the land produces and offer it to God. Grain, grapes, olives, and livestock were to be given back to God, because they are a gift from God. And in presenting a tithe to God they learn to fear God and to depend upon Him. Everything that they have is from God. He is the one who has given them the land, and He is the one who causes it to produce the crops that it produces. Without Him they have nothing.

We are in the same position. Everything we have is because of God. He is the one who allows us to work. He is the one who allows us to earn income. He is the one who goes above and beyond to provide for our needs, and wants. And He asks for a small tithe to be given out of gratitude to Him for all that He has provided.

Men, do you present your tithe to God? Do you offer back to Him some of what He has blessed you with? Do you live in a complete dependence upon God? If you aren't tithing I'm going to say that you aren't. The tithe represents something you could probably use, in some cases desperately, but in giving it to God you say, "I trust you to take care of me. I am grateful for what you have provided, and it is a joy to be able to give some back to You. Please continue to take care of me."

Everything we have is from God, and God could demand that we give the majority back to Him. But He doesn't. He allows us to keep a majority of what we have received, and requests a small amount. Let us not withhold from God. Let us joyfully offer, with gratitude, the tithe that God requests.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Diet

"You shall not eat any detestable thing." -Deuteronomy 14.3

God had given His people dietary instructions for their benefit. There were certain animals they were not to eat because they were considered unclean. I am not a nutritionist, and so I can't begin to explain how exactly it works, but the animals God permitted as clean actually gave the Israelites a very healthy diet, and the ones that were omitted as unclean don't provide that. Think of it this way, bacon doesn't do you any favors, and the Jews were not to eat bacon.

God sets His people up for the best life possible in every way, including the diet they eat. He wants the best for His people, and so He sets guidelines for them so that they take care of themselves. He instructs them not to eat any detestable thing, because it's in their best interest not to.

My wife and I were in Israel in January of 2013, our guide, a Jewish man in his early sixties, didn't look much older than his mid to late forties, see the picture below. It's largely due to the Mediterranean diet they eat.

Men, God created the body to function a certain way, and it functions best when we take care of it as He instructed. What does your diet look like? Yes, I know that in the New Testament God gives Peter the sheet vision permitting all animals to be eaten, but that isn't an excuse not to take care of our bodies.

I'll be honest, I have a big sweet tooth. The holiday season from Thanksgiving to Christmas is full of delicious, and unhealthy, sweet things to consume. As I've gotten older, and more aware of the fact that I'm not as young as I used to be, I've been hit with the reality of what am I putting into my body. I don't always do the best job, but I want to be better. Part of this is where my love of gardening has come from.

Let us take care of our bodies, starting with what we put in them. Let us honor God with what we eat.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor