God's Tithe

Good Morning My Beloved Ones,

     I pray that whatever your lot, God has taught you to say, "It is well with my soul".

     Today, I want to talk to you about "God's Tithe".  Some of you already don't want to read this based on the title - but please do.  I think it will bless you.  The thing that impressed me when I first attended Living Faith Fellowship in Benson was that before the collection was taken, the pastors prayed.  In that prayer, they asked the Lord to bless His tithe and our offering.

     The word "tithe" means "tenth".  It was instituted in Genesis 14 when Abraham was victorious in a battle of 9 kings and immediately following a priest of the Most High God appreared to him and Abraham gave him a tenth of all he had.  It was a thank you, gratitude for the victory, for sparing the lives of his family, for always being there.  Again we see in Genesis 28, Jacob has an encounter with God and he is so blessed by what he is shown that he promises to serve God and give him a tenth of all his possessions.

     People have the mistaken impression that if they go to church, they will have to pay tithe. Tithe is not paid; it is given out of gratitude and not to a church but to God.  If you love God, if He's ever done anything for you (like give you breath to breathe each new day) or shown Himself to you, you should show your gratitude by tithing.

     Malachi 3:10 tells us to "bring the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in my house".  If you attend a church, that is the logical place to bring your tithe.  You give your tithe to God at church and it's between God and those ministers how it is used.  Once you've shown your gratitude by tithing, you've done your part.  The rest is in God's hands.

     If you do not attend a church are you exempt from tithing?  It's always your choice, of course.  You are not forced to tithe.  But Malachi 3:8 says it is possible to rob God by not tithing.  Think about it.  He has poured blessing upon you: life, family, home job, health, possessions, and you can't return a tenth of what first belonged to Him to say thanks?  I'd call that robbing God.

     I've had periods in my life when I was not attending a specific church for whatever reason.  I still tithed.  When I got my paycheck, I cashed it and the first 10% I used to buy grocery store gift cards and I handed them out on the street.  Feeding people, I believe, is a good way to thank God for His bounty toward me.  Did you notice I said  the first 10% of my check went toward this endeavor?  If I'd waited until i paid all my bills and spent on other wants and needs, I'd probably not have 10% left.  God have His best (Jesus) for us.  Should we give Him our left-overs?

     I hope this letter encouraged you to think about tithing a little differently.  When I am obedient to tithe, God meets all my needs.  I never do without.  "Prove Me in this", God says in Malachi 3:10.  Try it and see.  You will be blessed.

Ever grateful,  Raelynn

The Devil's in the Details

Good Morning My Beloved Ones,

     I pray that you awoke refreshed and ready to enjoy a new day of God's mercies toward you.

 

 

 

     Today I want to talk to you about "The Devil is in the Details".  Have you heard this saying before?  It is used when someone is fabricating a story and someone else begins asking questions and it's the details that trip them up and cause their lie to unravel.

 

     I was reading the account of the flood in Genesis chapters 7 and 8 and I noticed how detailed God was about when the flood was to begin:  In the 600th year of Noah's life, in the 2nd month, the 17th day of the month.  He specified that it rained 40 days and 40 nights, told us how long it took the waters to abate and told us the exact date the ark rested on Mt. Ararat (in the 7th month, the 17th day of the month).  He told specifically when the mountaintops could be see again (the 1st day of the 10th month) and on what day all the waters of the earth were dried (the 601st year of Noah's life, the 27th day of the 2nd month).  Why would God name all these dates in the account of the flood?  Because the devil is in the details.  He knew people would doubt the validity of this story.  He wanted specific dates and times that could be proven historically - and they have been.

 

     Our Bible tells us that in the last days "if it were possible, the very elect of God would be deceived."  Here is wisdom, beloved ones:  When in doubt, wait it out.  The devil is in the details.  Anything that is of God is specific and will be borne out.  Anything false and deceptive will fall apart in the details if given enough time.  Don't be deceived into making snap decisions.  There's probably a reason it's "for a limited time only".

 

    We need to follow the example God laid out in His Word.  He gave us details so they could be proven out.  Don't believe everything that sounds good.  Make them prove it.  Thank God that it's not just the devil in the details - He's in them too!

 

 

Be blessed, be wise, be not deceived, Raelynn

    
 

There's a Promise for That

Good Morning My Beloved Ones,

     I pray that you feel the love of Christ constantly surrounding you and that you walk in it everywhere you go.

 

     Today I want to talk to you about "There's a Promise for That".  I saw a commercial that declared that whatever you had need of..."there's an app for that".  God could do a similar commercial for His best-selling book.  Because in this book, no matter what you have need of ... there's a promise for that.  Let's check out a few.

 

     Are you lonely?  There's a promise for that in Hebrews 13:5 - "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Are you anxious?  There is a promise for that in Isaiah 36:3 - "He will keep him in perfect peace whos mind is stayed on thee".  Feeling outnumbered?  There's a promise for that in Romans 8:31 - "If God be for us, who then can be against us."  Are you sick?  There is a promise for that in Exodus 15:26 - "I am the Lord that healeth thee".  Are you worried about money?  There's a promise for that in Deuteronomy 8:18 - "For it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth."  Don't know what to do next?  There's a promise for that in Psalm 37:23 - "The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord."  Do you feel burdened by sin?  There's a promise for that in I John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Are you wondering about Heaven?  There's a promise for that in John 14:2,3 - "I go to prepare a place for you...that where I am you may be also."  And that's just a few.

 

     I am aware that apps aren't always all they are cracked up to be.  My mom and I were the only guests at my niece's baby shower who weren't at least 30 minutes late.  All the others used a GPS app that gave them wrong directions.  They all got lost.  How do we know the promises recited earlier are not faulty as well?  You guessed it...there's a promise for that in Numbers 23:19 - "God is not a man that He should lie... has He said and shall not He do it? Or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good?"

 

     Apps are a great invention and very useful.  But they are made by man and men fail.  Let the Word of God meet all your needs beloved ones.  With it you will never lose your way and become lost.  How can I be sure?  Because there is a promise for that too, in John 17:12.

 

Standing on the Promises, Raelynn

Becoming Committed

Good Morning My Beloved Ones,

I pray you are in good health and are prospering even as your soul prospers.

 

 

 

     Today I want to talk to you about "Becoming Committed".  To be committed means to give oneself fully to - no turning back, no matter what.  Commitment is a rare commodity in today's society.  There is very little commitment in marriages, to one's childrent, to parents and siblings, to employers and jobs, to keep one's word.  Commitment in politics is almost non-existent.  Platforms, values, ideals change with whatever is popular or will get the desired result.  I believe the Lord is looking for those who will be committed to Him.

 

     Here is a picture of commitment:  A knight on one knee, head bowed, arms extended, offering his sword in a pledge to his liege (king) to serve and protect his name and his kingdom with his own life if need be.  This is where the term "pledge of allegiance" comes from.  It was a vow to commit oneself fully to serve a king and protect his kingdom at whatever cost to himself personally.

 

     The Bible tells us that husbands are to love their wives like Christ loved the church in that He gave His life for it.  That is a call to commitment, pledging one's allegiance.  It is more than "doing".  It's being a knight in shining armor.

 

     Is there any person, nation, belief, or ideal that deserves our allegiance more than Christ?  He created everything else we could commit ourselves to.  He gave His very blood to give us the freedom to choose to give our all to Him.

 

     The rock group, KISS, called themselves, "Knights in Satan's Service".  They understood commitment and allegiance.  They were not committed to the King, but to merely a prince - the prince of this world; the prince of the power of the air.

 

     Be more, beloved ones!  Kneel before your King.  Bow your head, extend your sword (the Word of God) and commit yourselves fully to your King and to His kingdom.  It's time to make a commitment to be a knight in shining armor in service to the King of Kings.  I leave you with the words of Ray Boltz, "I pledge allegiance to the Lamb, with all my strength, with all I am..."

 

 

Committed to Him, Raelynn

Checked Baggage

Good Morning My Beloved Ones,

     I pray that this letter finds you happy, healthy, and wise.

     Today I want to talk to you about "Checked Baggage".  Last year I had the experience of flying over Christmas.  Never again - not if I can help it.  I had two bags: a big one with all my clothes that I paid $25 each way to check and a smaller one with all my "necessities" that I carried on.

     The plan was to go from Phoenix to Salt Lake City to Kansas City, MO where I would be greeted by my son.  The first leg of the trip went fine.  As we were preparing to land in Salt Lake, they announced that my connecting flight was already boarding in another terminal.  I'd have to hit the ground running.  As I ran from one terminal to the next, the carry-on I was lugging seemed to get heavier and harder to carry with each gate I passed.  I arrived coughing and breathing hard to discover that the flight had been cancelled altogether.  After much doing, I ended up going to Minneapolis, then St. Louis, where my son picked me up instead.

     As I was running for that connecting flight, two thoughts replayed in my mind:  I'm so glad I checked the big bag, and I should've checked this one too.  When I arrived at St. Louis, my big suitcase was there waiting, blissfully unaware of all my drama and trauma.  It was carried safely to my final destination.

     We all have a lot of baggage we carry through this life:  past failures, hurts, disappointments, etc.  We can lug them around with us and allow them to become heavier and harder to handle with each departure from our "plan", or we can check our baggage.  Jesus told us to cast our cares upon Him for He cares for us.  It costs a little more to check the baggage, but oh, the freedom it brings!  We can entrust our cares, hurts and failures to Jesus and go on without them weighing us down all the way to our final destination.

     If I ever fly again, I'll pack the "necessities" in my purse and check all my bags.  Letting someone else carry the load is well worth the price.  Let Jesus carry your baggage, beloved ones.  Life is short - enjoy the trip.

Travelling light, Raelynn

It Would Have Been Enough

Good Morning My Beloved Ones,

     I pray that every blessing from the Father is yours and that joy is a constant companion to you.

        Today I want to talk to you about "It would have been enough.  At Passover, devout Jews sing a song called Dayenu (pronounced die anew).  It means "It would have been enough".  The gist of the song is this: it would have been enough that you freed us from slavery if you'd not also destroyed our captors.  It would have been enough if you'd destroyed our captors but never brought us into the Promised Land... and on and on throughout the events of the Israelite's history.

 

     The Messianic Jews sing the same song, but about Jesus:  It would have been enough that you've forgiven my sins, even if you'd never promised Heaven.  It would have been enough if you promised Heaven but never sent the Holy Spirit to guide us...and so on.

 

     We can sing Dayenu about our families:  Mom, it would have been enough that you brought me into this world, even if you'd never taken me home from the hospital.  It would have been enough if you'd brought me home, but didn't know how to care for me...and on and on throughout the events of our lives.

 

     It is the nature of man to never be satisfied; to always want bigger, better or more.  The song of Dayenu teaches us that every single thing we've been blessed with is more than we deserve and in itself should be enough, even if we were never given another thing.

 

     Lord, help us to learn from the song of the Jews, how to appreciate all the blessings bestowed upon us by our Heavenly Father, our Savior, our families and our friends.  When the enemy tries to remind us of the things we don't have but he insists we deserve, let us die anew to his voice in our minds, and be able to say and mean "It would have been enough".

 

 

  Complete in Christ, Raelynn

Growing Your Faith

Good Morning my Beloved Ones,

     I pray that every day you are growing more in grace, love and faith.

    Today I want to talk to you about "Growing your Faith".  Romans 12:3 tells us that God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.  YOU have faith.  I know you do because God says He dealt it to you.  You may not have a lot of faith.  You may have so little at times that you can't even feel it, but you have it and it is enough.  Enough for what?  Enough for God to use to grow more for you.  Little is much in God's hands.  Like He took the 5 small loaves of bread and two small fish and multiplied them to feed thousands with seven baskets of left-overs, God can take your faith and multiply it to meet whatever need you have in your life.  This is how faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20).

     I was encouraged last year by a faith experiment conducted by a Calvary Tucson associate pastor.  He started with nothing but his faith and went into a Whole Foods store and asked the manager if he'd be willing to give him one mustard seed for an experiment in faith.  The manager gave him what looked like a speck of dust in a tiny plastic bag.  The pastor thanked him and went on.  He next went on to Play it Again Sports (a place that buys, sells, and trades used sports equipment).  He told the manager that he was conducting an experiment to see how faith grows and asked him if he had anything he'd be willing to trade for the one, tiny mustard seed.  The man gave him a set of eco-friendly golf tees valued at $1 + tax.  The pastor thanked him and went on.  His next stop was Old Pueblo Coin where he traded his tees for a proof set of US coins valued at $4.50.  The next store took his proof set and gave hima 90% silver JFK dollar valued at $12.  For the silver dollar he got a $15 guitar tuner which he traded for a pair of headphones valued at $22.  For the headphones, he got a ukelele, brand new in the box priced at $50.  He traded the ukelele for a wireless microphone valued at over $100.  He started with nothing but the faith that God would provide.

     What you've got to keep in mind is that these are not Christian businesses he went into.  These were secular businesses that he was asking to lose money in the name of faith in Jesus Christ.  And God caused their hearts to soften and to offer items of greater value than that which they were receiving.  The pastor never took out his wallet, never asked for anything specific, but simply said that he wanted to trade for something of greater value to show how God grows faith.  As a result, Calvary's worship team now has a new mike that they actually were in need of.  The very thing they needed was offered to them without a mention that the need ever existed!  That's our God!  That's His power!  That's what the tiniest speck of faith can do when placed in God's almighty hands!

     I hope you are as encouraged by this exercise as I was.  I challenge you to try it yourselves - not the bartering, but going to God in prayer and saying, "Here's my faith, Lord.  I know it's small, but I believe you will grow it to meet my need".  Then stand back and be amazed what our God will do for you.

With growing faith, Raelynn