JESUS PAVED THE WAY FOR ALL WHO TRULY BELIEVE IN HIM

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Before long, the world will not see Me anymore,
but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live.
(John 14:19)

MEDITATION:
When Jesus was resurrected, He charted the path for every
believer who follows Him. We celebrate how Jesus defeated
death when He was resurrected (and we should), but we also
have reason to celebrate the path He paved for every person
to ‘live again’ when they believe in, and follow Him.

Following the Lord should not be considered an act of giving
Him our surplus. When we are true believers, we should be
excited and enjoy giving Him our best! We wouldn’t want to
give secondhand gifts to others for presents, would we? But
there are many who are guilty of giving their leftovers to the
Lord.

God wants us to set aside special time for Him, and not just the
time when we are bored, or have nothing else to do. We should
have a desire to commune with Him often at home and in church.
Why church? Because that is His house of worship.

Just as we look forward to having visitors at our home, Jesus
welcomes us to visit Him. Unless we are physically unable (or
have health risks that can be worsened or even fatal if exposed
to pandemics), or our job prevents us from being there, we
should honor the Lord by visiting His house frequently. If
our worship of the Lord is limited to inviting Him to our
home, then we are not giving Him our best.

Think about how we would feel if we had friends who never
visited us, but always expected us to visit them. Wouldn’t we
assume that their friendship with us is not as strong as our
friendship with them? How many times have you heard
someone say (or maybe even you have said),
    “I visit them all the time, but they never come to visit me”?

Jesus also wants us to give Him the ‘first fruits’ of our labor.
That means that at the top of our budget list should be, giving
to Him His tithe. When we do, it is an expression of our faith
in Him and how He will provide for us. Basically we are saying,
    “Lord, I know that when I return to You what is rightfully
     Yours, You will ensure that our needs will be taken care of.”

I have heard many testimonies about how God has provided for
those who honor Him with their tithes and offerings (including
their time). We have experienced His blessings in our own family
and discovered that when we give to Him, He gives much more to
us.

ACTION:
Don’t let Satan convince you that you need to hold on to God’s tithe
in order to make ends meet. Don’t let your desire for luxuries (boat,
vacation condo, etc.) cause you to ‘steal’ what belongs to the Lord. It’s
not wrong to have these things unless you steal from the Lord to get
them, or they cause you to steal the Lord’s worship time when you
have them.

Don’t miss out on your opportunities to express your faith in the
Lord – to Him. He blesses you in many ways and all He asks in
return is for Him to have top priority in your life.

You can prove He is number one by visiting Him at His home, and
returning to Him a portion of the monetary (and time) blessings He
has given you. Don’t be guilty of avoiding church, because if you
are not there, then you won’t feel convicted to give the Lord His tithe.

Whenever you fail to honor the Lord in these two areas, you are
allowing Satan to establish a foothold in your life. And when he
does, it is just a matter of time until he corrupts your life in other
ways. Be thankful that you have these opportunities to actively
express your faith in God!

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for failing to give You my best.
Forgive me for always expecting, but never giving. Forgive me
for selfishly keeping for myself what belongs to You. Change
my heart and attitude so that I will enjoy my opportunities to
show You that my faith is real and active. I no longer want my
faith to be expressed only in words for others to hear (either face
to face or in social media). I want to prove my faith to You by
giving You first place in my life. You proved Your love for me
by dying on the cross; help me to prove my love for You by dying
to my selfish worldly desires, and my efforts to ‘protect’ my time
and assets from You. Teach me the joy of giving, and especially
giving to You from a thankful heart.”

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