Just Try It!

I want to share this article by R.T. Kendall in his book, entitled, Tithing: "Becoming a tither provides a definite breakthrough for every Christian. It unlocks the door of his mind, heart, and will. It releases. It emancipates. It frees. Becoming a tither is a milestone in a Christian's life.... There is a release from within that is very liberating and pleasant....This release is not only a feeling of peace and rest but a grace to do things with more vigor than ever before - - whether it be effectiveness on the job or understanding the Bible. In other words, tithing does something for you spiritually.....It does something for you that cannot be explained in terms of material return. It sets you on a course to become more than you have been - - more what God wants you to be, more of what you are naturally capable of being. Tithing is so essential to your development as a Christian that nothing will be it's adequate substitute. Why is this? Because tithing is as much a part of Christian gratitude and obedience as any commandment God ever gave. We are so made that until God has all of us, we are unhappy with ourselves. Augustine put it like this: 'Thou hast made us for Thyself; our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.' We are made to respond graciously to God. This response, if it does not affect our checkbooks, is very minute indeed. Until we consistently, regularly, and faithfully tithe there is something defective about our Christian life that will not be remedied by any other form of Christian obedience. But, when that area of obedience is dealt with, the reward is wonderful indeed. Reward is possibly not the right word. It seems at first that the blessing should be called reward. But the time is likely to come that one sees the reward as tithing itself - - not the blessing that emerges from doing it, but merely doing it! At first we are like babies, or children, who need reinforcement and encouragement. But there is a stage in which a Christian doesn't even look at it that way. He thanks God for the privilege of tithing. Tithing, then, becomes it's own reward." SO, have you tried it?

What Separation?

If we say something often enough, even if it has absolutely no basis in fact, people who want to believe it, will believe it. In our nation's 236 year history, the United States Supreme Court has never found either the wording or the concept of the "separation of church and state" in our U.S. Constitution. A research of the context in which Thomas Jefferson used the phrase, "separation of church and state" in a letter he wrote, proves my point. Many Presidential proclamations, as well as quotations from U.S. Supreme Court justices further prove that our nation's leaders have either been ignorant of such a clause or it has never really existed. In truth, many Bible verses were used in writing the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and most of the State Constitutions. The very concept for our judicial, executive, and legislative branches of government came directly from Isaiah 33:22. The so-called "law" revoking the tax exempt status of non-profits violating this mythical clause did not exist until the 1950's. "Google" Lyndon Johnson and find out why. While some threaten evangelical and conservative Christian churches with losing their tax exempt status if they engage in campaign activities, no church has actually ever lost their tax exempt status. Why do these same people not complain or threaten to revoke the tax exempt status of churches where the Revs. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Jeremiah Wright, and others, use their pulpits to criticize government leaders, or tell people how to vote? Michelle Obama, recently addressed a church convention of 10,000 African Methodist Episcopal Church members with these words: "If anyone says the church is no place to talk about these issues, tell them there's no place better. Ultimately, these are not just political issues, but moral issues. They're issues that have to do with human dignity and human potential, and the future we want for our kids and grandkids!" After reading the entire speech, one can easily conclude that it was an obviously political speech delivered at a church convention. Did anyone tell the President's wife she shouldn't have brought politics into their convention? I actually support Mrs. Obama's Constitutional right to deliver a political message at a church convention. But, I also expect the same Constitutional right for every American, regardless of which part of the political spectrum they belong to.