But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלוהים) says:
I would first like to add something to yesterday’s Manna. The Israelites I redeemed from slavery in Egypt answered My call for free-will offerings to build My Tabernacle in the wilderness, so much so that there was an overabundance of offerings, but it yielded a huge reward to them in return. The very place they built became their place of grace where their sins were covered so that they could live under an open Heaven that dropped down Manna every day on the dew fall and made water gush out of flinty rocks. And My presence with them in and upon that Tabernacle became the cloud of glory that lifted and led them on their journey and settled down in the place to camp. What their tithes and offerings built became their salvation (Yeshuah). What they thought was a sacrifice became their strength and song and ultimately, their salvation. For the shadow became the substance in Jesus (Yeshuah).
I will give thanks to You, O LORD, for although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. Isaiah 12:1-2.
We have been talking about what tithes and offerings mean to you, but today I want to tell you what your tithes and offerings mean to Me. I would mention three things that it proves to Me about you:
- You are busy about the business of your Heavenly Father.
- You heart is in Heaven and not just on the earth.
- You care about pleasing Me by keeping My Word.
These are of tremendous importance to Me for they show the value you place on Me and our relationship. If you do not love and honor My Word, you do not love and honor Me.
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14:23-24.
Tithes and offerings show that you are busy about My business. The tithes and offerings have one purpose—to build My Kingdom upon the earth, because where My Kingdom is there is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Where My Kingdom is there is honor and integrity. Where My Kingdom is there are good works and fruitful labors and projects.
When My Son healed and provided for people, they would give glory to Me because My Kingdom had touched the earth, for there is no sickness, lack, death, pain, mourning, fear, or torment in My Kingdom. Where there is darkness and evil works, My Kingdom is not there. Just as Jesus told Pilate, “My Kingdom is not here,” in that hour of the power of darkness when My Son was handed over by those seeking His death who should have seen that He fulfilled every prophecy of the Messiah who was there to save them.
Blessed is the one I find busy with My affairs when I return—the one doing good and not evil, the one building up and not tearing down, the one filled with compassion who wants to bless others. I blessed Abraham to be a blessing. He was a giver and not a taker. Many people are takers but never give. They never think they have enough to pay back or offer anything of value, but just keep taking more and more. If you are not faithful to tithe when you have little you cannot be trusted with greater.
When My Son went up to Jerusalem for the feast when He was twelve years old, they sought Him and found Him with the teachers in the Temple, listening and asking them questions. And when His mother asked why He had stayed behind and done this, He answered that He had to be about My affairs, about My business. And you will notice He was carrying out My affairs in My house, the Temple, among those who knew My Word. But later you will also find Him seeking out sinners, for He came to seek out and save that which was lost. Whether they be people in the Temple, people on the streets, people in dark places that needed light, crowds on the hillside, or those climbing up in trees to see Him. He came to be busy about My business of saving souls. He came to save you from your sins. He came to undo the works of the devil.
I make you an amazing promise you would do well to ponder when you get upset about serving others as you are busy about My affairs, for if you recall Jesus came to serve and not to be served. And He told you that as I sent Him, so He sends you. And here is the promise: those I find busy about My affairs when I come, My Son will seat you at table, put on His apron, and wait on you! You will eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom.
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.” Luke 12:35-37.
And there is even more for those whom are good stewards of what I entrust to them.
And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” Luke 12:42-44.
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, in fact, it is within you who are indwelt by My Spirit, and your business is to manifest it on earth. You are My ambassadors! And that leads to the next point: Your heart is in Heaven and not just on the earth.
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
Tithers keep their minds above where Christ is seated at My right hand and not just below on the worries and cares of the worldly. If they did keep their minds below, they would not tithe. Why? My Son likened worldly cares and lusts that drive you to seek only after things and never put your eyes on My Word and upon the promises therein to thorns that choke off the growth to harvest of the good seed of My Word sown in your heart. The cares of this world will always be reasons not to tithe or give offerings. And the worldly mind sees no purpose in it, just as no one saw any reason for Noah to be building and ark.
Tithing and giving offerings is like building an ark for you and your household to be safe in when the devourer attacks to carry off your goods, and indeed, your very life and wellbeing. The flood of trouble never even touched Noah, the ark floated above the tumultuous flood.
Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. Genesis 7:17-18.
How can you keep yourself from being choked off course by these cares and anxieties that the world presents to you every day? Know this, when Jesus died to sin, by substitution and identification, you died to sin with Him, and when I raised Him from the dead to newness of life, I raised you IN HIM with Him and seated you above with Him and in Him at My right hand.
Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:6-7.
You are above and not beneath, learn who you are and where you are and renew your mind so you can be transformed (metamorphosis) into the new creation in Christ I made you to be in My image and according to My likeness.
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4.
I give you hinds’ feet to run upon the mountains so that you might see things as I do. Let Me open up to you the vistas of Heaven so you can run your race with these in view. And that is what living under the open Heaven, the open windows, of Heaven is about for you who tithe and give offerings.
You are citizens of Heaven, keep your conversation there. That is the language of the one who tithes and gives offerings, for your tithes and offerings are being lifted up to your High Priest.
Love Me, love your neighbor and tithing will not be a problem but a joy. But too much love for the world will make your life unproductive, like a pillar of salt, remember Lot’s wife. A salt and empty earth is barren.
Do not set your love on the world nor the things in the world. The world is hostile to Me and to My laws, it takes all for self and shares nothing. If anyone loves the world, My love is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from Me, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does My will lives forever. The truth is eternal, lies are not, they die. Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so that they do not see My glory shining to them on the face of Christ, the anointed One. They do not value My Word, it seems nonsense to them. My love is not in their hearts.
And that leads to the third point: You care about pleasing Me by keeping My Word.
You who tithe and give offerings value My Word as precious because of the love and honor you have towards Me as the source of all you are and all you have, indeed, for everything that is there for you in the earth. And all that was made was made by My Word and for My Word. When you begin to see your life as it really is—a gift beyond price that I give you freely forever you will find you are looking for ways to give to Me from what I have given you and not trying to strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. Matthew 23:24.
The gift of existence I have given you is for the abundant life that was yours in the beginning that Adam threw away for worldly lust and Jesus gave you back by sacred trust. You should not be living to just barely get by, but under the open floodgates of Heaven where I can pour out a blessing you cannot contain. If you do not tithe you are robbing Me, not of the tithe but of the pleasure of opening Heaven and overwhelming you with showers of blessings! I delight in the prosperity of My servant! I have already blessed you with every spiritual blessing in Heaven in Christ, let Me have the joy of releasing them into your life NOW. Try Me in this! But when I tell you to try My promises by tithing and giving offerings, I am actually putting you on trial to see if you will trust Me enough to answer My invitation.
And how did I tell Joshua to make his life prosperous and successful? By loving and honoring My Word enough that he would meditate on it day and night and not permit it to depart from his mouth, so that he would be diligent to do according to all that is written in it; for then HE WOULD make his way prosperous, and then he would have success. Joshua 1:8.
Think of the time you spend with Me as a tithe as well. What is 10% of the time you have in your day?
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” John 11:9-10.
My Son is the Light of the Word, no follower of His will ever walk in darkness but will have the light of life—eternal life. And who is He? He is My Word. And My Word is a light to your path and a lamp to your feet. The revelation of My Word gives light and understanding to the simple.
Do you value My Word more than the world? Where your treasure is there your heart is also. If you tithe and give offerings I know where your heart is, it is with Me, and it is safe there with Me.
I love you. What does your tithe say to Me? That you are busy with My affairs, that your heart is in Heaven with Me and not just on earth, and that you care about pleasing Me by keeping My Word. It means you love Me and the unique gift of life I have given you. Why are you here? Because I planned you and wanted you to be with Me forever. I am your reason to be and your eternity. The tithe and offerings are the overflow of a heart that honors Me and serves Me. And the one who serves Me I serve. And the one who honors Me, I honor. And the one who loves Me keeps My Word and I love him and make My dwelling place with him. Tithes and offerings build an ark, build a tabernacle, and build a holy temple of God. And that is who you are.