Heavenly Places

"God 'has been proven,' and we now sit in heavenly place surrounded by the goodness of God."

NOTHING SPEAKS louder of our faith, of our trust in God's faithfulness, for that's what faith is, than our giving. Do we trust Him to the fullest extent, for our health and safety, for our daily needs? He is a generous God. He GAVE His only Son for our salvation, to rescue us from Satan and all forms of death —physical, mental, in our families and relationships, in our finances. And in our nation. And we give to honor Him. We give cheerfully and not because we have to, the Word says (2 Corinthians 9:7). We desire to give. That's another way of stating it. The comparison here is to the giving required under the Law. It was required because it pictured Jesus. He was to come as the firstfruits of God's harvest and the firstborn of His children. He did come and He fulfilled both of these.

There is a verse in Ephesians that speaks to it and the fulfillment of Malachi 3:10. Where many under the New Covenant have looked to this verse as a commitment to their tithe (and generosity is part of the New Covenant), Ephesians 1:3 tells us God “has been proven,” and we now sit in heavenly places surrounded by the goodness of God. He has opened the windows of heaven and poured us out a blessing. It is not to come but is fulfilled. Jesus came. He is the Way to God which provided an inheritance to us as God’s children. The promises of Malachi 3:10-11 are now ours, so we must go forward in what God would have us do with our generosity.

Nowhere in the New Testament is the tithe mentioned except in reference to the Old Covenant. In the words of the apostles, we are to walk in the Spirit with our giving. In other words, we give as He directs us. The promises of abundance to us are meant to remove all worry about day-to-day needs. Jesus said the Father knows our needs and cares for us just as much as He does the sparrows. We can, therefore, live free of fear of lack or poverty or sickness. We need not fear the loss of our children, born or unborn. This promise is spoken in Malachi 3:11. Jesus adores children, just like the old familiar Sunday School song sings.

I shared with you a song by Jimmy Clifton, which he sang to his son, Logan, who was miscarried. Hear me now in this: God loses no babies. None. He loses no LIFE, for that matter. Anything living which ceases to exist here in our physical world is taken to His heavenly one. Some don’t understand this, but the idea that the life of God, which is eternal, would be taken forever from the innocent is appalling. A look across the internet shows us the value of our children. There is a young boy named Jackson who can literally tell you EVERYTHING about tractors. I joked this is Jesus amazing the religious scholars in the temple and felt Him laugh. There is video of a girl who age 5 was an expert snowboarder. My mind was blown. There are so many who can sing or play instruments, and it amazes me at their skill. These are now our fruit, not just firstfruits, but fruitfulness. The pledge of the firstborn was not to discard the second or the third born. It was, again, a picture of Jesus as the firstborn of the Father. And see how God valued the loss of life in Egypt that He required the dedication of Israel’s firstborn children (Exodus 13:2).

READ “Not a Sparrow.”

WATCH “Just A Jackson Thing.”

We give generously of our time and our commitment as much as our cash. This is, for some, a more difficult thing to do, but it is so necessary. The church body cannot be united without leadership and servanthood. Minister Bill Johnson described church leadership as protection and empowering. “We rule over someone to create safety. We come under [someone] and enable to equip.” It isn’t about arrogance or self-importance. It is about serving. Washing feet. Holding each other up. If we will walk in the Spirit, in step with Him, He will lead us into places we had not thought to go. If we will lean in and listen, He will speak to us all throughout the day. This is the instruction of Romans 8. To make Him Lord of our thinking and to be “spiritually minded.” The results of this is life and peace and joy.

We use our talents where they are needed and set aside self-promotion. He will promote us so much further and higher than we can ever achieve on our own. But it begins with giving of ourselves. The apostle Paul commended the church at Philippi for their persistent giving to his needs and made them a spiritual promise. Notice, he did not say HOW MUCH they gave, whether it was ten percent or higher. We must not get hung up on figures any longer. He said they “sent once and again” unto him, that “no church communicated” with him as much as they did. As a result, he said, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).” Here, again, is the fulfillment of Malachi 3:10. The riches in glory are found in Christ, and this is where we must rest our trust and confidence. Not in Excel charts or giving statements, but in our trust in God’s love and goodness for us, proven when Jesus Christ died and rose again.

“And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.” (Luke 12:29)

"I am telling you this not because I need something from you—not at all! I have learned the peace and contentment that comes from being united with Christ, regardless of current circumstances. You see, I have had times of extreme deprivation of the most basic earthly comforts as well as times of great richness. I have learned the secret—the secret to real peace and contentment in every situation, regardless of circumstance, regardless of whether I’m hungry or well fed, regardless of whether I am rich or poor. The secret to real peace and contentment is an abiding trust in Christ—realizing that my strength comes from him; and through the peace, strength, wisdom and perspective that Christ gives me, I can handle whatever happens.” (Philippians 4:11-13, Remedy)

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay