Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001311
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00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:12 God's book, the Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written. 00:25 Sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 I've come to eastern Tennessee today to speak with 00:38 Ed Reid on the subject of stewardship, Christian 00:43 stewardship from a biblical point of view. 00:45 A moment ago, Ed, we talked about tithing. 00:47 That's the practice of taking a tenth of one's income and 00:49 giving it to the Lord in harmony with what He has 00:53 asked us to do in both the Old Testament and the New 00:55 Testament. 00:56 But someone wanting to tithe or thinking of tithing is 00:59 going to ask the question "Where do I put this money? 01:01 To whom do I give the money?" 01:04 Where do we tithe? 01:05 ER: A very good question and it's a common question 01:08 that people have. 01:09 There are three things, elements, that are involved 01:11 in an honest tithe and that is the percent, which 01:14 everyone pretty well agrees is 10. 01:16 The second one is the place to return it. 01:19 And then the third one is "What should it be used for?" 01:22 So, the tithe is not like an offering because it belongs 01:26 to God. 01:27 And you know, Leviticus 27:30 says the tithe is holy and it 01:30 belongs to the Lord. 01:31 So, God determines what is done with it, not me. 01:35 If I want to support a ministry with my offering, 01:37 I can do that but my tithe is a different story. 01:40 So, since we have Numbers 18:21 that God says 01:43 he wants to support the preachers with his tithe, 01:45 he could take his tithe back to heaven if he wanted to 01:48 or he could do it like the they did to the sacrificial 01:50 Lamb, burn it up. It's his. 01:52 He could do whatever he wants t 01:54 But he says, I've used it to support the ministry. 01:55 And it's a very, very interesting thing. 01:58 In the Bible, and in the Old Testament and the New 02:00 Testament there was a central storehouse to which the tithe 02:04 is brought. 02:05 And it's a very interesting one and it's to show you how 02:08 important it is right over in the Book of Exodus, just two 02:11 chapters away from the Ten Commandments, and this would 02:13 be Exodus 23 and I'll point it out to you as well so you 02:18 can see it, Exodus 23:14-19, three times every year all 02:26 the males had to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem 02:30 and the real interesting thing about it, this to me is 02:32 a fascinating thing, it's Pentecost, well, first 02:35 Passover, then Pentecost, then the Feast 02:37 of the Tabernacles, three times a year all the males, 02:39 and verse 19 says the first fruits of your land 02:41 you shall bring to the House of the Lord. 02:44 In other words, part of that, and you see it also over in 02:46 Deuteronomy, the 12th chapter of the law of the storehouse, 02:50 three times a year they brought their tithes to the 02:52 storehouse. 02:53 Now this is an interesting situation because even though 02:56 in Israel, there were 48 cities given to the Levites. 02:59 So essentially, they were all over the place, including the 03:03 six cities of refuge - you know three were on each side 03:05 of the Jordan. 03:06 JB: Right. 03:07 ER: Still, three times a year God asked them to come to the 03:09 central storehouse in Jerusalem to bring their 03:11 tithes. 03:12 Then the Bible talks in Nehemiah and 2 Chronicles how 03:13 the Levites took it back out to their fellow Levites to 03:16 pay their salaries but there was this central storehouse, 03:19 I guess for accountability. 03:20 In fact, when Jesus was 12 years old in the temple, 03:23 remember? 03:25 Talking with the elders? 03:25 He was there because the Bible says it was Passover 03:27 and his family had a custom of going to Jerusalem on the 03:30 Passover. 03:31 And there were lots of people. 03:33 He got lost in the crowd. 03:34 They thought he was with him. 03:34 You understand? 03:35 JB: That's right. 03:36 ER: Because everybody came. 03:37 JB: Sure ER: This is a very important thing. 03:39 Here's a real interesting one. 03:40 Three times a year-and two of those feasts were eight days 03:43 long so they're gone like a whole month of the year, just 03:47 traveling to Jerusalem and being in those feasts. 03:49 Well, you know there are war-like tribes all around 03:51 the Israelites and you would think, well, somebody is 03:53 going to take their land or come and ransack their 03:54 property, but God says in Exodus 34, when you come 03:57 those three times a year, I'm going to protect your place 03:59 and nobody is going to bother it. 04:02 ER: Isn't that incredible? 04:02 JB: And that's what God did. 04:03 ER: Oh yeah. 04:04 Amazing. 04:05 JB: That's remarkable. 04:06 So tithing, then, to the central storehouse. 04:08 ER: That's what our church practices. 04:10 I would just say that that's what our church practices but 04:12 I will just tell you that you bring it to the church for 04:14 the salary of the pastors. 04:15 This is not to pay parking lots or buy choir robes. 04:18 This is for pastors' salaries, those salaries of 04:21 church workers, you know, throughout the Christian 04:23 denomination. 04:24 So that's what you do with your tithe. 04:25 You take it to a central storehouse. 04:27 If you belong to a Christian denomination, you would take 04:30 it to that denomination to pay their pastors. 04:33 That is the Biblical model. 04:34 JB: It requires a bit of faith, doesn't it, on the 04:36 part of the person to look at his or her paycheck and say, 04:39 I'm cutting 10% out of that and taking that to the Lord. 04:41 ER: Yes. 04:42 Oh yes, indeed. 04:43 And it takes even more if you don't think the church is 04:45 doing the right thing. 04:46 JB: What do you do if you don't think the church is 04:47 doing the right thing? 04:48 ER: Remember that the people that handle the tithe, that's 04:50 their responsibility at that point. 04:52 I've just done what God has asked me to do. 04:54 And God will hold them responsible if it is 04:56 mismanaged. 04:57 And by the way, you read earlier in our presentation 05:00 here Malachi 3. 05:01 JB: Yes. 05:03 ER: Well that was given at a time of great apostasy. 05:06 You know, the tithe legislation is back in 05:08 Leviticus, Exodus and Deuteronomy. 05:11 But here you have in Malachi, the last book of the Old 05:13 Testament, a time of great apostasy right before that 05:15 great long period of quietness and no prophets for 05:18 400 years and God is saying come back to me but they 05:20 weren't tithing because of problems in the church. 05:24 But God said, that's not your problem. 05:26 That's my problem. 05:27 I'll deal with that. 05:27 You do what I ask you to do. 05:28 JB: I notice that Jesus commended the lady who 05:31 brought the two mites. 05:32 Now we are not told it was tithe. 05:34 It was that plus it was all she had. 05:36 ER: Yes. 05:36 JB: He commended her because she made a gift to a church 05:41 who was planning to kill him. 05:42 ER: Yes indeed. 05:43 JB: Church can't get much worse than that. 05:45 ER: That's exactly right. 05:46 JB:And Jesus still said this is the right thing to do. 05:47 ER: Yes. 05:48 JB: And in fact - let's talk about this briefly because 05:50 you're going to get the people that say, Oh, that's 05:52 Jewish. 05:53 What I find is that if Christians don't want to do 05:54 something, they blame the Jews. 05:56 That's a Jewish thing. 05:57 They do that about all kinds of different things. 05:59 ER: Yes. 05:59 JB: How do we know that it's a New Testament principle? 06:01 ER: Well, it's really interesting that you ask 06:02 that. 06:03 By the way, the Old Testament was the only Bible that Jesus 06:05 and the disciples had. 06:06 JB: Right. 06:07 ER: That's where we believe in the principles of the Old 06:09 Testament. 06:10 But you have tithing clearly taught in the Old Testament. 06:12 Jesus in Matthew 23:23 talked about how detailed the 06:16 leaders, especially the Pharisees, were. 06:19 You tithe the mint, the anise and cumin ... 06:21 but he's not criticizing them. 06:23 He says this you ought to do but don't leave the other 06:26 things undone-justice and mercy and so on. 06:28 And then Paul, over in his writings, in Corinthians, 06:31 looks back at the Old Testament and says: Those who 06:34 preach the gospel should live of the gospel, just like they 06:37 did in the Old Testament. 06:39 JB: That's right. 06:40 ER: So it's clearly there. 06:41 Plus over in Hebrews 7:10, where it talks about 06:45 returning tithe unto the Lord who is a priest forever in 06:48 the order of Melchizedec so it's clearly in the New 06:50 Testament as well. 06:51 JB: That's right. 06:51 You have Jesus endorsing the system. 06:53 Paul endorsing the system. 06:55 The writer to the Hebrews endorsing the system. 06:57 It can't get much more clearer than that, can it? 06:59 ER: That's true. 06:59 JB: No it can't. 07:00 And what I'd like to do is as we've spoken already, we're 07:02 talking about tithing not just as a well let's all pull 07:05 together and pay the bills. 07:06 It's not just that. 07:07 God has given this to us as a spiritual exercise. 07:10 As a step of faith and as preparation for real 07:13 challenges that are coming. 07:14 ER: You brought in the spiritual aspect of it and I 07:17 am 100% agreeable with that. 07:19 But let me just tell you, more than we think, Jesus 07:22 tied our stewardship to eternal life. 07:25 Now this is amazing. 07:27 This is not a legalistic thing but it shows an 07:29 attitude. 07:29 Let me show you an example. 07:31 The rich young ruler came to Jesus. 07:33 And he said, "What can I do to inherit eternal life?" 07:35 Well Jesus said, "Keep the Commandments", and he says 07:37 "which ones" so Jesus started quoting some of the 10 07:40 commandments. 07:41 He says I've been doing this since I was a little kid. 07:42 What do I lack yet? 07:43 And then this bombshell of the whole New Testament. 07:46 "Sell everything you have and give it to the poor. 07:48 Then you will have treasures in heaven and come and follow 07:49 me. 07:50 Well, he went away sorrowful because he had great 07:52 possessions. 07:53 But the interesting thing about it when we see it 07:54 because Matthew, Mark and Luke all talk about this 07:56 story. 07:57 It's an amazing thing. 07:59 He was sincere when he asked, "what could I do?" 08:02 If Jesus said, "well, you know, give a tithe, you know, 08:05 or put some of you money into an escrow account and give 08:07 the interest to the poor", he didn't say it. 08:09 He asked him to give everything, because he knew 08:12 that man's problem was the money. 08:15 He doesn't you and he doesn't ask you or me to do that 08:17 unless that's our big problem. 08:18 But remember his first question, "What do I need to 08:20 do to inherit eternal life?" 08:21 Don't let money get in the way, Jesus said. 08:23 You come and follow me and you'll be safe. 08:25 So give everything. 08:26 But he lost eternal life over that. 08:29 JB: He let money get in the way. 08:30 ER: Oh yes. 08:30 Isn't that incredible? 08:32 Now another amazing one is this, when Zacchaeus-tax 08:35 collector, Jewish tax collector-he decided he 08:38 wanted to see Jesus. 08:40 Now this is amazing because when you want to see Jesus, 08:42 He wants to see you too. 08:43 But when he came to the place where Jesus was to pass, 08:46 people were lined up already. 08:47 We know he was a rich man, he was a short man, and he 08:49 wanted to see Jesus. 08:50 So, he ran ahead, climbed up in a tree. 08:53 Now he's an attorney or a CPA. 08:55 He's probably got a business suit on. 08:57 He climbed a tree. 08:58 This is incredible. 08:59 JB: Wearing his best clothes. 09:00 ER: Jesus walks under the tree, looks up. 09:02 This is incredible. 09:03 He calls him by name, though they have never met. 09:06 Now the story is he invited himself home for lunch. 09:09 And when Jesus, by the way, you can imagine what 09:12 Zacchaeus must have thought of because when you get 09:15 Jesus, you get 12 hungry disciples that don't get 09:17 regular meals, so 13 hungry men are coming to lunch. 09:19 But of course, he's a wealthy man. 09:21 At the end of the meal, Zacchaeus stands up and says 09:23 - this is after one encounter with Jesus - "I am gonna do 09:27 something now. 09:28 My life is going to be different. 09:30 Anything that I have taken from people I am going to 09:32 return it fourfold and I am going to give half of what I 09:33 have to the poor." 09:35 Jesus did not tell him "good idea, that's a wonderful 09:38 idea". 09:39 He said, "Today, salvation has come to your house. 09:43 The rich young ruler and Zachaeus both tie stewardship 09:45 to eternal life. 09:47 JB: Because for very many people their stewardship, or 09:50 lack thereof, or their stewardship practices reveal 09:52 what is going on in the heart. 09:54 ER: Exactly. 09:55 Jesus' whole goal for us is to transform us from the 09:58 inside out through the Holy Spirit's power so that we can 10:00 be fit to live in the company of the holy beings in heaven. 10:04 And that's an amazing thing! 10:05 No selfishness will be there. 10:07 JB: Great points. 10:10 Back with more with Ed Reid and stewardship principles in 10:12 just a moment. 10:13 Don't go away. 10:16 [Music] 10:31 Time for today's Bible question. 10:32 Here it is. 10:33 Are there Bible verses about gambling at a casino? 10:37 Great question. 10:38 The short answer is "No, there are not Bible verses 10:41 about gambling at a casino, and that's for pretty obvious 10:44 reasons: there were no casinos in Bible times. 10:46 But what about the principle of gambling? 10:49 Now, let's consider a few Bible verses and see if we can 10:51 find the principles that speak to the subject. 10:54 In Proverbs 3:9 the Bible says this, 11:02 That means what we have been given by God is to be used 11:05 in honoring Him. 11:07 Keep this in mind. 11:08 Part of the everlasting gospel message in Revelation 14 11:10 is that we 11:14 It isn't easy to see how taking the money that God has 11:17 given us and then gambling it would be honoring Him. 11:21 1 Timothy 6:9 & 10 say, 11:42 This is a lot like Proverbs 28:22 which says, 11:48 Not only in gambling are you throwing away what God has 11:51 given you to use in honoring Him, but with any 11:53 get-rich-quick scheme, and that's what gambling is, 11:56 there's the desire to get gain, to have more, 11:59 to get, get, get. 12:01 In the Ten Commandments God spoke to this, he said, 12:05 Gambling is covetousness - God wants us to keep away 12:08 from that. 12:09 Hebrews 13:5 says, 12:14 And let me suggest this: when it comes to casinos and other 12:17 places where there is gambling, the activity of gambling 12:19 is almost always associated with vice and sin of all kinds. 12:24 Gambling brings a person into association with all manner of 12:27 things that God doesn't want you tied up with. 12:30 The lifestyle, the association, the wasting of money 12:35 - not for a believer in Jesus. 12:37 And yet you might say, "Oh, come on. 12:38 It's so little that I spend on my lottery tickets,". 12:41 Well, if it's little, then you probably won't miss not doing 12:46 it anymore. 12:47 That's money that God could use in much more productive 12:49 ways. 12:50 Instead of taking your money and depositing it in Satan's 12:53 bank, it is better to invest it in the bank of heaven 12:58 for God's glory. 13:00 If You have a bible question submit it at itiswrittne.com 13:03 and I'll do what I can to answer your bible question 13:07 it in a future program. 13:16 [Music] In Matthew 4:4, the word 13:19 of God says 13:27 Every Word is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional 13:30 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 13:33 especially for busy people like you. 13:35 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it online 13:39 everyday on our website. 13:41 It Is Written.com. 13:43 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 13:45 Watch Every Word. 13:46 You'll be glad you did. 13:48 Here's a sample. 13:59 In April of 2003, Aaron Ralston was hiking in a remote part 14:02 of Utah, not too far from Canyon Lands National Park, 14:05 when a boulder crushed his forearm and pinned him against 14:08 the wall of a slot canyon. 14:10 He was trapped, and he remained trapped 14:11 for five days. 14:13 See, against his better judgment he hadn't told anyone 14:15 where he was going, so he knew full well that no one would be 14:18 in that area searching for him. 14:20 He came to the point where he fully expected to die, 14:22 and even videotaped his last goodbyes to his family. 14:26 But then he realized there was something he could do to save 14:29 himself: he could cut off his arm. 14:32 Using a two-inch knife, Aaron performed the amputation 14:35 in about an hour. 14:36 And it is not the only time this sort of thing has happened. 14:38 In Matthew 5:30 Jesus said, 14:51 Sometimes there are things that just have to go in order 14:53 to save our lives. 14:54 How much more is that true spiritually? 14:57 You see, God's purpose isn't merely to deliver us 15:00 from the suffering that sin brings - He wants to deliver us 15:03 from sin itself. 15:04 So there are things that cause us to stumble that we'd 15:06 be better off cutting out of our lives. 15:09 This cutting off of the hand represents SURRENDER to God. 15:12 That can sometimes seem painful, but it's far better 15:15 for us to go to heaven missing something, that to have it all 15:18 on this earth and be lost. 15:21 Things we look at as being a disaster are often the door 15:23 to great blessing. 15:25 Aaron Ralston is still climbing mountains today. 15:27 He's very much alive and well, is a sought after (and highly 15:30 paid) public speaker, and a best-selling author. 15:33 He said that he didn't lose a hand, but gained his life 15:37 back. 15:38 Is there something that really needs to go? 15:41 Surrender it to Jesus today. 15:42 There's too much at stake for us to be hanging 15:45 on to things that are only going to ruin us. 15:47 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 15:48 Let's live today by Every Word. 15:55 [Indian Music] 15:59 Eyes for India is giving sight to the blind. 16:02 And you can be a part of this amazing work that God 16:05 is doing. 16:06 Fifteen million blind people live in India, more than any 16:09 other country in the world. 16:10 And many of the blind in India could see again, if only they 16:14 could have simple cataract surgery. 16:17 It Is Written is making that happen. 16:20 Would you support Eyes for India. 16:23 For just $75, you will be giving the gift of sight to someone 16:27 who desperately wants to see. 16:30 Here is all you need to do. 16:31 Call 1.800.253.3000. 16:34 That's 1.800.253.3000 to donate and support 16:39 Eyes for India. 16:42 Or you can write to It Is Written, Box O, 16:45 Thousand Oaks, California, 91359. 16:48 You will also find Eyes for India online at 16:51 itiswritten.com. 16:53 Every $75 you give gives someone the precious gift 16:57 of sight. 16:58 Eyes for India, doing the work of Jesus in opening the eyes 17:02 of the blind and opening hearts to the love of God. 17:09 JB: Thank you for being with me today. 17:11 Today I am speaking with Ed Reid on the subject of 17:13 Christian stewardship. 17:15 Ed, we have been speaking about tithing and as you look 17:18 at tithing in the Bible, well, there's two things 17:23 here: The Word of God says in Malachi, particularly: Tithes 17:28 and offerings. 17:29 We alluded to this a moment ago but let's briefly touch 17:32 on the difference between tithing and offering and how 17:34 both are important. 17:37 ER: Well, the Bible is very clear that God is the owner 17:39 of everything. 17:40 Psalms 24:10, Genesis 1:1, etc. But the real bottom line 17:43 is God says I've reserved the tithe and made it holy and you 17:48 give that for the support of ministry but tithe is 17:51 almost always mentioned in conjunction with offerings as 17:55 well, our free will offerings, as we call it, and 17:58 they are special offerings like the building of the 18:00 temple, and so on, but a thank offering, or a special 18:02 offering that we give. 18:04 But the Bible specifies a percentage for tithe, a tenth 18:06 and I say only a tenth because who be fool enough 18:12 not to have the Creator of the Universe not as a 18:15 partner, a 10th partner, running your whole business 18:17 for you. 18:18 But the offerings are not given a percentage because 18:23 they are at our discretion, based on as the Bible says, 18:25 as God has prospered you. 18:28 So I could say, my wife and I have been tithing on what we 18:31 call 10 plus 10 for many years. 18:34 We do a 10th for tithe and a 10th for offering. 18:37 But as we get older and our children are educated and our 18:39 debts are paid off, we can do more than that and there are 18:41 many people in their professional life who make 18:43 significant enough income that once their tenth of 18:46 their profit or their increase or their income is 18:50 taking away as the tithe then they could give away huge 18:52 portions as offerings to advance the cause of God that 18:55 they like and so that's not a percentage, it could even be 18:58 more than a tenth, it could be a lot more. 19:00 JB: Which leads me to an important point. 19:02 Some people may wish to do more. 19:04 Now some people approach tithing as (groan) 10 19:07 percent, I'll get 10% of that ER: Yeah. 19:09 JB: The idea of giving tithes and offerings should be 19:13 onerous to us. 19:14 We should consider it a huge blessing. 19:15 ER: Look for opportunities. 19:16 JB: Yeah, opportunities. 19:17 Now, what would you say to someone who is kind of 19:19 struggling with the whole concept of tithing and maybe 19:21 giving more in terms of offering? 19:23 ER: I would just say that tithing is not an expression 19:27 of gratitude or generosity. 19:29 It is a matter of simple honesty. 19:31 Once I get that part taken care of, then the gratitude 19:33 comes in with my offerings and I can just look at my 19:35 life and say, "God has blessed our family so much, I 19:36 just want to say thank you." 19:38 And I want to say it on a regular basis because God 19:41 blesses me so much. 19:42 That's what offerings are. 19:44 And I want to say, for example, I want to keep our 19:47 church looking nice, or paid off, whatever it is. 19:49 And I want to make contributions to that because the way 19:50 our church looks is a reflection of what I think about God. 19:55 I mean there's lots of things about that that are very 19:57 interesting and if I want to advance other ministries that 20:01 are, you know, maybe independent or supporting 20:03 ministries, I can do that with my offerings because 20:06 they are discretionary. 20:08 Oh, and let me say another thing. 20:10 Since God is the owner of every thing, when I am done 20:13 with it, what do I do with it? 20:16 JB: There's a good question. 20:17 ER: Give it back to him. 20:18 Now once my needs are taken care of and my family's needs 20:19 are taken care of, then I return to God what I don't 20:23 need and I make provision to do that through my estate 20:25 plan when I pass away. 20:27 And much of the ministry of It Is Written and other 20:29 organizations depend on estate planning and gifts of 20:32 people returning to God. 20:33 Now these are considered offerings, because I have 20:37 already tithed it all along so I have the discretion to 20:39 do what I do with that. 20:40 So I can give it for certain ministries that have 20:42 attracted my attention over the years. 20:45 JB: So most people, they will never have as much money to 20:47 give, as they will have when they die. 20:50 ER: That's exactly right. 20:51 Sure. 20:52 And I would say that if you do, you're giving while 20:54 you're living and you're knowing where it's going. 20:56 I would only save what I actually needed to keep, like 20:58 maybe the house I lived in but other assets I would 21:01 return to God so I am sure I can see the benefit of it, so 21:04 that I can send Godpods to Papua New Guinea, or 21:06 wherever. 21:07 Do you see what I'm saying? 21:08 JB: Yeah, sure. 21:09 ER: Or I can sponsor evangelism in Las Vegas or 21:11 wherever it might be. 21:13 I can see the good it will do right now, with my own eyes. 21:16 JB: Let's encourage people from the Bible. 21:18 What are the encouraging principles, thoughts, Bible 21:20 verses that will encourage people to be faithful 21:23 stewards to put God first, to have the courage to say, 21:25 Lord, if belongs to you I want to give it to you and if 21:27 I've got more I want to give it to you too. 21:29 ER: Well, this is a good question because in spite of 21:32 the fact that tithes and offerings are clearly taught 21:34 in Scripture, they are almost always accompanied with God's 21:37 promised blessings. 21:39 He doesn't have to do that, I mean, it's just something we 21:41 should do. 21:42 But he promises us to bless us. 21:44 Just think about it. 21:45 From Malachi 3, I will open the windows of heaven and 21:47 pour out such blessings you don't have enough room to 21:50 receive it. 21:51 JB: Right ER: And I love the part in verse 11 that you 21:53 read: I will rebuke the devourer for your sake. 21:54 Your old car is going to run longer. 21:56 Your tires will wear longer. 21:57 You know, things like that really happen. 21:59 JB: Have you experienced that? 22:00 ER: I have indeed. 22:00 JB: So have I. 22:01 ER: Yeah. 22:02 This is incredible. 22:03 JB: The tires that you were going to have to replace. 22:04 We were looking for something to buy ... 22:07 well, let's wait a week ... 22:08 Wow, look at that, we get it 75% off. 22:10 Where did that come from? 22:12 I think it's a blessing from God. 22:13 ER: Yes, it is indeed. 22:13 JB: Oh, question. 22:14 How about the person who says I've just found me a get rich 22:17 quick scheme. 22:18 I'll tithe and expect God to make me rich. 22:21 ER: Well the real interesting thing is if it is the chicken 22:24 or the egg question. 22:24 Should we tithe to get blessings or do we tithe the 22:27 blessings we already have? 22:29 God says you be faithful with the blessings I've given you 22:31 and I'll keep the channel open. 22:32 There will be more blessings coming. 22:34 JB: That's right. 22:35 I don't know that it's wise to be selfish about it. 22:37 Okay, if I do this, God is going to make me a rich man 22:39 or a rich woman. 22:40 You know, that may happen but that's really not the point, 22:43 is it? 22:44 ER: Many people will lose their lives because of 22:45 riches. 22:46 And so I will just tell you that as a young man, I told 22:48 God in prayer You have my permission to do whatever it 22:51 takes to save me, and I really meant it. 22:54 But then I added please help me learn my lessons the easy 22:56 way. 22:57 In other words, if it's not healthy for me to be wealthy, 22:59 I'll be happy with what you give me. 23:01 And I'll give your tenth to you, be honest and offerings 23:04 as I am able to do. 23:05 JB: Biblically speaking, this is a very important subject. 23:06 ER: Oh yes. 23:07 JB: Tremendously important and God has proven time and 23:10 time again that he is faithful. 23:12 Wouldn't you say one of the key ideas undergirding this 23:17 subject is simply ... 23:18 it's a matter of faith and trust in God. 23:21 ER: Oh, it has to be. 23:22 It wouldn't make sense to a CPA to say that you could 23:25 live just as well on 90% less 10% and when you add in 23:28 offerings, say another 10% on 80%. 23:31 But some of the people who have done that, big people, 23:33 like JC Penny and LaTurno, the big earth moving 23:36 equipment, some of these people lived on 10% and gave 23:38 God 90% because they said, you know, God has blessed me, 23:42 it's his money and I'll use it to advance His kingdom. 23:44 JB: Friend, I want to encourage you today to put 23:46 God first and to be faithful. 23:47 Be faithful with your finances and the stewardship 23:50 matters and you can know you can trust God. 23:53 He will never let you down. 23:56 You can't out give God. 23:57 You will never worse off because you followed biblical 24:00 principles when it comes to matters of finances and 24:03 stewardship. 24:04 Ed, thank you. 24:05 Thanks for joining me today. 24:06 This has been a blessing. 24:07 ER: Well, we have had a good time discussing a very 24:09 fascinating topic. 24:10 JB: And an important subject. 24:11 ER: Yes. 24:12 JB: I appreciate your time. 24:13 Thank you very much. 24:14 ER: Thank you. 24:15 Friend, how about we pray together and ask God to bless 24:17 us as we step forward faithfully to put the Lord 24:21 first and to follow those Biblical principals he has 24:23 given us in terms of stewardship. 24:25 Ed, lets pray. 24:26 Our father in heaven, we are thankful. 24:28 You have told us that we can trust you, we can give to 24:31 you, we can be faithful stewards, confident that you 24:36 will never let us down, you will never leave us 24:38 high and dry. 24:39 We are not going to be worse off. 24:41 What a joy, Lord, to know that we can do 24:43 our part financially but then participate with Jesus in being 24:46 faithful in walking side-by-side with him and 24:49 allowing your will to be done in our finances. 24:51 We need your wisdom. 24:52 We need your guidance but we are confident in your 24:55 blessing. 24:56 Keep us now, we pray, in Jesus' name. 24:59 Amen. 25:16 Planning for your financial future is a vital aspect of 25:19 Christian stewardship. 25:21 For this reason It Is Written offers FREE planned giving 25:24 and estate services to our viewers. 25:27 For more information on how we can help you, please call 25:29 1-800-922-2219. 25:30 To receive additional material on the advantages of 25:34 life income plans, such as a charitable gift annuity, 25:38 which can provide you with tax benefits and income for 25:41 life, call today, or visit our planned giving website: 25:47 www.HisLegacy.com You may also write to It Is Written, 25:50 Planned Giving & Trust Services, Box O, Thousand 25:54 Oaks, California 91359. 25:56 Our toll free number again: 1.800.922.2219 and our web 26:03 address: www.HisLegacy.com 26:11 Today, we've been talking about crucial financial 26:13 issues that affect all of us. 26:15 Our goal at It Is Written is to help you live a more 26:17 satisfying and God-centered life. 26:20 So this week, our fee offer is a helpful book on finance 26:23 called God will provide. 26:26 It's a practical discussion on how a faithful God has 26:28 promised to provide for the needs of his faithful 26:30 children and includes a special section prepared by 26:33 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Revised 2015-02-05