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NASB | Nehemiah 10:35 and that they might bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the LORD annually, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Nehemiah 10:35 and [we obligate ourselves] to bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the LORD annually, |
Bible Question:
Does the principle of first fruits apply if there is a loss the previous week? A person makes 1000.00 a week. They give 100.00 in offering Take home pay is 854.00 ... 146.00 in taxes. There is 754.00 left over for expenses. They save 50.00 a week The person goes to the hosptial and works 3/10 of the time ... making 300 (they are an hourly employee with no benefits) Take home pay is 282.48 ... but the expenses are not reduced - they will go up with the copay. The Sunday before, they gave 100.00. What do they give the following Sunday ... they believe they will make their normal 1000.00? - Does first fruits mean 100.00 ... because it is given in faith believing the full harvest will come in? - Do they give 30.00 ... because of a poor harvest the previous time? - Do they stop giving and saving until the expenses are paid? |
Bible Answer: Dear Searcher, I do not think that applying legalistic approaches to arithmetic will render our giving more or less righteous. We give out of our increase because God first gave to us. We give out of our increase because seek to use the world's treasure for the Kingdom. We give of our increase because our pastors and elders tend and feed us, as shepherds of His flock. We give of our increase because we know that the world's treasure will decay, vanish away, or be taken -- hence we use it for implementing the Great Commission. We give out of our increase because it is a joy to give to Him who gave so infinitely to us. We give of our increase all that we can, praying over it that God might use it effectively, and that He would grant us the ability to give more. Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36ff gave little to Christ -- even less than He might have done a more "esteemed" guest. Had you asked the woman anointing Christ, if she thought of it as a lavish gift, nothing of the sort would have entered her mind, although it was a cherished keepsake worth a great deal if sold. (Women in that day made the ointment by gathering a certain kind of flower and crushing them, something that took years. They would often do this to give to their daughter as a wedding gift, to be used for her husband.) She joyously gave her ointment and her tears and her service and her life ... not giving to Him some arithmetically derived portion. The world computes the amounts, both great and small, (Matthew 23:23); but a disciple of Christ (Romans 12:8) makes every effort to model the kind of giving seen in God (2 Corinthians 4:15). Consequently, if someone came to me with that scenario, my inclination would be to inquire about their heart. If they insisted on a number, I still wouldn't give them a formula. If they needed numbers, it would make no difference what they gave anyway. In Him, Doc |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Neh 10:35 | Author | ||
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Searcher56 | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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Searcher56 | ||
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DocTrinsograce |