Monday, December 13, 2010
Our God is Amazing!
So last week God showed me a lesson in trusting Him with my money by having the ATM reject just the right amount. I have been praying and trying not to worry about how to pay my college tuition. This morning my mom found $300 "randomly" lying around. Combining that with my money we only need $100 more. Praise the Lord! His provision is so evident every day.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Providence
This whole semester I have been waiting for the financial aid office at the community college to process my financial aid. The upside of waiting was that I didn't have to pay for my classes until my aid had been processed. Now that it has been processed, I have to come up with nearly $500 as soon as possible. Because I am part time, I was given more than $200 less than what the federal government gave me.
That was the background story. On Saturdays I tutor a high-schooler in Latin. When I was wandering around town while waiting for the train to go back home, I went to an ATM to deposit some cash. I stuck it all in the ATM (envelope free), but it wouldn't accept a five and a one. I thought that was odd, so I tried reinserting it, but it was rejected again. I thought, "Oh,well," and went to the train station.
I am normally pretty regular about when I tithe my money. However, due to the circumstances related above, I thought I couldn't afford to tithe even just ten percent of my money. Once my tuition was paid, I probably would have made it up, but at this point I really thought I couldn't afford it. So, this morning as I was getting ready for church, I realized that the ATM had rejected six dollars, exactly ten percent of what I had made since I had last tithed. Random? I didn't think so. I took the money to church and put it in the offering plate. And what was the sermon on this morning? 1 Corinthians 16:1-4:
"Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come, no collections will have to be made. Then when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them on their way to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also they will accompany me."
I still don't know how I am going to pay for my tuition, but I do know that God wants us to give as cheerful givers. Sometimes we still need a little reminder that what we have is not ours but God's in the first place. We're just giving back to Him.
That was the background story. On Saturdays I tutor a high-schooler in Latin. When I was wandering around town while waiting for the train to go back home, I went to an ATM to deposit some cash. I stuck it all in the ATM (envelope free), but it wouldn't accept a five and a one. I thought that was odd, so I tried reinserting it, but it was rejected again. I thought, "Oh,well," and went to the train station.
I am normally pretty regular about when I tithe my money. However, due to the circumstances related above, I thought I couldn't afford to tithe even just ten percent of my money. Once my tuition was paid, I probably would have made it up, but at this point I really thought I couldn't afford it. So, this morning as I was getting ready for church, I realized that the ATM had rejected six dollars, exactly ten percent of what I had made since I had last tithed. Random? I didn't think so. I took the money to church and put it in the offering plate. And what was the sermon on this morning? 1 Corinthians 16:1-4:
"Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come, no collections will have to be made. Then when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them on their way to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also they will accompany me."
I still don't know how I am going to pay for my tuition, but I do know that God wants us to give as cheerful givers. Sometimes we still need a little reminder that what we have is not ours but God's in the first place. We're just giving back to Him.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Lesson from an atheist
My pastor quoted these words in his sermon on Sunday. They really need no explanation--they are very profound.
Listen to these words of an atheist:
Were I a religionist, did I truly, firmly, consistently believe, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and the practice of religion in this life influences the destiny in another, the Spirit of truth be my witness, religion should be to me everything. I would cast aside earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as less than vanity. Religion should be my first waking thought, and my last image when sleep sunk me in unconsciousness. I would labor in her cause alone. I would not labor for the meat that perisheth, not for the treasure on earth, where moth and rust corrupts, and thieves break through and steal; but only for a crown of glory in heavenly regions. Where treasure and happiness are alike beyond the reach of time or chance. I would take thought for eternity alone. I would esteem one soul gained to heaven worth a life of suffering. There should be neither worldly prudence nor calculating circumstance in my engrossing zeal. Earthly consequences should never stay my hand or seal my lips. I would speak to the imagination, awaken the feelings, stir up the passions, and arouse the fancy. Earth, its joys and its griefs, should occupy no moments of my thoughts; for these are but the affairs of a portion of eternity, and on the immortal souls around me, soon to be everlastingly miserable or everlastingly happy. I would deem all who thought only of this world, merely seeking to increase temporal happiness, and laboring to obtain temporal goods, pure madmen. I would go forth to the world and preach to it, in season and out of season; and my text should be, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (A.S. Ormsby, in Alone with God)
Listen to these words of an atheist:
Were I a religionist, did I truly, firmly, consistently believe, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and the practice of religion in this life influences the destiny in another, the Spirit of truth be my witness, religion should be to me everything. I would cast aside earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as less than vanity. Religion should be my first waking thought, and my last image when sleep sunk me in unconsciousness. I would labor in her cause alone. I would not labor for the meat that perisheth, not for the treasure on earth, where moth and rust corrupts, and thieves break through and steal; but only for a crown of glory in heavenly regions. Where treasure and happiness are alike beyond the reach of time or chance. I would take thought for eternity alone. I would esteem one soul gained to heaven worth a life of suffering. There should be neither worldly prudence nor calculating circumstance in my engrossing zeal. Earthly consequences should never stay my hand or seal my lips. I would speak to the imagination, awaken the feelings, stir up the passions, and arouse the fancy. Earth, its joys and its griefs, should occupy no moments of my thoughts; for these are but the affairs of a portion of eternity, and on the immortal souls around me, soon to be everlastingly miserable or everlastingly happy. I would deem all who thought only of this world, merely seeking to increase temporal happiness, and laboring to obtain temporal goods, pure madmen. I would go forth to the world and preach to it, in season and out of season; and my text should be, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (A.S. Ormsby, in Alone with God)
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