14:2 You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.
As believers, we too have been set apart as holy to the Lord. He has chosen us from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.
Do we live like it?
Do we live lives that are holy? Set apart? Do we live differently from everyone else around us?
The eating of ceremonially clean and unclean foods no longer applies to us, but it is a reminder that we must be holy in every aspect of our lives - how we use our time, how we use our finances, etc. We should be purposeful about living holy lives in the every day.
Tithing teaches us to put God first in our lives and to remind us that all we have belongs to Him and we are simply His stewards. It should also help provide perspective and keep our priorities straight.
Caring for the poor (15:1-11), treating our employees well (15:12-18), being generous with the things God has given us (15:10, 16:16-17), and electing wise and just officials (16:18) are other practical ways to live out our faith.
If the way we live our lives doesn't reflect our love for God, perhaps it's time for some introspection and self-evaluation.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 17-19
2 comments:
Deuteronomy 15:9
Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin.
Would be tough to lend someone money, especially if you know ahead of time that at the seven year mark they won't have paid it all back. This tests the lenders commitment to God, but also the one receiving the loan should feel responsible to first of all not put the lender in this position by needing the loan, and second to take responsibility to do their best to pay it back in full and not have any hard feelings amongst those around you.
An interesting law, which to us would look like something that today would be taken advantage of by many.
"You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. And before the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always." - Deuteronomy 14:22-23.
I had never thought about tithing as being a way to fear God.
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