WEATHERING THE FINANCIAL SHAKEUP (3)

“We have…enough…and plenty to spare.” 2Ch 31:10 NLT

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was a young minister during the Great Depression. His salary had been cut twice. He says: “Everyone was frightened and depressed. Businesses were failing. Nobody could borrow money. The pressure got worse, and for the first time I was terrified. I said to my wife, ‘We’re in a desperate situation. We can’t pay the bills. What are we going to do?’ Her answer startled me: ‘We’re going to start tithing!’ I said, ‘With what? It’s impossible.’ ‘Not impossible,’ she replied, ‘essential.’ We’re going to get by on 90 percent of your salary. Tithing is an act of faith and if we have faith as a grain of mustard seed, nothing will be impossible.’ She was right, we did get by. Money didn’t pour in, but there was always enough. Furthermore, the act of tithing seemed to calm my fears and stimulate my mind. There’s an invisible reservoir of abundance that’s tapped when you obey God’s law.” The Bible says, “The blessing of the Lord makes…rich…and…adds no sorrow” (Pr 10:22 NLT). God’s ability to bless you doesn’t depend on what’s happening in the economy. When you honor Him with your tithes and offerings, He will “open…the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing…there will not be room enough to receive…And…[He] will rebuke the devourer for your sakes” (Mal 3:10-11 NKJV). In the Old Testament when God’s people “began bringing their gifts to the…temple” there was “enough…and plenty to spare.” Why? Because the Lord had “blessed his people.” Would you rather depend on man’s economy or on God’s blessing? The choice is yours!

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