Week 13 Day 6 Whole Being

Deuteronomy 26

Two things stood out in this not very long passage.

One: The people were supposed to give some of the fruits of their labor from their first harvest as an offering to God. Then every third year, they were told to use a tenth of their harvest to give to the Levites (priests), widows, orphans, and foreigners.

One small command, one big punch.

When Mark and I first got married, he and I had a few discussions about tithing. I have to admit; I hadn't been a faithful tither prior to that. I was teaching in private schools and not making very much money. I felt like I had "tithed" already; I hadn't learned the whole act of faith. All I could see was the bottom line. I tithed and there wouldn't be much money left when I was already having difficulty making ends meet.

Too bad I hadn't taken time to truly read this verse and understand. We should give to God first. Not at the end of the month when we look to see what is leftover...we give Him the FIRST fruits.

I am still thankful for a husband who showed me that.

I also appreciate the giving to the priests, the widows, the orphans, and the foreigners. I think it is easy for us to get wrapped up in our own lives. I also think as Americans, we tend to forget there is a whole world out there. People in our own cities need help. And yes, there are "foreigners" who need help too. Not long ago, there was a "status update" on Facebook that people were copying and posting. It basically shamed Americans for wanting to help "foreigners", saying we should take care of our "own" first. I do agree we should take care of those around us. Look around...there are a lot of needs in our own community. But I have yet to find a place in the Bible that says we can only support our own people. In fact, in these books, God repeatedly asks us, no...rather commands us, to take care of "foreigners". That would be people who are not "our people".

The other thought that stuck out to me was to obey God's rules and laws with our whole being. One thing I learned while teaching in private schools and still use today is that we should obey "completely, immediately, and from the heart". That would be with our whole being. Okay, my kids are still working on that, and honestly, some days I am too!

I think tomorrow's reading is Deuteronomy 26 and 27.

Reba