Psalm 75:6-7(NKJV) For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.
God is omniscient and sovereign. He gives all kinds of promotions. He knows best who suits a role at the right time—His time—when He has moulded or pruned you.
God is the giver of life. It is in Him that we move and have our being. He has entrusted us with all the resources we have in our lives because He is the source of our provision. Therefore, married couples need to have the same perspective about stewarding God’s money and the conviction that God is the source of their provision, and thereafter put their faith into action by worshipping God with their tithe and freewill offerings.
Our giving is closely tied to our hearts. The measure we give reflects our faith, love, stewardship, and how much we trust God. Scripture says that the love of money is the root of all evil because money itself is neutral. Jesus is constantly dealing with the root issue of the heart, such as when He asked the rich young ruler to sell all he had and follow Him. Some Christians have lost a vast amount of money due to greed and thus have mismanaged God’s money. However, couples can avoid this by seeking the face of God together before investing. It will also prevent them from spending large sums of money without their spouse’s agreement, leaving no room for arguments over expenses.
Tithe means the payment of a tenth part. It represents 10% of a person’s income or increase. By giving God His tenth, we are recognising Him as our source of supply and acknowledging that we can do more with the 90% than we could with the 100% if left to our own devices. We are trusting that He will increase our supply. It also keeps us humble and makes us constantly rely on God. We will experience God’s grace, provision, and promotion when we have made Him our source by tithing and giving freewill offerings.
Make it a lifestyle that every time you are blessed, be it the first bonus, the first contract, the first payout of dividends, or shares, we honour God with 10%. When we choose to honour God, Scripture says that our barns will be filled with plenty and vats overflow with new wine. God is always giving. Therefore, nobody can outgive God.
We need to come to a point of obedience and act on what the Word of God says. It means honouring God with our tithe and the first fruits of all our increase. Once we have established the practice of tithing as a couple and experienced God, we will be able to withstand the storms that come into our lives.
Sermon Series：Before You Say I Do (Lesson 11 Finances)
一同管理上帝的财产
诗篇75:6 因为高举非从东，非从西，也非从南而来。惟有神断定，他使这人降卑，使那人升高。
上帝是全知全能的，统治至高。祂赐予各种晋升。祂最清楚谁在适当的时候——祂的时候——胜任某个角色，当祂已经塑造或修剪了你时。
上帝是生命的赐予者。我们一切的呼吸行止都在祂里面。祂把我们生命中的一切资源托付给我们，因为祂是我们供应的源泉。因此，对于如何管理上帝的钱财，已婚夫妇需要拥有相同的看法和信念，那就是–上帝是他们供应的源头，他们将通过什一奉献和自由奉献来敬拜上帝，把他们的信仰付诸行动。
我们的奉献与我们的内心紧密联系在一起。我们给予的多少反映了我们的信心、爱心、为管家之道以及我们信靠主的程度。圣经说对钱财的贪爱是万恶之源，因为钱财本身无所谓善恶。耶稣不断地处理内心的根本问题，包括祂让那少年官“卖掉所有的财产跟随我”的命令。有些基督徒由于贪婪而损失了大量钱财，这是对上帝的钱财管理失当。然而，夫妇们若在投资之前同心寻求上帝就能避免这种损失。这也能防止他们在没有配偶同意的情况下花费大量的钱；因此，就不会因为开销而发生争吵。
什一奉献意味着支付十分之一。它代表一个人收入或增加的10%。通过归还上帝的十分之一，我们认识到祂是我们的供应源并且承认我们用剩下的90%所能做的，比我们把100%全部留给自己所能做的更多。我们是在表明自己相信祂会增加我们的供应。它使我们保持谦卑，并使我们时刻依靠上帝。当我们通过什一奉献和自由奉献使上帝成为我们的供应源时，我们将经历上帝的恩典、供应和晋升。
每当你被祝福，无论是第一笔奖金、第一个合同、首次分红、股票等等，我们都应该用10%来尊敬上帝，让这成为一种生活方式。当我们选择荣耀上帝时，仓房必充满有余；酒榨有新酒盈溢。上帝总是给予；因此，没有人能够比上帝更慷慨。
我们需要达到顺服的地步，并根据上帝的话行事。这意味着用我们的什一奉献和所有增加的初熟果实来尊敬上帝。一旦我们作为夫妻建立了什一奉献的实践，并经历了上帝，那么我们就能够经受住生命中袭来的风暴。
讲章系列：步向红毯之前（第十一课 财务）
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