| Lately, I've been exposed to financial education | | | | you-because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the |
| about how we can better manage our financial | | | | whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may |
| resources. First, I got the chance to learn from | | | | be food in my house. Test me in this," says the |
| my Christian community, CFC-FFL Singapore on | | | | LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open |
| one our Covenant Recollection on Financial | | | | the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much |
| Stewardship with Carlos Cammayo as the | | | | blessing that you will not have room enough for |
| speaker. I want to start sharing these very | | | | it." |
| powerful passage from the bible (mine is New | | | | So we are robbing God if we do not tithe yet |
| International Version) Luke 21: 1-4 The Widow's | | | | everything is own by God. We owe God |
| Offering (more popularly know as The Story of | | | | whatever we presently have and what we will |
| Widow's Mite) 1 As he looked up, Jesus saw the | | | | have in the future. Psalms 24:1 says1 The earth is |
| rich putting their gifts in the temple treasury. | | | | the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all |
| 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very | | | | who live in it.b.) Tithing is a measure of our |
| small copper coins. (Greek two lepta) 3 "I tell you | | | | spiritual growth - it is a measure of our |
| the truth," he said,"this poor widow has put in | | | | conversion of being self-less. It conditions our |
| more that all the others. 4 All these people give | | | | heart and mind to be generous, to think in the |
| their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her | | | | mindset of abundance and not on the scarcity |
| poverty put in all she had to live on." The lesson | | | | mentality. Be a happy giver or a go-giver.c.) The |
| is about the enduring value of faith. Her modest | | | | proper perspective - tithing is God's way of giving |
| gift of two mites represented all that she had | | | | us the privilege of being His co-workers. We give |
| compared to the pretentious contributions of the | | | | tithe to support God's work to develop/train |
| wealthy. I must admit that for me this is a hard | | | | leaders, the resource to create a new heaven for |
| act to follow or perhaps my faith is that small | | | | new disciples. Focus not so much on the 10% we |
| compared to her. | | | | give, but on the 90% we keep for ourselves. |
| There are 3 basic ways we can make use of our | | | | Lastly, within those times I had an opportunity to |
| finances in the Lord: | | | | connect with another set of friends to play |
| 1. Almsgiving - making voluntary contributions to | | | | Robert Kiyosaki's Cashflow 101 board game.The |
| aid the poor like giving money, food, clothes, | | | | first objective is to be able to get out of the rat |
| goods or other needs. Proverbs 19:17 - He who | | | | race by exceeding your total expenses with your |
| is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will | | | | passive income (cashflow you get from your |
| reward him for what he has done. | | | | investments in real estate, stocks/dividends, and |
| 2. Resource sharing - an example given was a | | | | other business). There was an instant where I |
| brother who voluntarily share his car for fetching | | | | landed on the charity spot whereby you have an |
| a guest or a couple who make use of their home | | | | option to give 10% of your total income in |
| for teaching and gathering purposes. | | | | exchange for the use of 2 dices instead of one. |
| 3. Tithing - by definition, tithe is a tenth part of | | | | You will have this option on each of your next 3 |
| ones annual income contributed voluntarily or due | | | | turns. I managed to roll a higher total of number |
| as a tax, especially for the support of the clergy | | | | and this prompted me to get 2 paychecks in just |
| or church. In other words, tithing is giving 10% of | | | | a single turn. So my point is that even with just a |
| our income for the Lord's work.a) Scriptural basis: | | | | game, the rewards of giving in this case 10% |
| Malachi 3:7-10 7 Ever since the time of your | | | | charity provided me unexpectedly twice my |
| forefathers you have turned away from my | | | | salary. I was actually the first one to get out of |
| decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, | | | | the rat race because of the other strategies that |
| and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. | | | | I have done with my investments. |
| "But you ask, 'How are we to return?' 8 "Will a | | | | For our reflection, 1. do you understand that |
| man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, | | | | everything belongs to God and you are just a |
| 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 | | | | steward? 2. How do you see yourself in terms of |
| You are under a curse-the whole nation of | | | | the measures of spiritual growth? |