The Ohio Independent Baptist, October 1965

What • our attitude toward IS By Robert A. Laidlaw ( 11 ' \. f t 11 t i ca I ,, it 1 it ',lll l'asil , • 111\.,,t '-l 1tf1ct1lt ,t1l,1cct, , tl1 a t t'I O ,1, 111g... f l1r l ' ,lti tl) a rgt1111c11t a11 l ... ll°' ti t, " ll\\HJO\ <.)11 }.,\\\ \ , . , g r ,\\.'('. "\tlli r)Cf~t.'tltrtgC', \ f"C'i ,1 I ,1r1\.i , , c11'-i 1t1 r1 Licf1111tc Jct1 n 1 l' t1c cttc~t1, c. tl1c t1l11c~t 111t1,t ·"·' 1, 1 tcJ t ,\r ,1ht1, c the plane t1f c n– '-)' er, t the high lt.:, l of pcr~onal \.lt' ,1l1 ng ht:t\\ een L1nc·" \\ n ·oLII and ... 1 '-"''-i . in the light f the Hol) crip- l t re, let t i · pt1t 1t there. for onl) there ~ .1 n 1 t be ·~ettled ati fact rily . l hcl1e\ e 1t to be on f the n10 t , ital things 1n the hr1 tian life, and ... f:1ilt1r t be liberal \\'ith God. one ,t th n1o ~t p rolific cau e of piritual barr nne · . In 11atthe\\ 6: 2-l-, Chri t av~. ' 'Ye J ~annot "er\·e God and mammon ." ~l an1mon (or money) i the great ·, mbol f n1ateriali m, and never be– fore ha it been o true a ymbol a t da, ·. Ot1r attitude toward money ha·-- - a grea t deal to do with whether we are er\·ing mammon or God and the amount of our weekly wage ha very little to do \\-ith it. A man with $100 a \\ eek ma,,. be more intere ted in .., n1one, than one with $100.000 a . }ear : or a girl with $50 a week than a \, oman with a hou ekeeping allow– ance of S l 0.000 per annum. "Accord– ing to that a man hath," i Gods ...... tandard: it i not the amount we ha\ e. but our attitude toward it that count· . ~t an\ Chri tian incere1y think - the\ Vv'Ould be more liberal if they - had more. but our Lord's greatest ex- ample of liberality is that of a poor \\' idow 1n 1 :fark 12, who e total re- ources \\ ere two mite , which make one f arth ing. God's basis of testing our liberalit)' i according to what we no\\' have. and a we all have more than a farthing. what the Bible ha to a)' about giving touche every one of u . A the f ir t reference in the Word of God to an)' ubject i lr:,ually of 2reat ignificance. look for a moment .... .... at Gene . 14: l 7 ot 15: 1. Here we ha,,e the t1r t instance of tithing and. not carefull) . it happened ome 400 ) ear- before the law wa given and in the time \vhen God wa· dealing , i th Abrahan1 on the ba·..')1 of f rec OCTOBER , 1965 PAGE 4 g1 ,lt:l' , cntl'rctl intl) 11\ faith: that i.., t)n the ,a111c l,a,1, a, <.1t1r O\\ n rclat1on– ,l11JJ to (10 I. ,vh1ch 111,1kc" ti, the ~ectl ()t fa1thft1l lJral1a111 ( ,alat1an" 3:7) . ht1" the rigin of the Tithe. It i 11ot , 111ething one give to (,oJ that J)ttl ( 10<.1 tinder an bl1gation to ti for ot1r l1bcral1t). bt1t 1 the cr1ptt1ral \\ cl) of ackno\\r ledging that we arc al– rcc.1<.i) indebted to Go<.1 for the ten tenth· ·. In other wor<.1 , to give a ti the ,, the criptural method of . aying ..Thank )'Ot1" to God for what He ha 1.1lready given to u • our acknowledg– n1ent that He i "El I yon' ', the HPo - c or of heaven and earth', the be - tower of all spiritual and all material ble ing . Lord speaks to Abraham ote what happen in Gene i 15: I . ' After the e thing ' the Lord appear to Abraham, aying ' I am thy ex– ceeding great reward. You took the emblem,:, of acrifice and turned away from the indulgence of Sodom and by giving a tithe you acknowledged Me a the One Who alone had ble sed you. It i there£ore My good pleasure to give My elf to you." Is this not the thought our Lord expresses in Luke 16: 11 where He ay : If there– fore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteou mammon who will commit to your tru t the true riches?" Or in other word if you are un– faithful in money, God will not com– mit to you spiritual bleS"Sing and gift . I remember an honored servant of the Lord, after 50 years' public serv– ice, aying ' 'In all my wide experi– ence I have never met a man who wa mean in money matter with God, who was ble sed with piritual gifts." Malachi 3: 10 give u the ame thought: ' Bring ye all the tithe into the torehou e, ' ' and the promi e follow that "the window of heaven~ . hall be opened an<l the ble ing pour– ed out; while ver e 11 add·-- that there hall be material reward a well. Even in God's dealing ·with Hi earthly people under Law we have Je on to learn for I Cor. 10: 11 tell Ll':>: "All the e thing happened unto them ( I rael) for en ample : and they are \\- ritten for our admonition, ? • ll rr111 Wh()lll the en tis ()I Lhc W(lJ'ltl at c co111c :· an<I to acl n1on ish ti s 111ca n~ to war n ti s of o t1 r fa ti I ts. 1 n .J odu\ 21: 19 the first of the f1r t-frLtit of the land is to be brought into the hou c of the Lord: not what I\ left over after the rent, and the bLttcher and the baker are paid bt1t the first charge i\ to be the Loru· portion. To give a definite portion to (1od a~ a fir. t charge on the wages. <;a lary, or incon1e, lift giving to a high level. becau e the money i\ f1r">t given to God and that make all the difference, for it become<; a tran action between one elf and God: and then guidance ir.- ought about it di tr1bu– tion: wherea if there is no definite portion et a ide, money is ju t given to a work or worker, as different n1atter are brought to one· attention. A question of honesty But there i another way of view- ing this important matter not a a question of generosity but a a que tion of honesty. In Malachi 3: 8 God ays to His people ' Ye have robbed Me in tithes and offerings." Perhaps when we stand at the Judg– ment Seat of Christ, it will not be a lack of reward for giving paringly, but of definite judgment for withhold– ing the Lord's portion. Every Christ– ian would shrink from the disgrace of being charged in a court on earth with robbing hi fellow man, but how much more terrible to be charged in heaven with robbing God - yes, He has a claim. I Cor. 16: 2 ay~: ' Let every one of you lay by him in tore a God hath prospered him." Let us remember if we per i t in failing to give God His portion, there i no forgivenes . We can confe omething we have done, and be for - given ( I John 1 :9) but we cannot cont e omething we are till doing, and be forgiven. God according to Malachi withheld piritual ble ing because Hi people withheld the tithe from Him and who knows how much of the Church' un pirituality today i becau e of the withheld portion! Few realize what a prominent place the e truth have in the Word of God. (Continued on page 7) THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST