“But a firstborn of animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the Lord, no man may dedicate; whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord's. Leviticus 27:26 ESV
What belongs to the Lord can not be dedicated to the Lord. What does it mean? Here, the commandments for all Israel is that all the firstborn of the animals already belongs to God, therefore, they can not promise to give it to God because it already belongs to Him. All they can do to the things that belongs to God is bring it to God. For the rest of the flock, from the rest of what they have, they have the freedom to dedicate or set apart for God. In present time, the same principle may may ascribed to our giving. The tithe already belongs to God. Therefore what you and i need is to bring it to God because it already belonged to him. The offerings on the other hand,is our to give. We decide what to dedicate, offer, sow freely when it comes to our offerings. The tithe is already God's. Bringing it to God through the storehouse does not make us generous, it shows obedience but not yet generosity. The givings on top of the tithe shows our generosity. And for that nobody will dictate how much you will sow in life. That's a choice any follower of Christ has freedom to do. Do not be pressured to give because of how other people give. Ask God to allow you to grow in this grace of giving like the Macedonian churches. Their economic status did not dictate their generosity. Their faith and love for God does. 8 February
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