Prayer Calendar and Weekly Devotionals
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Weekly Devotionals
Week of October 27:
What does it mean to rob God? In the book of Malachi, Israel was charged with robbing God. In Malachi 3:7-9, God said, “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.”
At first, Israel denied the charge. So hardened and cold the nation had grown that they were blind to the fact that they had abandoned their first love for the Lord. God then specifically explained that the people were robbing Him by bringing only part of their tithes and offerings. In their tightfisted, self-centered state, they were cheating God by not bringing Him their whole tithe.
Our tithe – the tenth of our income – is to be given to the LORD (Leviticus 27:30).
God deserves nothing less than the absolute best from us in our tithes, offerings above the tithe, our time, attention, obedience, and devotion. He gave us His best in Jesus Christ for our salvation! We owe Him our very lives (1st Peter 1:18-19).
To surrender our lives to God means to love and trust Him with all our hearts through our tithes, offerings, worship, prayers, and daily fellowship with Him. We can give freely to Him, trusting that He will pour out more provision to meet our needs than we can ever imagine. In Luke 6:38, Jesus said, “For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
God loves a cheerful giver! (2nd Corinthians 9:7)
Week of October 20:
What does it mean that “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also?” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the difference between earthly treasure and heavenly treasure, and He emphasized the importance of heavenly treasure. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Whatever we focus on dictates our actions. When we focus on earthly success and wealth, we will expend our energies on earthly matters. However, when we focus on God’s priorities, our actions will reflect different priorities, and our rewards in heaven will last forever!
“For the present form of this world is passing away” (1st Corinthians 7:31b). The moment we take our last breath, earthly treasure won’t matter anymore. Jesus urged us to think beyond our last breath and focus on our eternity. When we focus on eternity – when our treasure is laid up in heaven – our lifestyle reflects that perspective.
We will all give an account of ourselves before God for every action (Romans 14:12). No one is exempt. Excuses are not accepted. God sees and knows every thought we think and holds us accountable for the truth we’ve been given (Romans 1:18-22). We store up “treasure in heaven” when we make choices on earth that benefit God’s kingdom.
Store up treasures in heaven for your eternity!
Week of October 13:
Tithing causes many debates and arguments. Therefore, it’s essential for us to be informed. There are too many opinions, but not enough knowledge, which should come from one source, the Bible.
Leviticus 27:30-32 says, “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD. If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff shall be holy to the LORD.” Some use this verse to justify that tithing doesn’t apply since they are not farmers of land or animals. They miss the most critical part of this passage; to whom the tithe belongs.
The tithe belongs to God. “It is holy to the LORD.” The Hebrew word for holy is “qodesh,” which means “apartness,” “sacredness” or “separateness.” The tithe is sacred and is to be set apart and presented to God every week.
What is God’s primary reason for our tithe? God established the tithe for our own good: to provide a tangible way for us to choose God over the things of this world. God provides us with everything we have. Can anyone honestly say, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me the wealth I have?” That is a person full of pride and is deceived. Pride is an assault against God and is idolatry. Knowing these things, God provides tithing to overcome these sins.
Tithing is fundamentally a repetitive act of acknowledgment and submission. It is worship and rededication. In tithing we submit our first portion back to God and are declaring that God is our Creator and giver of life. All we have is from Him. He meets all our needs, and we return His portion (tithe = tenth) and even give Him gifts that are above the tithes out of our thankfulness.
Week of October 6:
God promises to guide and bless all of us who wholeheartedly trust in Him, depend on Him, and commit everything we have and do to Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). One of the more challenging tests of out trust in God is how we handle our money (Matthew 19:23-24). But God’s word commands us to “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine” (Proverbs 3:9)
In the Old Testament, God instructed His people to give the first and the best portion of every harvest to Him as an offering of worship (Exodus 23:19; Deuteronomy 26:1-3, 9-11). This is the way the Israelites honored the Lord with their wealth. They took the cream of the crop right off the top and gave it to God.
In the original Hebrew, the word translated as “honor” in Proverbs 3:9 (above) means “to bestow rewards upon; to weigh heavily upon.” Honoring God means to show Him the proper weight and value of His worth. We offer God the first of our income because He is first and foremost in our lives. We give Him the best of our earnings because He is the most valuable treasure in our lives.
Even though God promises to bless our generosity, we don’t give to get. Instead, we honor the Lord with our wealth by being satisfied with what we have. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into this world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave.
Give God the firstfruits of everything! Give Him what’s right, not what’s leftover. Trust God with your finances and everything!