Daily Treasure

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

Often times this verse is misinterpreted. Tithing is not something we should feel obligated to do. It’s also not something that we view as if I do this I’m going be living in the lap of luxury. We should have a willing heart to take care of giving back a portion of what God has blessed us with. What we give furthers the work of the church and the furtherance of the gospel. Why would God not want to bless us for taking care of these matters? If we belong to Jesus, everything we have and are also belong to Him. He only asks for just a portion of what He allows us to have to carry out His Work. Isn’t it a blessing to know the rest of what we have He permits us to have?

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray as West Virginia Women Active for Christ prepare for the 2008 WNAC convention.

“I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

Once saved, there should be zeal to serve God in whatever capacity we can. Our verse says this is “reasonable.” God will never demand anything of us that He knows we may not be capable of doing. He looks for availability and willingness to please Him. As you grow in Him and you feel He is calling you for something special, He will be reasonable and equip you to do His Will. In the meantime, remain faithful to Him and He will make it clear just what He wants you to be doing for His glory.

PRAY TOGETHER: E-Team and CMP students are raising funds for summer mission trips and need our prayers as well as our support.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

We cannot out love or out give the Lord, but there are some things we can do to show our thankfulness for His love and mercy. It starts when we give our filthy heart of sin to a merciful Savior who is willing to cleanse it. It is the new beginning of our journey of love and giving in service to Him. Just as David penned the words of our scripture today, we must write them on our heart. One of the things David was known for was a “giant killer.” You can defeat the “giants” you will face if you will remember that, at times, we must come to God with a repentant heart. Be willing to give your heart to Jesus for Him to keep it strong and clean.

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for current church building construction in Villalba, Spain. This comes after many years of prayer and hard work.

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

In 1960, after a long hard trip, we arrived at my aunt and uncles house. When supper was over, everyone gathered around the table to talk and catch up. I didn’t want to sit and listen; rather I wanted to swing on the porch swing. I went to the porch and slipped into the swing. On this soft, warm night I swung gently and enjoyed the night sounds. I heard something that sounded like a person crying so I went inside and told the adults. But they could not hear anything. I returned to the swing. I could still hear this troubling sound only louder and it sounded like more people were crying. At my third trip to the adults they all became quiet and listened from the open window. They could hear the sound too. My aunt said, “Oh, some of the church folks are having a prayer meeting for our revival. They are at the house in the curve.” I went back to the porch swing and listened to the prayer meeting until it was over. The prayers of those saints impressed a 12 year old girl. I never forgot that night and I can still hear their earnest prayers at 60. The revival was a huge success and souls were saved. Prayers saturated in the tears of Christians will bring effective results.

Let’s start our Pre-Easter Week of Prayer on our knees before God our Father.

PRAY TOGETHER: As spring arrives and we see new growth appearing in our gardens, let’s pray for personal renewal and spiritual growth.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

From the time my first two grandchildren were born I prayed each day for their health and safety. One evening my son called sobbing; “Mom, I’m going to lose my baby!” I prayed with Matthew and told him God was not going to take her and to hold on to all those prayers we have all prayed for his children. At a minor league baseball game a player hit a foul ball and the ball hit our six year old granddaughters head shattering her skull. When my husband and I arrived at the hospital our son met us and began to tell us the miracles God performed that day. One after another the miracles mounted up to one huge answer to our prayers. On her next birthday our granddaughter will be 13. She is a beautiful young lady who is a beautiful Christian.

Ladies let’s not under estimate the power within us. Let us start now on our knees before God our Father.

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Roger and Sandy Raper as they leave a newly self-supporting mission church in Fort Collins, CO, to plant a FWB church on the island of Hawaii.

“And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (I John 5:11).

We love and serve such a giving God. I have just touched the surface of all He gives and does. The one thing that keeps most of us fighting the good fight of faith is the hope of a brighter tomorrow. Rewinding back to Monday’s devotion, if it weren’t for God giving His only Son, we would not have the hope He gives us today.

We can rejoice in the hope there will be better days ahead. Knowing He is preparing to come back to take us with Him to glory, should keep us going on no matter what we face on this earth. God keeps His promises and as we read John 14:1-3, we should be filled with joy that soon we’ll go to live with Him.

PRAY TOGETHER: Continue to pray for the effectiveness of monthly TWG Bible studies.

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…” (2 Corinthians 12:9a).

No matter how long we have been a Christian, we have all faced times of sickness, suffering, and grief. We wonder how we can press on and may even question, “Where are you God?” It’s during those difficult times when we must draw strength from the Lord. When we try to do anything in our own strength, we only add to our misery. Through years of affliction and adversity I have learned the truth of another scripture found in John 15:5b “…for without me ye can do nothing.” We must empty ourselves and allow Him to fill us with His strength and grace to help us handle whatever circumstances we face. Every time we allow Him to do this, our faith will grow. We will remember all those times He was there for us and draw from His well of grace to help us face tough times again.

PRAY TOGETHER: Have you ordered World Missions Offering banks? Let’s pray and fill them.