Giving Back to God What is His

In March and April of each year we tend to focus our attention on money matters.  Probably because our government requires us to file a report of our income and expenses and the tax we owe them for the previous year.  If we do not pay the government what we owe them, it is a criminal offense and there is a penalty to be paid.  But if we do not give to God what is His, is it a spiritual offense, aka sin?  That could deprive us of the many blessings we could have received.  The Pharisees asked Jesus about this same situation, hoping to discredit His teachings.

Matthew 22:17 – “Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? vs. 18 “But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?” vs. 19 “ Show Me the tax money.”  So they brought Him a denarius.  vs. 20 “And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”  vs 21 “They said to Him, “Caesars”.  And He said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”  vs. 22 “When they heard these words, they marveled and left Him and went their way.”

In the last book of the Old Testament, (Malachi), we are given instructions on what and how to give to God the things that are God’s.  Chapter 3 verses 8 through 12 outlines the things that are God’s.

Malachi 3:8-12 – “Will a man rob God?  Yet you have robbed Me!  But you say, In what way have we robbed You?  In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me.  Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try me now in this.” says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such  blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will  not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, Says the Lord of hosts;  And all  nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land, Says the Lord of hosts.”

We need to go back to the Old Testament to prove where everything we have and everything we are able to do has been given to us by God.  It is truly all His and we are only required to give back a portion.

Deuteronomy 8:18 – “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth that He may establish His covenant which He swore with thy fathers, as it is this day.”

Let me share some examples of how God has taken care of me for the  past 42 years.   A few months after I became a Christian, my second husband died and I became a widow for the second time.  What a difference Jesus made in the decisions I had to make.  Because I was alone, I was able to fill a position which only a single woman was able to fill.  I am retired now but am still reaping the financial benefits from that position.  I also was given an opportunity to supplement my income as a part time bookkeeper at my local church for twenty five more years.  In addition to this, every time I have to purchase an item, it is ALWAYS ON SALE!  My daughter tells everyone that whenever her mom approaches a cash register, it automatically goes into “Discount mode”.  I believe I know why this happens.  As a new Christian, I first heard of tithing.  I thought they were saying “tide”, not “tithe”.  By the way, at that time, I lived by the ocean.  (That was a poor excuse for my ignorance about giving to the church!)  But I was willing to obey God’s Word and started tithing  to His church and never stopped. Since then I have never wanted for anything I needed.  I have also been able to give freely to those in need.  I can truly say the Lord opened the windows of heaven and has and still is pouring out His blessings on me.  Because of this, I have lived a long, productive and delightful life and am still being blessed.  PRAISE THE LORD FOR ALL OF HIS GOODNESS TO US!

Thank you for reading this.

Great Granny Witt

God's Unconditional Love for All Mankind

In an emergency situation, most of us would risk our own safety and lives to save the life of someone we do not know.  Our brave firefighters and policemen daily put themselves into dangerous situations to protect and rescue strangers.  In Europe, at this present time, specifically in the Ukraine, this is being played out by Christians.  They are sending busses into the war zone.  This is where homes and churches are being destroyed by the Russian sympathizers.  The refugees are brought back to a safe area and are welcomed into a safe environment of homes and churches.

The Bible says:

John 15:13,14 – “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you.”

When a person is an enemy of ours, or one who we think does not deserve to be loved because of their ungodly life style, the Bible says:

Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

As we finalize this month’s theme of  “Loving one another as God loves us”, and if we believe that Christ’s death on the Cross cleansed us from all unrighteousness, then we can truly say as this old chorus says:

Thank you Lord for saving my soul,

Thank you Lord for making me whole.

Thank you Lord for giving to me,

Our Great Salvation, so Rich and Free.

God has given enough of His Love to share with others for the rest of our lives.  We need to go forward and embrace who we are in Christ.

WE ARE HIS!  LIVE LIKE IT!

REST IN GOD!  REJOICE!

WE ARE REDEEMED!

Thank you for reading this,
Great Granny Witt

God's Church can be our extended family for "loving one another"

Sometimes, circumstances require us to live, geographically, far away from our birth family.  God has provided a group of His followers to fill in that gap. His local church family can be an atmosphere of giving and receiving and loving one another. They are like-minded as we are in their beliefs. Being taught from the Word of God, looking out for each other and loving one another is the norm. There are trustworthy members around for you to call on when you are troubled, lonely, sick or when you want to share with someone your good news and blessings.

Hebrews 10:24, 25 – “And let us consider one another to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

As a missionary in the 1970’s and the 1980’s , I personally experienced living far away from my own family for 12 years.  I kept in touch with them weekly by telephone.  I was also able to fly to be with them on special occasions and holidays.  There was no “SKYPE’ invented at that time.  Meanwhile, God provided me with a local church family.  We became fast friends and 40 years later, we still keep in touch.

I returned to Ohio 25 years ago and have been a member of my current church family ever since. Once I am planted, I stay put.  There is a sense of security and belonging in a solid commitment.  I would highly recommend to everyone to do the same.

Thank you for reading this,

Great Granny Witt  

The Family Home is the Training Ground for Loving One Another

When the love of God for us sets the behavioral standard in the family peace prevails in their home.

John 4:19 – “We love Him, because He first loved us.” 

God loves us no matter what we do or have done. Nothing can take His love away from us. Sometimes, our friends and even our families turn away from us when we hurt them, but God will never turn His back on us.

You can’t help but love someone who is always there for you.

Let us show our love by praying to the One who never loves us less.

And never leaves us even when our lives seem such a mess!

The way the members of a family treat each other in the privacy of their home goes out with them into their community. Behavior habits can be a blessing or an embarrassment. God expects all of us, not just the children, to follow the commands and guidance of those in authority over us.

I pray that all of us who know Jesus as Our Savior will be a Godly example to others by the way they relate to each other with tender and loving care. As He cares for us, let us care for one another.

What an assignment for us: Because God loves us, we love one another. And we will love you too!

Praise the Lord for His Great Love for us that we can share with one another!

Thank you for reading this.

Great Granny Witt

Commercial Love or God's Love?

February 14^th has been proclaimed “Valentine’s Day”.  Every year in greeting card shops around the nation cash registers continuously ring as messages of love are being purchased.  These will be sent to special people in our live as we proclaim our love for them.  These messages are written by people who we do not know, to be read by people who the writers do not know.

God’s Word recommends a different and more personal approach.  Jesus says in John 13:34,35 –

“A new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

This is not a once a year event but a daily practice.   

Ephesians 4:32 – “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

God's love is an action word to be played out in all of our relationships.  The dictionary describes love as an unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.  That doesn't sound like what some people think love is – “IT’S ALL ABOUT ME’!  God is not just requesting that we love one another, He is commanding us to do so.  He repeats his command again in John 15:12 – 

“This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.”

We have many opportunities each day to show kindness and concern for others.  Such as:

1.       Opening a door for a person with a walker or one who is in a wheelchair.

2.       Encouraging someone who has been put down or belittled by another.

3.       Watching an infant so a mom can shop more quickly alone.

4.       Preparing meals for a family when a parent is ill.

5.       Giving a ride to Church to one who cannot drive.

6.       Taking lunch and sharing it with a person who is home bound.

7.       A phone call to offer help to someone in need.

    

Ephesians 5:1 – “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. “

What a blessing to know at the end of the day, that you have shown the love of Christ to another.   

Thank you for reading this.

Granny Witt

Your Final Journey! Have you made your reservations?

Years ago, my husband and I decided to take a quick week-end “get away trip” to Niagara Falls.  Relatives volunteered to take care of our baby girl.  We were sure one of the many hotels would have a room for us.  Upon our arrival, we discovered that all of the rooms were booked!  It was a 4th of July week-end.  Our choices were to sit in a hotel lobby near the check-in desk in case someone with a reservation was a “no show”, a cancellation was called in, or we could sleep in our car in the parking lot.  We chose the lobby and several hours later they had a cancellation.  We then decided to reserve that room for two nights.  A “no brainer” or a lesson learned?

 

Many people today are heading for eternity with no reservations, thinking that their good works will get them into heaven. But to have eternal life you must believe in, trust in, rely on and cling to Jesus Christ.

 

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”    

This verse also implies that whoever does not believe in Him shall perish and have everlasting death.  Jesus Himself further explains this to Thomas in John 14:6 - 

“I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.” 

Matthew 6:33 gives us this advice:  

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”  

You need to turn from your sin and commit your life to Christ and follow Him to be saved. If you have never felt the need to do this, it is not too late!

 

How to receive Christ: 

    1. Admit your need. (That you are a sinner)

    2. Be willing to turn from your sins.(Repent)

    3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave.

    4. Through prayer invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit.

 

What to pray:

    Dear God,

    I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness.

    I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins.

    I am now willing to turn from my sins.

    I now invite Jesus Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Savior.

    I am willing, by God’s strength, to follow and obey Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life.

 

If you sincerely asked Jesus Christ to come into your life the Bible says:  

1 John 5:11-13 – “And this is the testimony:  God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that  you have eternal life.”

 

Reservation Confirmed!

Thank you for reading this.

Granny Witt

Is your light hidden or in full view for all to see?

Jesus uses His followers to influence unbelievers to trust in Him. Is your light shining brightly enough to attract their attention? When they are in trouble or have an illness in their families, do they call you to pray for them? Are you caring and loving in their time of need? Are you blindly following a crowd who are going in the wrong direction? Or, do you stop, look and listen to what God’s word is telling you to do?

Matthew 5:14,15 – “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house.” 

 Dare to be different! Because you are!

1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light.” 

Ephesians 5:8 – “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” 

II Chronicles 16:18 – “Give thanks unto the Lord and tell others of His deeds.” 

 I used to walk in darkness, but Jesus set me free. 
 I can now reflect His light that He has given me. 
 I pray that all who I know will walk in His light. 
 And all of the darkness will quickly take flight. 

 Thank you for reading this,
Granny Witt