In life, one of the major decisions we make is who or what takes first place. For some, it’s family, and for others it’s their job or their children. Still, for others, it’s their hobbies or sports. Bottom line: it’s OUR decision. Even though the above mentioned aren’t bad, the question remains: should they be first place in our lives? I believe the answer is a definite “no”. God and His ways should always take precedence and come first. If God is first, everything else will fall into place. If He’s not, nothing will fall into place. Again, it’s your choice.

Prioritizing God should be reflected in our finances. The first step in making that happen is to return the tithe to Him. The first portion, the tenth, of what you earn is His, and we should return it to Him. We return a tithe and give an offering. When we do, we place God in His rightful place in our lives; first. When that happens, every other area of our lives will start to straighten out. The choice is ours. Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Just a Thought,
PSS
Legacychurch.com

Serving God or mammon…who will you serve?

From Matthew 6:24, Jesus said, “You will either serve God or mammon, but you can’t serve both.” Mammon is the god of riches, stuff, and materialism. Mammon speaks to us and is a spirit that is in the world today. It represents a prideful, arrogant spirit of humanity that says, “We don’t need God, we can do it on our own.” God is our source; He is the one that gives us security, identity, hope, happiness and a future. These are the things that only God can provide. Jesus never told anyone that the answer to their problems was more money! The decision to serve God or mammon lies directly with us. One indicator that reveals who we serve is whether or not we tithe. If we tithe, we are saying God is our source. If we don’t, we are saying mammon is our source. We can’t serve both. So we either serve God or we don’t. So the next time that you get paid, you can choose to serve God or mammon.

Just a Thought,
PSS
Legacychurch.com

In our society, we have replaced obligation and responsibility with rights and privileges. People are fighting for their rights, what they deserve and what they want because they perceive something is unfair. In doing so, we do not take care of our obligations and responsibilities. It’s unfortunate that our society has moved towards this line of thinking. Excuses are abundant, from our President, who is always quick to blame someone else, to the attitude that it’s “never my fault,” to the herds of companies that don’t do the right thing with other people’s money. This attitude is destroying our country. “Responsibility” comes from the root word “response,” which means “constituting a reply or a response.” In essence, to be responsible means an action or reply is demanded!

You hear the saying, “pay your fair share,” and what we need to ask ourselves is who determines what is fair? We should take responsibility for our lives, our decisions, and do the right thing every time. If we seek to do that, everything will get better and healthier for the next generation. A failure to do so will doom our society and things will get worse instead of better.

Just a Thought,
PSS
Legacychurch.com

Have you ever thought about the statement, “Things happen for a reason?” I think sometimes people think like this as a way to absolve themselves from any responsibility for what happens. At other times, it could be a coping mechanism to help them through a tough or hurtful situation. I believe that, for the most part, things do happen for a reason.

One mom said, “Everything happens for a reason, but sometimes the reason is because you’re stupid and make bad decisions.” I wonder why people have a hard time taking responsibility for their actions and decisions and want to lay it off on someone or something else. Sometimes people use this reasoning to blame God or to justify some decision they have made that didn’t work out. Again, maybe this is a coping mechanism to keep their sanity through a difficult time.

Taking responsibility is the first step towards change and becoming healthier as a person. To accept the things we have done and the choices we have made and leaving them in the past is the only way we can truly be better and live better.

Just a Thought,
PSS
Legacychurch.com

I’ve noticed that the happiest people I know are people who give of themselves and their resources. On the other hand, the most miserable people I know are selfish and greedy. Coincidence? We should develop a heart for giving. Once we learn this principal and apply it to our own lives, I believe we’ll have more joy, peace and happiness. In church terms, people think that if they tithe, they are givers. Even though it all begins with tithing, (and every Christian should give their tithes to a local church) in reality, tithing is returning to God what is rightfully His. Giving starts after the tithe, not before it. You return a tithe, and give an offering. Being a giver means that you give as the Holy Spirit prompts or directs. God is a giver and we should act and think like Him. We don’t give to get, we just give. Our society has become more selfish and as believers, we sometimes listen to the world and its’ philosophies instead of honoring God and obeying His Word. Let’s learn to become true givers and watch how God restores peace, joy and happiness back into our lives. The word “blessed” means: “happy, fortunate, to be envied.” Let’s be that.

Just a Thought,
PSS
Legacychurch.com