How the transgender movement helps us better understand the Bible’s teaching about spiritual growth.
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As you read the Old Testament, it’s clear that giving God tithes, or the first 10% of your income, is a big thing. It’s modeled by people like Abraham (Genesis 14:17-20) and Jacob (Genesis 28:20-22) even before the law was introduced. It’s commanded in the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 27:30). And when people neglect tithing, God equates it with robbing Him (Malachi 3:8). In the New Testament, it doesn’t seem to be mentioned as much. Understanding why helps us see how God’s vision for our finances has been transformed by Jesus.
What does the word “giving” do to your facial expression? Does it cause you to smile as you think of what your giving expresses to God and what it means to His mission? Or do you get that uncomfortable, feeling like when you realize you have overdue library books? Some people reading this know the joy of giving and have experienced the satisfaction of sacrificial generosity, both towards God and those in need. But inevitably there are others who know that the way they use their money isn’t honouring God. In Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, he gives four corrections that can help when you’re feeling guilty about your giving.
On Sunday, we hosted the second in our two-part parenting seminar with Paul Tripp. He helped us deal with what he felt was the biggest weakness in Christian parenting – dealing with the surface rather than the substance. He said that he often hears from parents about children who have gone off to university and leave the faith. Often, he felt, they hadn’t left the faith at all. What had happened was that children with a veneer of Christianity had stepped out from under their parents’ tight control and demonstrated that their faith really didn’t go beyond mere parental compliance. This, he sees, is the common product of parenting that aims to regulate behaviour without reaching the heart. Let me explain.