Let no man say that he has made you rich except Almighty God!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Thoughts on Stewardship
Lesson No. 4 from Genesis
Let no man say that he has made you rich except Almighty God!
Foundation Scriptures: Genesis 14 verses 18-24
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the
priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be
Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed
be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And
he gave him a tithe of all. 21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram,
"Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself." 22 But Abram
said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most
High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing,
from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that
is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich'--24 except only
what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with
me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion." Genesis
14:18-24 NKJV
There was a battle that occurred between nine
kings —four on one side and five on the other. In the process, Sodom
and Gomorrah were plundered of goods and people and Abram's nephew,
Lot, and his family and possessions were taken into captivity. Abram
heard about it and took his servants—318 of them—and attacked, routed,
and ran them off. He took back the goods and the people, including Lot
and his family. When Abram returned, he was met by the king of Sodom.
The king asked for the people back, but told Abram to keep the goods
for himself. Abram flatly refused. He said, "I promised God that I
would take nothing that is yours, so that you can never say that you
made me rich!" God had promised Abram that He would greatly bless him
and He had. Everything Abram had was given to him by God and God alone
would get all the glory.
1. The hand of the Lord is on Abram's life
a. Abram goes with his servants and kills the enemy and plunders them.
b. He meets Melchizedek—priest of the Most High.
c. Melchizedek blesses Abram and Abram gave a tithe of everything that he had taken.
d. The Priest blessed Abram and Abram paid a tithe in worship to God for his deliverance.
e. Then the King of Salem came and wanted to make a deal with Abram.
Abram declared: I WILL NOT TOUCH EVEN A SHOE-LATCHET—I WILL NOT TOUCH
ANYTHING THAT IS YOURS. LEST YOU SAY I HAVE MADE ABRAM RICH. IN OTHER
WORDS: "LET NO MAN SAY, "I HAVE MADE ABRAM RICH," EXCEPT ALMIGHTY GOD."
Pastor Adonica's thoughts:
Abram's faith was in God alone. He had followed God out from his home
and family, had made God his source and supply, and he would never
again trust in man or the arm of the flesh. We are the children of
Abraham if, by faith, we have received Jesus as Lord and Savior. We
must fill our heart and head with the Word and promise of God. We must
see God always as our source and supply and not man. If you get your
eyes on man and expect people to meet your need you are bound to be
disappointed, because they will let you down. Some people use others to
get what they want or steal from them, because they see that as the
only way to get what they want. God says let the thief steal no more,
get a job, and give to those who are in need. Get your eyes on God. See
Him and Him alone as your source. Ask Him to meet your need. Expect Him
to answer your prayers. Don't drop hints to people. Don't ever look for
God's provision to come through a particular avenue. Let God meet your
need however He sees fit and praise Him for it!
Pastor Rodney's thoughts:
Over the years I have watched a very interesting scenario develop
between certain wealthy people and ministries. It is as though, on the
one side, these wealthy individuals desire to give, but they also want
there to be strings attached. They want to dictate exactly how that
money will be used. Now, it is possible to give a designated gift for
something specific, but that is different than trying to call the shots
and manipulate the minister or the ministry. Many a preacher has lost
the anointing because he became dependant on someone other than God
Almighty to direct and to guide him. Over the years I have walked away
from millions of dollars that had strings attached, because I realized
that the day I gave in and trusted in man to meet my needs, I would
lose the anointing as well as the ministry. Remember, when you give,
you are not giving to the preacher or the ministry, you are giving to
God. Remember that no one person or one thing is your source of supply
except Almighty God. He is your source of supply. Don't compromise your
integrity. Let no man say that he has made you rich except Almighty God!
Prayer and Confession:
Father, please help me to always keep my eyes upon you and to realize everyday that you alone are the source of my supply.
Recent:
Righteous Now
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP
“Therefore if any man be in Christ…” What does it mean to be “in Christ”? Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” You are baptized into Christ when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” And Romans 10:13 says, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The moment
Defeating Strife
These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19 AMP
Faith Facts
Faith is persistent
Luke 11:9-10 AMP
So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.
John 16:24 AMP
Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete.
Faith is single-minded
James 1:5-8 AMP
If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. 6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the