{Open Heavens} THIEVES IN THE SANCTUARY II – Thursday October 6th 2016
THIEVES IN THE SANCTUARY II – Thursday October 6th 2016
Memorise: Thou therefore which teachest another; teachest not thyself?
Thou that preachest a man should not steal, does thou steal? Romans 2:21
Read: 1st Samuel 2:12-17, (KJV)
2:12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.
2:13 And
the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered
sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething,
with a flesh hook of three teeth in his hand;
2:14 And
he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the
flesh hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh
unto all the Israelites that came thither.
2:15 Also
before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the
man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not
have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
2:16 And
if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently,
and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him,
Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
2:17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.
Bible in one year: Ezekiel 37:15-39:29, Psalms 74:12-23
MESSAGE
The
worst of all thieves in the church are the ministers who take the
tithes, offerings and the first-fruits collected from member for their
personal use. You hear them say, “He who serves at the Altar must eat
from the Altar.” As true as this statement may be, custodians of the
Lord’s sanctuary should be wary of greed and the love of money. Open
Heavens 6 October 2016:-Thieves in the Sanctuary II 1st Timothy 6:10-11 says:
“For
the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through
with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee all things; and follow
after righteousness, godliness, faith, love patience, meekness.”
In
the Bible reading for today, the children of Eli corrupted the people’s
sacrifice through greed. Unfortunately, the same thing is happening
today; some ministers of God, through greed, have made the tithes,
offerings and first-fruits that people bring to the sanctuary
unacceptable to God. Sometimes, members of the congregation suspect this
foul play and begin to ask the ministers in charge what they use their
tithes and offerings for. Though the ministers should be accountable to
God through men, however, the tithes and offerings become an abomination
before the Lord when the givers monitor it to the extent of wanting to
know what God does with it. This is the reason some people claim to be
paying their tithes and offerings and there is nothing to show for their
giving. 6 October 2016 open heaven.
In Matthew 6:3-4, Jesus Christ said:
“But
when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand
doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in
secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
It
is dangerous when brethren are not being encouraged or motivated to
give more because they do not have anything to show for their previous
giving. This happens when they begin to develop a negative attitude
towards the way their pastors handle the finances of the Church. Some
people leave their local assembly to go and pay their tithes and
offerings elsewhere. This is counterproductive. Hence, the ministers
handling God’s assets must be very careful. They must not become thieves
in the sanctuary. The Lord enjoins us to fight the good fight of faith,
lay hold on eternal life whereunto we have been called, and keep away
from the love of this world. If it is dangerous to rob God by not paying
our tithes and offering, it is deadly to steal out of the one that the
brethren are faithfully contributing for the advancement of the Kingdom
business. We must learn from the children of Eli and the children of
Samuel himself (1st Samuel 8:1-5).
Prayer Point
Father, please deliver me from the demon called mammon and don’t let me end up like Judas Iscariot.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye
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