Josh here,

The last couple weeks I've been house painting. We've had beautiful weather for mid-November, and I've been pleased to be able to paint most every day. Some people don't like painting, but I really enjoy it, especially with good quality paint, like Sherwin-Williams. I simply love that company! Their products are absolutely superior, the customer service is fantastic, and the people are so friendly and knowledgeable. However, that's not what I wanted to post about.

What I like most about painting is the fact that it is a completely brainless endeavor, which leaves me free to listen to my MP3 player all day long without the need to pause and calculate numbers or think about the job at hand.

I've been listening to the lectures from Summit Ministries (http://www.summit.org/), a worldview seminar for kids and/or adults to teach them how to know and live Biblically. It's a fabulous ministry that brings in excellent speakers, pastors, authors, professors, and other top-notch Christian leaders. Good stuff. Let's move on to another idea for the moment:

I just finished my morning bible time, with 1 Cor 15, which end with that glorious verse 58: "Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Gosh, I love that verse!

Here are another couple of great ones:
Jesus came "so that we would have life, and have it to the full," and "our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (John 10:10, and Rom. 8:18).

One of the Summit speakers was talking about spiritual gifts, and as he read 1 Cor, he noticed that there was no gift of 'Bible reading,' but since the Bible commands Bible reading, he realized that it was a matter of obedience or disobedience. Likewise, there was no gift of prayer, but that it was a matter of obedience or disobedience. Same with tithing - it's a command, not a spiritual gift, and a tithe is 10% (that's what the word means - 'tenth'. Offerings are above and beyond the tithe.) It's a matter of obedience or disobedience. Going to church, sharing the Gospel, and a great many other things are not spiritual gifts, and they're not optional - they are commands from the Lord who saved us. According to some statistics, only a small percentage of Christians tithe. Campus Crusade reports that only 2 to 3 percent of Christians witness to others on a regular basis.

One of the great quotes I heard on these Summit lectures was this: "It isn't that we believe one way and live another - the point is that we really don't believe." (Dallas Willard). John Stonestreet maintains that "we may not live what we profess, but we will live what we really believe."

If you really believe that God will provide, then you will tithe 10%. If you really believe that you're speaking to God almighty Himself who actually listens, then you will pray. If you really believe in the Great Commission and that our witnessing can lead people to eternal salvation, then you will share your faith (and ask your pastor to start a class or sermon series on how to do that).
In the same way when Moses was whining to God about being sent to bring Israel back to Mt. Horeb, God told him (Ex 3:12) that the sign of God's sending him would be that they will return and worship God on that mountain. I always thought that was backwards - first God gives then sign, and then the prophet knows he's being sent. Here God reverses it - he sends the prophet first and the sign that he's being sent comes afterward.
So it is with us today - God commands us to tithe, read, pray, witness, help, etc, and only afterward will we see His power displayed in those areas. So therefore my dear brothers, stand firm! Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, for we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.
God Bless!
Josh