It Was on Tithe....

Sometimes I feel like I'm beating this topic to death, and I might be, but that doesn't make it any less important. This Sunday, we had a guest speaker come in and talk about marriage, which has absolutely nothing to do with tithe. That is, the sermon itself didnt.

Our lead pastor was there, and he gave the morning prayer, and then accepted the tithes and offerings. Tithes, and offerings, interesting that they always call it tithe and offerings, as if there is a distinction between the two. Make sense really, a tithe is the first fruits of our labor, and offerings is anything else above and beyond that.

So anyway, tithe. Our lead pastor, Lee Cummings, put it like this. God is all powerful, He created all things in this world, He knows all things, and therefore we often think He has everything... but He doesn't. Now I have been going to church most all of my life, but I gotta tell you, I have never heard tithe, put like this.

The only thing that God does not have in this world, is our honor. He doesn't have our honor, because He created us with free will, and we have to choose to honor God. Proverbs 3:9 says "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops." By giving tithe, you honor God, which is what He desires.

We talk with God in prayer, we worship God in song, we honor God in tithe.

Interesting really, as I write this all out, something else comes to mind, Honor, is defined with respect. Man was created in Gods image, because God desires honor, respect. Above all things, a man desires respect.

The guest speaker put it simply that, a man will do the dumbest things, just to hear his peers tell him he was great for doing it. We dont need to be loved, although its not to say we dont want it, what we need is respect.

The guest speaker made a point saying that Ephesians 5 is Gods flawless plan for marriage, and that most people will agree with the part that their spouse has to do, but often times, will overlook the part that they play. A woman needs unconditional love, because love is her paramount need, and a husband must fill this need, even though it is unnatural to do so. While love is natural to women, it is unnatural for them to fulfill mans paramount need: unconditional respect.

I'm going to end with the story of the Garden of Eden. First and foremost, there are some very important things we need to recognize. Adam was with Eve when she picked and ate the fruit. Adam, the head of the household, did not uphold his duty. Let me explain.

I am going to get picky here, because its in the details that we find Adams responsibility. Genesis 2:15-17 is where God commands Adam not to eat of the tree of wisdom. The important distinction comes in the very next verse, verse 18. "The LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'" Eve had not been created yet.

It is paramount that we understand this point, God gave His commandment to Adam, and as Adam is the head of the household, he needed to protect his wife, and share God's commandment with Eve. This is where we find the flaw with Adam, and essentially all men: we get lazy, and dont play the active role that we ought to play.

Adam has dominion over all creatures in the Garden, and he may have been there when the serpent was talking to Eve, I'm not sure, but we do know Adam was with Eve when she took the fruit. This is where we find the flaw in Eve. Eve, has an independent streak, as most women do. I want to be cautious here, because it is a very thin line. Ephesians 5 says for wives to submit to their husbands as you would to the Lord, however, the verse directly before that tells both man and woman to submit to each other.

There is a distinction here that we must note, the first verse, Eph 5:21 tells both partners to submit to each other out of reverence for Christ, and the second verse Eph 5:22 tells women to submit to their husbands as to the Lord. I think it is often misunderstood, or maybe taken out of context, because I dont think it means submit to your husbands commands. (Your husband should not be commanding you unless your doing something that is potentially dangerous to your well being.)

So when women are told to submit to their husbands, as they would to the Lord, think about the husbands paramount need: Respect. Think about how Man is created in Gods image, and God paramount desire is for us to honor Him. Its not that wifes must do as their husband commands, because a husband shouldn't be commanding, its that a wife should talk to her husband as if she was showing respect to God.

When you talk to a man, and you do so in a respectful manner, he will listen. When a husband cherishes his wife, she will show him respect. If your in a relationship where a spouse isn't fulfilling their part, the one in the know, gives way first. Its hard, and its difficult, its what Christ did for us. We were in error, we sinned, yet He forgave us before we asked for it. He sacrificed for us, and only after He died, did we acknowledge our own sin.

We will all be held accountable for our sins, men will be held accountable for loving their wives the way that Christ loved the church. Women will be held accountable for submitting to their husbands and they would to the Lord.

"Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." -Ephesians 5:33