
Listening to people in ministry who are always asking for donations, and being made to feel guilty if you cannot give to every one of them is I believe one of Satan's greatest tools to bring naive people into debt they cannot get out of, and some people have lost their homes listening to these people. These larger ministries also know how to track your spending if you donate online, or subscribe to their Youtube channels, and the TV ministries also track your giving. Many of them are over their heads in debt, and depend on donations to exist. I am not envious or jealous of these people, but am tired of seeing people taken advantage of, and the simple, but vital truth of Jesus' message being drowned in marketing schemes.
Act 20:34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
Act 18:3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
1Co 4:12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
Jesus hated merchandising, and drove out the money changers from the temple in a rage because of their evil tactics. After he did this, scripture tells us the lame came to him in the temple and were healed, very interesting.
Mat 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Mat 21:14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
God loves a cheerful giver, but he never expects people to do so to the extent that they can't meet their own financial responsibilities. Pay your debts, pay your mortgage, take care of your own responsibilities; then give what you can afford. Increase the giving according to the increase of your ability.
If your rich, and can give great sums, wonderful; I hope you look around at the homeless, the widows, and the orphans of this country, and see their plight. Your wealth could help a lot of folks who need a helping hand right now.
In the economy we are living in today, every dime we spend should be spent with wisdom, and frugality. People have become apathetic because we've had so much in this country. But taking these luxuries for granted will come to an end as calamities and weather disasters increase. Being thankful, and wise in our giving and spending will make the difference in how we all get through the coming year.
Lorna Couillard
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