Mathematics is the language with which God wrote the Universe. 

– Galileo Galilei

I love that quote! I believe God uses numbers in the Bible to speak to us too. Some examples with a quick insight are listed below:

• 1 - Unity and greatness of God the Father.
• 2 - Union: man and wife, Christ and the Church.
• 3 - Completeness, The Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Also, 27 books in the New Testament = 3 raised to the 3rd power.
• 4 - Creation. On the fourth day God created the sun, moon, and stars to mark times, (seasons).
• 5 - God's Grace towards humans. The first five of the ten commandments, (two sets of five),  deal with our relationship with God. 
• 6 - Human weakness: man created on the 6th day.
• 7 - Foundation of God's Word. There are 7 days in a week.
• 8 - New Beginnings. Baby boys were to be circumcised on the eighth day.
• 9 - Divine Completeness or finality. Christ died at the ninth hour. Also, there are 9 fruits of the Spirit: peace, love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
• 10 - Testimony, law, responsibility, and completeness of order. Ten is made up of 4 and 6, physical creation and the number of man.

The tithe is a tenth. The tithe is a test ultimately for our hearts. Pharaoh's heart was tested with ten plagues. There are ten commandments. Israel was tested ten times in the wilderness. Jacob was tested by his wages changing ten times while working for Laban. Daniel was tested ten days. Jesus speaks about ten virgins in one example and then ten lepers in another. Revelation 2:10 tells about ten days of testing. I want to encourage you in our testing. God wants us to be cheerful givers in everything He has given us. We can do this, with God's help. Be encouraged, He is there for you. Just call out to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7English Standard Version (ESV)

The Cheerful Giver

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully[a] will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

A Tithe

I want to share what God has been teaching me lately about tithing. Boy, do I need this too! It's a new year and a great time to learn more about God. Thanks to the church I've been attending I am learning a lot! 

I believe God is showing me that giving is truly a blessing. It begins with a tithe, (a tenth). For us to tithe it is in essence giving back to Him in order to take care of His bride, (the church).

But it's more than a tenth. It's the first! For example in Joshua the first city conquered in the promised land was Jericho. God instructed everything from that city was to be given to Him. He did not say conquer ten cities and give Him a tenth of each one. So, then we should give first instead of paying everyone else and then give to God. Giving when there's left overs is not a testimony of faith. 

Also in Exodus we are taught the principle of the first born to be God's. If it was an unclean animal, it had to be redeemed. If you think about it Jesus was/is God's first son. John the baptist introduced him to be The Lamb of God. Jesus was sacrificed in order for us to be redeemed because we are born unclean sinners. 

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,who takes away the sin of the world!

Let's put Jesus first!

Happy New Year!

     I just opened my 'Blessing Jar'! it was a gift from a good friend last New Year's Eve. As I read the papers I had placed in the jar from 2014 I was reminded how good God is.

     Now, all of last year was not good and perfect. We live in a fallen world. We rejoiced that my mom had come home in late 2013, only to have her leave us again in June. It is still such a struggle with my family to know that we have a mom, grandmother, great-grandmother that chooses not to be a part of her family. But, as my grandmother on my dad's side always said, "Every tub has to sit on its own bottom." How true that is, and every tub must take responsibility too, right?

     Back to the Blessing Jar - I am definitely doing it again this year! I took out each note I had written and gave thanks to the Lord for everything! This year I hope to write more, more detail, more about who was with me each moment. I seem to forget too easy and that is part of the reason I am blogging. To remember and document what the Lord has done.

     I encourage you to do a 'Blessing Jar'. Have fun. Decorate it. Write often, and praise Him.

Psalm 145:9New International Version (NIV)

9 The Lord is good to all;
    he has compassion on all he has made.

My First Blog!

I am writing this mainly because I want to document the things God has taught me and done for me. I also hope it might help or inspire at least one person. Thanks for reading!

"Listen and Obey the Holy Spirit"

We have the Holy Spirit within us if we have accepted Jesus Christ to be Lord of our lives.

Acts 5:32New International Version (NIV)

32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Just as Philip obeyed the Holy Spirit in preaching to the Ethiopian in Acts 8, so should we always obey. Sadly there have been many times I ignored the voice or promptings of the Holy Spirit. I want to encourage you today to be ready to hear from the Lord. 

Several years ago my mother-in-law was dying of breast cancer. I knew her time was short. We planned a family trip to go see her and spend Spring Break with her. Inside I heard the Holy Spirt saying, "Do this sooner." I thought Spring Break was soon enough. It was not. We ended up planning her funeral during Spring Break.

Just a little over eight years ago my dad was in the hospital recovering from open heart surgery. I had been visiting the hospital daily and we were hopeful. I was at home about to leave for the hospital, (knowing I needed to go--feeling the prompting by the Holy Spirit), but I lingered, playing on the computer, shopping a little --nothing important. I arrived at the hospital just a minute before they had to put him back on the breathing machine. That was my last opportunity to have a conversation with my dad here on this earth. 

You would think I would have learned. Sadly I'm pretty stubborn. Don't wait if the Holy Spirit is speaking, be ready to obey and rejoice in the blessings from the LORD!

John 14:26New International Version (NIV)

26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.