GIVING DOES NOT MEAN
MINISTRY RIGHTS

by Pam Clark

God is going to do a lot of housecleaning in His House. This needs to be welcomed as there is nothing better than course correction. Most of you know that if you are one degree off on a parallel line, what seems to be off a little at first becomes a great distance further on down. Our ministry walk with the Lord needs to constantly be fine tuned.

There is a law of sowing and reaping, and Oral Roberts is best known for explaining this subject in his book called "Seed Faith." Seed faith is a powerful concept; it can also be called the Law of Reciprocity - the receiving back multiplied what you give out to another.

Many people have tried to manipulate God in this in that they have felt that if you give money to a ministry then you should get money back as well, as if you hit the unbeatable investment deal.

But God does not deal with substance, which will pass away, as much as He deals with the heart. If we fail to understand this, we will miss great blessings and opportunity in the Kingdom.

"God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth." Those are the words of Jesus to the woman at the well. He was revealing His identity to her as the Messiah, what I would consider to be a very high honor as many in that day were struggling with that and to her He made it plain.

Being part Jewish (this is said jokingly here), she saw a offer she could not refuse! "You got water that makes more water??? Give me some of that! Such a deal!" Jesus, totally shrewd and cool says, "I Am the Living Water. He that comes to Me will have a well spring of Living Water!" She being open to the truth, in spite of her hard life, runs to tell the town that this is indeed the Messiah and they too believe, not because of another, but because of Him.

I don't know about you, but I want a God like that -- a God I can know personally and not one with a "middle man" of human flesh and blood. And you know what? It's offered!

That does not mean that God Almighty does not have a protocol; He does! But it does mean that you can access Him, coming boldly in to the Throne of Grace. If I am in the right protocol, there is a lot I can freely do, and access.

"The human heart is desperately wicked; who can know it?" the psalmist penned. And if you have walked with God in true relationship for any length of time, you know it, too. We all want our own way!!!

Living in a democratic society can have its drawbacks, even though it is the best society for individuals finding personal growth - IF you can abide by the standards of it. There is the common vote for the common good. But there are also rules here that must be followed in a system of checks and balances to maintain the proper structure.

In Galatians 3 the Scriptures state that "The Law is our Schoolmaster until faith comes." It also speaks about how a son is under tutors and masters until he comes of age, even though he has real rights to his house in governing. We cannot take on our kingship and priestly roles until we first are tutored.

We must first learn the servant's heart. That is one of submission. See, as you know, there is only One God. And until we learn how to serve and obey, we will not be put in charge of much.

Jesus is our example of Second in Command, and Joseph, Jacob's son, was a type and shadow of that as well. God has a Plan and we must learn His protocol to operate best in it.

Thought I changed the subject, didn't you? No, I didn't. Sowing and reaping is a fixed Law but the higher order is the will of God. God is a Spirit and so whatever we sow with our spirits first will be what we reap.

If we sow good will, we will reap good will. If we offer help in the time of trouble, we will reap help in the time of trouble and need. If we sow negative things, we will reap that as well.

See, we are in a warfare. The soil we plant in must be tended and guarded. I find the guarding to be the challenging part. Sowing from a born again heart is not all that hard. But fighting the devils off of the fruit of that crop is another thing altogether.

If we do not get a strategy, then whatever we plant may come up, but not in optimum, order, or use availability as needed.

Because there is One God, we do not get to pick and choose our reaping. "Paul planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." (Acts 3) But if we sow according to the will of God, then what we reap will be according to that Will and obedience, and what we need will be there when we need it!

There are many who give thinking that they are doing God a favor. They think that when they give they have a right to eat off of that other person's land. Well, in proper protocol they probably can! But if it is improper then what they sowed will not be reaped even though they have a right to it. They just have not obeyed their tutors who give them the instructions to life.

God will lead you in your sowing (giving). When you are young in the Lord, you should be under the tutelage of the local church and your tithes and offerings should go there. When you mature, God will lead you to give other places, not neglecting the house you are being raised in, but offering you opportunity to gain fruit from other ministries as well.

Greedy people will avoid their own house to gain from others outside of protocol. But God says to not forget your roots! A big tree can be mighty impressive with glorious foilage and fullgrown fruit but cut off the root and where is the tree? A year later it is in shame, withered and dried up, only fit to be burned in the fire.

Walking in the Spirit does not negate (or do away with) common sense! Wisdom is needed and necessary and Scripture says that wisdom brings great profit. I think we all want that, to the degree that God will allow it, that is.

Our giving does not serve us, it serves God who then provides gloriously for us.

All His Best,

Pam Clark