Heavenly Father
has called me to write a book entitled “To Love and Serve”
The
Lord has called me to bring to light the greatest commandment of them all – Matthew
22:37-40 – love the Lord your God
with all your heart, love your neighbor as yourself. The basis of this book
and it’s foundation can be found in Deuteronomy 10:12, 13 – where he calls us to fear the Lord your God,
to walk in his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul. This book will take a look at the meaning of
love, from the prospective of God’s love for us, our love for God, and our
neighbor. We will begin to define how to achieve true love in our life. We will
take a look at God’s promises and his commands. We will then begin to explore
and come to understand what God was telling us to do when he said, serve the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. We will take a broad
view of what it means to serve God and serve man. We will take a look at love
and service, how men function in this world apart from God and finally we will
understand our Father’s eternal plan of salvation for each and every one of us.
Where did we come from, why are we here and where do we go after death.
Introduction
God’s will, our will, knowing God’s will, following
God’s will. The call to “love and serve.” God’s definition of love – the call
to love. Man’s definition of love. God’s charge to love. God’s definition of service.
Obstacles to love and service. Overcoming obstacles to love and service. Man’s
view of the world. God’s view of the world. Expectations and Assumptions. The
opposite of To serve – To take. To serve – is a gift, to be a servant, to
prepare and offer, to supply service to, wait on, to be of assistance to,
benefit. Servant – one
who serves another. Prepare –
to make or get ready for some purpose, task or event. Offer – to prepare for acceptance, tender. To propose as
payment. Jesus Christ paid the
ultimate sacrifice on the cross to die for us, for our sins. In 1
Corinthians 6:20 – Heavenly Father tells us “We are not our own, we were
bought at a price, therefore honor your God with your body.” In 1
Corinthians 7:23 – Heavenly Father once again says “You were bought with a
price, do not become slaves to men.” What is a slave – a person who is
bound in servitude as the property of a person or a household. A person
completely controlled by a dominating influence. Supply – make available for use, furnish. To provide what
is lacking or needed! To fill sufficiently, satisfy. Wait – to be in attendance. To
serve. To be prepared or ready. Assistance
– to help; aid. The act of assisting. Act – the process of doing, action. Something done; deed.
To take action. To function, serve. Action
– the process of action or doing. An act or deed. Give – to make a present of. To place in the keeping or
possession of. To bring forth, produce. To furnish, provide. To donate,
contribute. Take – to get
possession of. To carry or cause to go with one to another place. To grip or
hold with the hands. To convey or conduct to a different place. To remove from
an occupied position. To assume for one’s self. To make use of, occupy. To
require or need. To accept or receive.
If
the opposite of giving is taking, then the opposite of to love is to hate. Hate
– to feel animosity or hostility toward, detest. To have distaste for. Feel
– to undergo the experience of. To be aware of, sense. To believe, consider. Feelings
– sensibilities. A mental awareness. A distinct mood or impression. Opinion,
belief. Sentiment. Intuitive, cognitive, hunch. Emotional and intuitive
awareness. Easily moved emotionally. When we are called to love by God, we are
called to hate by Satan. When we are called to serve by God, we are called to
take by Satan. To serve is to look outside oneself; to take is to obtain for
oneself. Slow down you are going too fast, you have got to make the
moment last. Stewards, or Stewardship – Melchizedek priesthood –
power in administering outward ordinances. Melchizedek Priesthood – keys
of spiritual blessings of the church. Aaronic Priesthood – Keys of
ministering of angels and to administer in outward ordinances the letter of the
gospel baptism for repentance for the remission of sins. Tithing – Tithe – A
10th part of one’s income contributed voluntarily for charity or due
as a tax for the support of the church. Income – Money or it’s
equivalent received in the return from work, from a business, or as profit from
investments. Interest – A claim of legal share in something. Return on
invested capital. Surplus – An amount or quantity beyond what is needed
or used; excess. Properties – Something owned, especially real estate.
The exclusive right to own something; ownership. The character, trait, quality
or attribute. Joseph Smith commands us to tithe 10% of our interest annually,
and of our surplus properties. I looked up the following and nowhere under the
definition of invest, surplus or properties did I find any of the following. D&C see 119. Do we tithe from
monies from our pre tax income or our after tax income. What if we take a loss
in our business, our investments, do we factor that against our income or our
annual gain? Do we tithe 10% only after our surplus thus taking into account our
expenses? What do the scriptures tell us about tithing? Malachi 3:8-10 –
How will you rob me in tithes and offerings. Bring your whole tithe into the
storehouse that there may be food in my house. I believe it is clear here that
we are to give; it doesn’t say how much but it states we are to give. Let’s
look more – Leviticus 27:30-33 – A tithe of everything from the
land, belongs to the Lord. If a man redeems any of his tithes he must add a
fifth value to it. The entire tithe of the herd and flock every 10th
animal will be holy to the Lord. Redeem – to regain possession of by
paying a specified sum. To pay off. To turn in and receive something in
exchange. Everything – all factors or thing that exist or are pertinent.
Genesis 14:20 – Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. Genesis
28:22 – All that you give me I will give you a tenth. Deuteronomy 26:12 –
When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third
year, the year of the tithe. Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honor the Lord with your
wealth with the first fruits of the crop. 2 Corinthians 9:7 – Each man
should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under
compulsion because God loves a cheerful giver. 1 Corinthians 16:2 – On
the first day of the week each of you should set aside a sum of money in
keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will
have to be made. Alma 13:5 – even our father Abraham paid tithes of one
tenth of all he possessed. What have we learned about tithing and what has God
instituted and what has man instituted. It is abundantly clear to me that we
are called to tithe to bring about the furtherance of God’s kingdom on earth as
it is in Heaven. It is also clear to me that we are required to cheerfully set
aside for the building of his kingdom one tenth of that which we posses for the
offering of sacrifices equally from the land or from our flock. Since most of
us don’t have land, fruit or flocks the Lord requests we offer one tenth of our
annual interest or surplus properties. In the Old Testament times we were to
give one tenth of everything. I do believe we are to give annually. Looking at
all of this and looking up the words I have concluded that for me and my house
that I will cheerfully live as instructed by God. I will give one tenth of my
annual interest and one tenth of my annual surplus. No where in the bible does
it mention the word wage or income. Wage – remuneration for labor or
services. A fitting return for a just desert. Income – money or it’s
equivalent received in return for work, from a business or as a profit from an
investment. Giving one tenth of our annual income and or wage is a man made
command. In the old days men tended to their herds (flocks), tilled the soil
(farmed), planted fruit tree’s etc. They also performed labor for hire, they
made things. Isn’t it interesting that God only mentions fruits, foods, flocks,
grains, oils etc? There is no mention of one tenth of their wage. he also makes
it very clear that we are to give one tenth of everything. What is everything?
Our homes, our possessions, our monies, our investments – what? Joseph Smith
told us to give of our surplus, properties and our interest. Again no mention
of income. No mention of pre tax or after tax, losses due to bad investments. I
guess if you had a bad year farming, tending to your vineyards or trees or all
your flocks were destroyed, you would not have one tenth to give. It would
fluctuate year by year depending on your success. Is it practical to give one
tenth of everything – I don’t think so. What about gains or losses on paper but
not realized. In the stock market we make investments, year in and year out we
have unrealized gains and losses. In other words they are still investments,
un-liquidated. These should not be counted in. Only realized gains and losses
and then only after taxes which are paid to the government can we give of our
surplus. We can’t give what we don’t have, if the government levies a tax on
our wages or income it is therefore not all ours only a portion of it is ours,
the balance is due to our king and ruler, the government. Tax – a
payment imposed upon a person or group for government support. A place or tax
on income property or goods for the use and benefit of the government or a
king. To make excessive demand on. Impose – to enact or apply as
compulsory. To obtrude or force. To take unfair advantage. Compulsory –
using or exerting compulsion; coercive. mandatory. Compulsion – the act
of compelling or the state of being compelled. Compel – to constrain,
force. Force – to open or break down by force. Energy or strong power.
The use of such power. A group organized or available for a certain purpose. To
move something or somebody against resistance, push. To inflict or impose one’s
will. Obtrude – to thrust oneself or one’s ideas on without invitation.
Jesus Christ tells us to pay Caesar what is Caesar’s – Matthew 22:21 –
Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s. Paying taxes
to Caesar – Matthew 22:15-22 – We are required to pay taxes as told to us
by Jesus Christ. Article of Faith #13 – We believe in being subject to
Kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates in obeying, honoring and sustaining
the Law. The law of the Lord requires us to pay taxes, we are obligated, and we
have no choice in the matter. Taxes are imposed on us, we are compelled even
forced to pay them under the threat of imprisonment. Therefore the monies we
receive after paying the taxes can be considered our true wage or income. I
will pay tithing on my true wage or income and then only after I factor in my
realized gains or losses from my investments.
Tithe
Equation
Gross
Income – Taxes = Not Income
Investments
+ realized gains – realized losses = Net realized gains or losses.
Net
income + Net realized gains or losses = Net gain (interest or surplus) x .10 =
Tithe
Factoring
in business gains or losses. I believe for the purpose of tithing one should
factor in net gains or losses from a business venture if monies have been
received or monies have been paid out as a result of that business venture.
Monies received – taxes = additional income and should be counted in gross
income. Monies spent or invested in the business that depleted one’s investment
thus incurring a gain or loss in that investment or savings should be realized
as a net gain or loss in investments if the money originated there. If we put
money into our business which came from our personal investments and we
experienced a realized gain or loss against those investments that should be
calculated in. There is to be no carry forward of gains or losses in a prior
year on a future year, each year stands on it’s own. Each year should be viewed
independent of any other year. Why do I even look into this because I was
confused by the Law of Tithing as it related to me and my family. I know that
God and Jesus Christ are the same, yesterday, today and forever – Hebrews
13:8 – and God is not a God of confusion. D&C 132:8 – behold my
house is a house of order, saith the Lord God and not a house of confusion. In Nephi
2:4 – we see the spirit is the same yesterday today and forever. D&C
20:12 – Same God, yesterday, today and forever. I did not want to be
deceived by the precepts of men. God has told us to be careful to obey his word
and not be deceived by the unlawfulness of men. Romans 16:17-19 – A
warning not to be deceived he said watch out, men will put obstacles in your
way that are contrary to the teachings you have learned. Keep away from them.
For such people are not serving the Lord. By smooth talk and flattery they
deceive the minds of naïve men. Ephesians 5:6 – Let no man deceive you
with empty words. In James 1:22 – we are told do not merely listen to
the word and so deceive yourself, do what it says. When we are in confusion as
to what the word of God is saying to us, he asks us to pray receiving guidance
from the Holy Spirit and he will answer and hear our prayers. In Moroni 10:4
– we are assured the truth will be known to us if we ask our Father, with a
sincere heart, with real intent, having faith, he told us he would manifest the
truth by the power of the Holy Spirit unto us. James 1:5 – If any of you
lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding
fault and it will be given to him. I have struggled for years to know the truth
of God’s words where it came to the Law of Tithing. No man has given me a
satisfactory explanation and that is because I looked to man for an
explanation. When I searched the scriptures, prayed for wisdom not to be
deceived by men and to bring to light the truth of tithing as God had commanded
us, I arrived at the equation as I stated earlier. In Thessalonians 5:16
– Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this
is God’s will for you in Christ. I find peace and joy in the conclusion brought
forth to me by supplication and prayer, through the instruction and guidance of
the Holy Spirit to my brother Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father I have heard you
and do as thy will. In all things I must obey the commandments and commands of
our Heavenly Father. When I sin I need to ask him for forgiveness. My sins
affect my tithe. In Malachi 3:8 – we are called not to rob God of our
tithes and offerings. When we sin against God we are required to ask
forgiveness and forsake that which has caused us to sin. If we do this and
repent of our sins, our sins will be forgiven. Unfortunately there are
consequences imposed on us by God and man. Many of these consequences will
affect our income and our wage, our increase and our surplus. Is this God’s fault?
Certainly not! However it impacts his kingdom here on earth. A consequence of
sin robs God of the unobstructed furtherance of his will and purpose, which is
to bring about eternal salvation to all mankind. We all make mistakes, only
Jesus was perfect. Each of us must admit the folly of our ways (our sins)
(confess) and ask for forgiveness. Heavenly Father has said “Go and sin no
more, your sins have been forgiven”. In summary – I will pay tithes according
to my net realized gain in income and wages from labor, investments or
business ventures. I will impart to the storehouse of the Lord that which I am
requested to submit. I will not be deceived by man into believing otherwise. I
have counseled with spirit and this has what I have been instructed to do. I have
sinned causing a reduction in the Lord’s storehouse and an obstruction to his
purpose and plan however I have been forgiven and will not carry the guilt of
my transgression around my neck like a mill stone. I will find joy in
everything! As for me and my house, we choose to serve and be obedient to our
Lord and Savior and not man! Thank you Lord for this guidance, insight into the
further light and truth of your instruction. My soul is delighted to finally
have come to this realization and I commit to you today and follow your words
and commands. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I love you Lord. I am your
servant and steward of all you created! Steward – one who manages
another’s financial affairs or property. A person responsible for the household
affairs of a large institution, as in an estate. Storehouse – a building
for the storage of goods, warehouse. An abundant source or supply. There is no
mention in the bible in reference to stewards or stewardship or storehouse. D&C
78:22 – he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things. D&C
101:90 – and in his hot displeasure and in his fierce anger, in his time,
will cut off the wicked, unfaithful and unjust stewards and appoint them
portions among the hypocrites and unbelievers. D&C 104:13 – Lord
should make every man accountable as a steward over earthly blessings which I
have made and prepared for my creatures. D&C
104:54-57 – commandment concerning stewardship – Behold all these
properties are mine. Servant. Are we God’s servants – John 15:15
– I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters
business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from
my father I have given you. This is Jesus speaking. We are no longer to be
called servants of God but friends of God. Matthew 20:26-28 – Whoever
wants to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first
must be your slave. Just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to
serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Ransom – The release of
a detained person or property in return for payment. The price demanded or
payment made. I was trying to make a biblical connection to tithing and
stewardship of those earthly possessions that the Lord has put in our care. One
cannot be found.
Sunday
afternoon – church service 2:00 – Pastor Gonzales. Where two or three are
gathered together in Christ there will you be. Look for verse. Psalms 23 – usually the Psalm is read
at funerals. God created world 6 days, 7th day he rested. Commandment
– Keep the Sabbath day holy. Jewish Sabbath – Saturday. What is our
relationship with the Sabbath? Do we keep it? Yes. We don’t keep the Sabbath, I
live the Sabbath. Jesus came to bring order and peace to our lives. Do we
celebrate Jubilee – every day we celebrate Jubilee. We live in the Sabbath rest
of God every second of every day. We don’t just celebrate Sabbath, we live in
the rest of the Sabbath. Rest in God, take your time. In verse 5 – You prepare a table before me in
the presence of my enemies. In the midst of turmoil we are called to rest. We
are asking God to change the circumstances around us, we don’t need God to calm
the storm, we need to feel peace in our life. Dwell in the peace of God. In the
midst of toil, we are called to have peace, to rest. Don’t ask God to change
your circumstances or the turmoil, ask him to bring you peace. The peace that
God gives you passes all understanding. We never lose the peace of God. We need
to rest with God. Thy rod and thy staff will comfort me – verse 4. We are led through the valley of the
shadow of death. Peace be still! We do not walk alone, stand by the Grace of
God. Cannot have peace without faith. Opposite of peace is lack of faith. The
peace of God has nothing to do with your external circumstances. My peace I
leave with you, my peace I give you. Christ gives us peace. Slow down you
are going to fast you’ve got to make the moment last. Peace – the
absence of hostility. A state of harmony as between persons, concord. Freedom
from disquieting thoughts and feelings, serenity. Serenity – peaceful,
calm. Perfectly clear. Harmony – accord or agreement as of feeling or
opinion.
Q: When trust
is broken is there any way that it can be repaired, as in the trust between two
people. Trust – firm reliance in the honesty, dependability,
strength or character of someone or something. One in which faith or confidence
is placed. Care, custody. Reliance in something in the future; hope. To have or
place confidence in; rely. Assume or expect. To be confident, hope. To believe.
How can we begin to repair a broken trust relationship when we don’t even know
what trust is. What does the bible teach us about trust – Psalms 20:7 –
Trust in the name of our Lord and God. 37:3 – Trust in the Lord and do
good. 119:42 – Trust in his word. Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the
Lord and lean not on your own understanding. John 14:1 – Trust in God. Psalms
26:10 – The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds a man. What we read in the
bible is that we are called to trust God, not man. When we put our trust in man
there is the potential that men will let us down at one point or another. Look
once again at trust, trust is: Reliance – faith – confidence – care –custody –
hopes – confidence – rely – assume – expect – believe in someone or something.
What happens when our trust for someone or something is shattered, broken or
rocked? How does that make us feel, I don’t like the word make because it
implies to have control over it. Make – to cause to happen or exist. To
bring into being, create or fashion. To compel. To cause to be or become (make
our feelings known). That makes us feel insecure, abandoned, uncomfortable,
untrustworthy, suspicious, jealous, nervous, angry, bitter, lonely, terrified,
there is a feeling of lack, our needs are not being met. Are any of the
qualities listed above attributes from God? I think not! They all come from the
devil. Satan wants us to experience distrust, when we do our focus is off God
and on man. God’s request is that we trust him, man requests the same thing. In
God we can trust, even our money says “In God we trust”, in man we can trust
“if” and that is a very big “if”, if they are loving and serving the Lord with
all their heart and soul. Otherwise if we put our trust in man we will
experience pain and disappointment. The way to regain trust is to once again
reestablish our connection with our Lord and Savior. By recommitting ourselves
to following in the Lord’s footsteps we begin to break down the walls built by
Satan that surround us and imprison us. We must first admit that the trust
relationship is fractured then just as a doctor would we need to wrap the
fractured person in the love of Christ. Trust is built back gradually just as
it takes time for a bone to heal once it has been fractured, you can’t mend a
fractured bone overnight. With proper care, the relationship like the bone will
heal. Unlike the bone, our relationships have the possibility of becoming
stronger after they have been fractured. After you admit to one another that
the trust in your relationship has been broken, the two of you must come before
the Lord and ask forgiveness for your sins against the other. We must come to
him with a broken and contrite spirit and humbly request forgiveness of our
sins. Then we must forgive one another of our sins against the other and
finally we must forsake (not repeat) – to give up, forswear. To abandon
or desert – those behaviors which led to the fracture. We must learn from our
mistakes, we must learn to forgive one another, we must forsake our behavior
and we must forget the past completely. God will never forsake us, he will
never leave us, he will never let us down. We must put our trust and faith in
him not man. Trust in God leads to joy and happiness, trust in man leads to
pain, anxiety and despair. Is every problem in our society able to be solved
using the bible as a reference, a guide and a fix all. The answer is yes. For
all who diligently search for answers to those predicaments which bring them
pain and suffering the bible is the end all along with prayer. Reading the
bible in and by itself does nothing. The bible is not a self help book, it is a
work manual designed to provide the reader with a ready set action plan for
your defense against evil – Satan. Knowledge is said to be linked with power, I
would add utilization of knowledge has the potential of power. Power being
defined in a positive context. It is something to be blessed with knowledge, it
is another thing all together to put that knowledge into action. In order for
change to take place in our life we must be willing to put into action the
necessary changes accompanied by wisdom and belief – faith that by applying the
new principles will in effect alter our current state of being for the
positive. The bible can do that along with a dictionary. The dictionary helps
us decipher the true meaning of the words, not necessarily the intent of the
writer nor the context. The dictionary gives us further insight into the
meaning of words as established by man. Hopefully they have remained uniform
throughout the centuries and the meaning we associate with a particular word or
phrase is the same as the writer intended to convey thousands of years ago.
That is all for now, good night Lord.
Law
of Moses.
I was speaking with someone regarding the law of tithing asking him for his
opinion on the subject and he made an interesting comment. he asked me if I was
living under the law? I asked what law? he replied the Law of Moses? I
indicated I was not. he indicated that the law of tithing was instituted under
Levitical law or the law of Moses and as a result of the new covenant we are no
longer subjects or servants to the Law of Moses. Matthew 5:17 – Do you
think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets, I have not come to
abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:18 – Will by any means
disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 7:12 –
So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums
up the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:40 – All the law and the
prophets hang on these two commandments – love God, love neighbor. John 1:17
– For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth come through Jesus
Christ. Romans 6:4 – For sin shall not be your master, because you
are not under the law, but under Grace. Romans 7:6 – But now by
dying to what once bound us we have been released from the law so that we serve
in a new way of the spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. Romans
8:3 – For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the
sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of the sinful man
to be a sin offering. Romans 10:4 – Christ is the end of the law so that
there might be righteousness for everyone who believes. Love, there is a
whole section on love and what love is in Romans 12:9-21, Romans 13:8-14,
Galatians 3:24, 25. So the law was put in place to lead us to Christ that
we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come we are no longer under
the supervision of the law. Galatians 5:14 – The entire law is summed up
in a single command – love your neighbor as yourself. he was right we no longer
live under the law of Moses so where does that lead us when it comes to
tithing. Is this a man made concept taken from the law as set forth by Moses or
are we really instructed to tithe one tenth of every thing as Abraham did? I
remain steadfast in my belief and understanding that I will tithe one tenth of
my annual gain for the continuance of the building of the church of Jesus
Christ. I don’t believe this was even one of the Laws of Moses given to the
Levites. In the old testament times they offered one tenth of their herds and
fruits etc. as a sin offering. In Romans we clearly see that Jesus was brought
to this earth so that through him all might be saved who believed in him,
repented of his sins, was baptized for the remission of their sins and received
the gift of the Holy Ghost. By grace we are saved. Thank you Lord for this
further insight, light and knowledge. It is certainly a pleasure for me to
study the scriptures. Good night Lord!
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