THIEVES IN THE SANCTUARY II – Thursday October 6th 2016
Memorise: Thou therefore which teachest another; teachest not thyself?
Thou that preachest a man should not steal, does thou steal? Romans 2:21
Read: 1st Samuel 2:12-17, (KJV)
2:12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.
2:13 And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered
sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a
flesh hook of three teeth in his hand;
2:14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that
the flesh hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh
unto all the Israelites that came thither.
2:15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to
the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not
have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
2:16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat
presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer
him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
2:17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord:
for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.
Bible in one year: Ezekiel 37:15-39:29, Psalms 74:12-23
MESSAGE
The worst of all
thieves in the church are the ministers who take the tithes, offerings and the
first-fruits collected from member for their personal use. You hear them say,
“He who serves at the Altar must eat from the Altar.” As true as this statement
may be, custodians of the Lord’s sanctuary should be wary of greed and the love
of money. Open Heavens 6 October 2016:-Thieves in the Sanctuary II 1st Timothy 6:10-11 says:
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee all things; and follow after
righteousness, godliness, faith, love patience, meekness.”
In the Bible reading
for today, the children of Eli corrupted the people’s sacrifice through greed.
Unfortunately, the same thing is happening today; some ministers of God,
through greed, have made the tithes, offerings and first-fruits that people
bring to the sanctuary unacceptable to God. Sometimes, members of the
congregation suspect this foul play and begin to ask the ministers in charge
what they use their tithes and offerings for. Though the ministers should be
accountable to God through men, however, the tithes and offerings become an
abomination before the Lord when the givers monitor it to the extent of wanting
to know what God does with it. This is the reason some people claim to be
paying their tithes and offerings and there is nothing to show for their
giving. 6 October 2016 open heaven.
In Matthew 6:3-4, Jesus Christ said:
“But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand
doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret
himself shall reward thee openly.”
It is dangerous when
brethren are not being encouraged or motivated to give more because they do not
have anything to show for their previous giving. This happens when they begin
to develop a negative attitude towards the way their pastors handle the
finances of the Church. Some people leave their local assembly to go and pay
their tithes and offerings elsewhere. This is counterproductive. Hence, the
ministers handling God’s assets must be very careful. They must not become
thieves in the sanctuary. The Lord enjoins us to fight the good fight of faith,
lay hold on eternal life whereunto we have been called, and keep away from the
love of this world. If it is dangerous to rob God by not paying our tithes and
offering, it is deadly to steal out of the one that the brethren are faithfully
contributing for the advancement of the Kingdom business. We must learn from
the children of Eli and the children of Samuel himself (1st Samuel 8:1-5).
Prayer Point
Father, please deliver me from the demon called mammon and don’t let me
end up like Judas Iscariot.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye
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