In Deuteronomy Chapter 14, the Israelites are given detailed instructions on tithing beginning in verse 22.  If followed, God would be pleased.  Anything less was unacceptable.  Remaining in good standing with the God of the universe is always costly because it requires our whole being .  Denying ourselves something we value and giving it to God demonstrates in a concrete way that God is placed as the highest value in our lives and in our hearts. Anything less is idolatry in God’s eyes. ...

This psalm reveals God’s judgment of the wicked as opposed to the outcome of those who remain pure in heart and continue to seek God.  The writer (presumably David) may have been thinking about doing something that God had forbidden, for in verse 2 he says, “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold”. The writer had looked around and noticed that some people seemed to “have it all” with no apparent problems, great prosperity and good health. He also observes...

We live in a frantic, fast paced culture that lives by the mantra, “If you are not moving forward, then you’ll get left behind.”  In the...