The Grands Letter

Genesis 28:18-22, “So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he
had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top.
19 He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city
had been Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and will keep
me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear,
21 and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God.
22 “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.’”

One of my first jobs as a kid was gardening. That most often included mowing yards
by hand (no power mowers for home use then). Later, I got a job in a pharmacy,
delivering medications some two miles round trip. Later still, I worked in a mortuary.
What I learned quickly was that 10% of my earnings was to be given to the LORD.

As I grew, I never lost sight of what was to be given to the LORD for the furtherance
of His work. It never occurred to me that my paltry sum by itself amounted to virtually nothing. Only much later in life did I learn that the “however smalls” bundled together
was useful to the LORD in His earthly work. It became a spiritual discipline.

What’s more, my income grew, teaching me that no one can “out-give the LORD!”
In fact, the more I gave, the more my income increased. That led me to believer that
we “cannot out-give the LORD!”

I have to wonder if Jacob ever truly realized what he was saying when he said,
“…of all that You give me, I will surely give a tenth to You.” Follow Jacob’s life in the
Scriptures and you’ll see that he was right. Follow that principle and you’ll see that
It works for you, too. The more you give by faith, the more He ultimately returns.
You simply cannot out-give God!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom