Tithing and charities

Fr. Mario Subjuanite, is one of my favorite priests who delivers his homilies well; the flocks can relate to it.

Among other things, Fr. Mario mentioned about the rich Americans who ended up paupers and some committed suicide. They were heads of big companies, earning big income. Why did they end up in this situation. Did they not share their riches to the poor, did they help the Church?

I would like to call your attention to the Word of God below, especially the highlighted ones.

Luke 12:32-48

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

When we earn, we have to tithe to Churches that tell the truth about the teachings of God, those that do not lead the people astray. Give out to charities to really help the poor and not for your own glory.

Tithing of 10% should not be based after net of taxes or after deductions, but should be based on the gross.

Malachi 3:10

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food on my house. "Test me on this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it.

Unpaid Loan

In our desire to help people who are in need, we extend personal loan without collateral, in the hope that they would pay it voluntarily.In most cases, the debtor, tries to avoid the creditor. The world gets smaller and smaller for the debtor. On the part of the creditor, when the need for that money comes to him, it is difficult to run after the creditor.

This is a wise advice for the creditor from Denny Lyon:

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

Visit Denny's blog at:
http://thesocialpoets.blogspot.com/2010/07/funny-brain-quotes-cheeky-quote-day-28.html

For the debtor, this is my advice:

Pay whatever you owe to another person, or a company, big or small, settle it.
The Bible says :
Romans 13:8

Let no debt remain outstanding;except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

Ford Explorer 2011

The 2011 Ford Explorer is a beauty, easy to handle economically.
To have it,you have to have a strong desire for it; dream about it, and then act on it.

Go to:

http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/explorer/

Alms Giving

When you give alms, don’t blow the trumpet.

When you give alms to the poor, it doesn’t have to be announced for the people to know. When we give, it is our desire in heart to help. When you’re able to help, don’t you feel that gladness in your heart, the happiness showing in your face. At least that is what I feel. Your motivation may be different.

If you give sincerely, it is the Lord who will pay you back, multiplied.

1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 2 When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4 so that your alms giving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 5 “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 16 “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Generosity multiplied

I joined LinkIn, a group of professionals in their area of expertise. One of the discussions is about giving out of calling cards. There were so many responses to the question if it is alright to include the email in the database of the recipient. Some said no, some said yes. One responded saying that he doesn't mind receiving emails by people who got his calling card. I replied to this person and I said I agree with him. That I am open to opportunities, and sent him two of my websites.

You know what, he replied, saying that "it's funny, but I have a back pain and neck pain".

You may say this is a coincidence. But out of the 11 blog sites I have, I sent him only two and they are: http://ipodmaxzeny.blogspot.com and http://pinoymineralalkaline.blogspot.com. the latter site deals with ailments and recommendations on how to deal with the ailments.

I sent him a sample of the product. I don't normally give out samples, but because of his good nature about the calling card, I gladly responded to his request.

This proves my point about giving out (his giving of the calling card, that he is not bothered if his email is included in the database of the recipient.
Isn't the return to him multiplied, if he gets healed of the pain that has been bothering him for sometime already.

Visualization

If we don't think that we would be achieving our goal, we rational that anyway, I don't really need it. We stop dreaming, so we become lethargic. If you have a dream or goal,you will be propelled to move to reach that dream.

Do you know that when I saw a mini car driven by a woman, I fell in love with that car. It was always in my mind. I dreamed that I was driving it, although at that time I didn't know how to drive. It was there in my waking hours and during sleep. I was obsessed with it.

After a few months, i was given a company car, with exactly the same make of car.

Don't stop dreaming, visualize what you want to have, not just your needs.
God wants us to prosper, but don't you ever forget His precepts.

If you want to have a yacht, visualize, have that burning desire; and always be thankful of your daily blessings .

Life is like a Pendulum

Life is like a pendulum. You may be up now, and be down sometime.

Some people who came from the bottom ladder, will eventually be up the ladder of success, because they are driven to achieve the ladder of success no matter what. Some become snooty, trying to cover up for their humble beginnings, looking down on people who were like them once upon a time.

Some try to ingratiate themselves to those who have more than they have, to benefit themselves, but don’t care for the poor because they will not have any financial gain from them.

Be reminded of these passages from the Lord:

Proverbs 14:31

He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their maker
But whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Proverbs 22:9

A generous man will himself be blessed,
for he shares his food with the poor

And success goes to their head, show disrespect to the elders.

1Peter 5:5

Young men, be submissive. To those who are older. Clothe yourself with humility toward one another.

There is an idiom in Pilipino: “Kung ano ang taas ng lipad, siya ding lakas ng pagbagsakas”. (the higher you fly, the heavier is the fall.) This refers to people who have forgotten their beginnings and the help showered to them by their neighbor.

So you may be up now, but you will have to go down. Better learn from the wisdom of the Lord.