And he requires everyone –small and great, rich and poor, free and slave– to be given a mark on his right hand or his forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name.

Here is wisdom:  The one who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man.  HIs number is 666.  Revelation 13:16-18  HCSB

Let’s face it, you can’t live on love, right?  We all need money to survive.  We spend all we have and then we spend what we don’t have thanks to those wonderful little plastic cards that we just slide into the slot to get what we want.  Some people spend money as if there is no tomorrow and they will never have to worry about paying it back, while others hoard it as if they fully plan on taking it with them.

Our scripture passage tells us that at some point here on planet earth, your money will be no good.  No matter how much money you have, you will not be able to buy or sell unless you accept the mark of the beast. Revelation 13 tells us that the first beast is coming to wage war on the saints (Christians) here on earth.  It tells us that everyone will worship him.  This is during the time of tribulation.  Remember, I have said before that it will be almost impossible for those not taken in the rapture to worship God during the tribulation.  In all honestly could you sit and watch your family starve, or would you just get the mark in order to feed them?

Those of us going to heaven will have no need for money up there.  We will be living in the lap of unimaginable luxury, compliments of our Lord and Savior. So what should we do with our money now?  Well, we should be wise with it.  Tithing is one of the wisest things we can do.  You see God does not need our money, but when we tithe, it shows complete faith in God for our finances.  It shows that we have complete faith that God will supply our every need.  We also need to manage our money wisely.  We need to be good stewards of the money that God provides.  And yes my friend, if you have a job, God has provided it.  If you don’t like your job, then tithe, trust God, do as He calls you to do and maybe He will give you something better. If not, then know that he has a good reason for you to be there.  Draw close to Him and figure out what it is that you are supposed to be doing while you are there.

We need to learn how to manage money according to biblical instruction.  We are clearly instructed in Malachi 3 to bring a full tenth into the storehouse.  We are told that when we don’t do this, we suffer under a curse.  We are told that when we do this that we will be blessed without measure.  So for those of you that say you can’t afford to tithe, I promise you that you can’t afford not to.

And if you still need some help with how to manage your money , check out Dave Ramsey’s website (daveramsey.com).  He has several books and tools to help you manage your money better.  The key to good money management is to have enough money to be able to readily help others in need.  Shakespeare said, “neither a borrower or a lender be”.  The bible has several verses that tell us that we should not lend expecting anything in return, but that we should freely give to those in need (Luke 6:34, Ezekiel 18:13).  I would rather have the means to graciously give to those in need than be one of those in need.  Tithing and proper money management helps us to achieve that.

Matthew 6:24 tells us that we cannot serve two masters, meaning God and money.  It tells us that we will hate one and love the other.  When we give it all over to God, this includes our finances. Follow God’s instructions on how to handle money and possessions and trust him to not only supply your needs, but bless you beyond measure.

I have always strongly believed in tithing.  I was struggling a few months ago and realized that I had miscalculated how much I should be tithing.  I was short by 25.00 a month.  I corrected that and praise God He is helping me to end my struggle.  Won’t you trust Him with your money today?  There is coming a time when money will do you no good, so why not manage it according to biblical instructions now?

Have a great day!