Genesis 47
Pharoah is feeding everyone in Egypt thru Joseph. However, there is a cost to the Egyptians... everything they have now belongs to Pharoah. They trade their land for food. They are now renters and are grateful to have to pay 1/5 of their harvests to Pharoah in order to eat and live. 1/5! Everytime I mention that scripture speaks of a tithe, 1/10 of all we have should be given to the Lord's work - I get some really strange looks - some not so pleased with me looks. Pharoah demanded more. Pharoah made them slaves. God has made us his own children - free to love and serve him - but - not forced.
It reminds me of what sometimes happens when you give some children a really good gift. Since they did not earn it, they don't take care of it and sometimes don't even use or play with it even though they may have begged for it in advance. However, if they have to work for it. If it costs them something, it is a little more precious in their site. Why is it that we think so little of God's free gifts to us and so much of what we earn with our own hands? Will we trade our (abundant) lives to be slaves to those things that we think will give us temporary life (abundance) in this world? Or... will we receive the freely given food that will give us eternal life? Slave to the world or child of God - that is the question?
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