THURSDAY , MAY 26
Scripture: Matthew 23:16-19

Probably one of the most shocking verses in the New Testament that the Lord ever illuminated to me was Matthew 23:19 which says, “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?” I realized in my teaching I had made the gift greater than the altar that sanctifies the gift and the Lord says just the opposite. He said there is something more important than the gift the person is giving, and that is the condition of the place they put it into. It is the altar that consummates the gift. I had always taught that if people were not blessed, then it was obvious that it was because they were not giving. I had to alter that because the Lord opened my eyes to the truth in Matthew 23:19. Two things converge whenever we give: one is our obedience to the Holy Spirit and two is the condition of the altar where we put it. When those two come together, then the gift is sanctified and the covenant is consummated. That means we have the promise of blessing.