November 25, 2019 GIVING
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Proverbs 18:16 “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
God is a giver, and once we understand our new identity as sons and daughters of God, that we have been made new, that we that we have been joined to Him, we also become givers. In 2 Peter 1:4 is an amazing verse in that we learn that we “may become partakers of the divine nature,” and giving is a part of God’s nature. If we revert to our old nature-who we use to be-we begin to focus on getting; but if we walk according to the Spirit-our new nature-we focus on being a giver just as our Father is a giver. Giving is not just about giving money or financial support, all though that may be what we do as God provides. As we walk in the new us, giving becomes a way of life-an attitude of the heart and the mind; we have a spirit of giving and it becomes evident in all we do. When we give out of our new nature, we do so not begrudgingly, reluctantly or under compulsion, but with a sense of cheerfulness. When we understand giving in the kingdom of God, we give because we want to give; we enjoy blessing others, and as we give, we are blessed. I have often heard well-meaning ministers say that ‘We should prove what God says and give-and watch how God gives back to us.’ There is an element of truth in that, but also an element of error in that view. If we ‘give to get,’ we miss the point. We give out of who we are in Christ whether we get something in return or not. At the same time, when we give out of our new nature, we are blessed because we are about the Fathers business; being about what God has for us to do is in and of itself a blessing. There is an endless number of ways to give, but just to name a few, we can give-a kind word, write a note of encouragement, buy someone a meal, help with a project, share a scripture, pray for someone, visit the sick, meet an urgent financial need if God so leads you to do so, teach a class-and the list goes on. Again, giving is not something we decide we should do, not just an act of our will (it is in an act of the will when we are walking by the Spirit-we ‘will’ to do what the Spirit leads us to do.) We give because that is a part of the new nature that God gives us. There may be times when you feel you cannot afford to give the time or money, but if the Spirit is prompting you to give, go ahead and give-God will meet your needs.
2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now He who supplies seeds to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
Acts 20:35 “…….It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Blessings,
Buddy
November 25, 2019 GIVING
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Proverbs 18:16 “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
God is a giver, and once we understand our new identity as sons and daughters of God, that we have been made new, that we that we have been joined to Him, we also become givers. In 2 Peter 1:4 is an amazing verse in that we learn that we “may become partakers of the divine nature,” and giving is a part of God’s nature. If we revert to our old nature-who we use to be-we begin to focus on getting; but if we walk according to the Spirit-our new nature-we focus on being a giver just as our Father is a giver. Giving is not just about giving money or financial support, all though that may be what we do as God provides. As we walk in the new us, giving becomes a way of life-an attitude of the heart and the mind; we have a spirit of giving and it becomes evident in all we do. When we give out of our new nature, we do so not begrudgingly, reluctantly or under compulsion, but with a sense of cheerfulness. When we understand giving in the kingdom of God, we give because we want to give; we enjoy blessing others, and as we give, we are blessed. I have often heard well-meaning ministers say that ‘We should prove what God says and give-and watch how God gives back to us.’ There is an element of truth in that, but also an element of error in that view. If we ‘give to get,’ we miss the point. We give out of who we are in Christ whether we get something in return or not. At the same time, when we give out of our new nature, we are blessed because we are about the Fathers business; being about what God has for us to do is in and of itself a blessing. There is an endless number of ways to give, but just to name a few, we can give-a kind word, write a note of encouragement, buy someone a meal, help with a project, share a scripture, pray for someone, visit the sick, meet an urgent financial need if God so leads you to do so, teach a class-and the list goes on. Again, giving is not something we decide we should do, not just an act of our will (it is in an act of the will when we are walking by the Spirit-we ‘will’ to do what the Spirit leads us to do.) We give because that is a part of the new nature that God gives us. There may be times when you feel you cannot afford to give the time or money, but if the Spirit is prompting you to give, go ahead and give-God will meet your needs.
2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now He who supplies seeds to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
Acts 20:35 “…….It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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