A missionary once asked a new convert, “Pablo, if you had a hundred sheep, would you give fifty of them to the Lord’s work?” He answered, “You know I would gladly give them.
“Pablo, if you had fifty cows, would you give twenty-five to the Lord’s work?” “Yes, you know I would be more than happy to do that.”
Again the missionary asked, “Pablo, if you had two pigs, would you give one of them to the Lord’s work?” “That’s not fair,” Pablo replied. “You know I have two pigs.”
Many people are extremely generous in theory but not in practice. They say, “If I only had a million dollars, I would give half of it away.” This is simply not true. If we aren’t faithfully giving even ten percent of our money right now, we wouldn’t give away half a million dollars if we had it. (Written by Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, p. 151-152)
The word "give" is used over 1,500 times in the Bible. When we look at what Jesus had to say about giving, we discover that Jesus was much more interested in the motive of the giving, rather than the amount of our giving.
For the Israelites, God commands specific offering requirements. Since the Levites were the priest, they were solely reliant on the first-fruits of crops and the best of animals. The offerings were used to help the spiritual work that God required.
2nd Corinthians 8:7 describes the importance of excelling in grace giving. The Apostle Paul said, "Just as you excel in everything else, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in your love for us, see that you also excel in this grace of giving." God wants us to grow in giving, as much as you grow in faith, in love, and in knowledge.
Growing up attending church gatherings every week, I saw the “collection plate” passed out to everyone every time. Everyone around me put money into the “plate.” My dad would give all his six kids a quarter so we would have money to put into the “plate” too. I never quite understood the point of giving until I grew up a bit a saw the value of supporting the spiritual work of the church body.
Over the years, I have discovered the importance about giving:
Giving shows our appreciation for our blessings – We know that God is the source of all that we have. He's the source of our life. He's the source of our abilities. He's the source of all the natural resources.
Giving shows our commitment to the church – God does not want your money. He wants YOU! He wants your life. He wants you to commit yourself to Him. Remember, our commitment and faith in God will give the resources necessary to grow a great church!
Giving shows our commitment to the poor – That's why Proverbs 19:17 says, “When you give to the poor it's like lending to the Lord and He repays wonderful interest on your loan.”
God is in the business of blessing His children abundantly. When we give out of our own poverty, God gives out of His own richness. He gives so much more than we can ever imagine.
Remember, Be God Controlled!
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