Matthew 6:19-21; 19:16-30; Proverbs 3:5-10; Ecclesiastes 11:1-6; 2 Samuel 24:18-24; Isaiah 43:23-25.
Prov.3.9 “Honor GOD with everything you own; give him the first and the best “. MSB
The subject of giving to support the gospel and it’s ministers is, perhaps, one of the most difficult aspects of the Christian life to practice, and the reason is not far fetched as we shall soon discover as we make progress in this message.
Permit me to say this, for some personal reasons: I am not a proponent of the prosperity gospel. As a matter of fact, in my entire ministerial duty, which has spanned almost four decades now, I don’t think that I’ve preached about giving as much as I have done about other Christian duties and obligations; I hardly preach on that topic because it has been widely abused. However, when I do, it is usually because I have an obligation to preach the truth, of which Christian giving is a part of.
There’s a need to reach God’s people on the need to give financial and/or material resources for the work of His Kingdom here on earth because Satan and His agents are working overtime to undermine the spread of the gospel, by not only discouraging people to go all out to work for God, but also by persuading them to commit just relatively little or no resources towards that cause. Most people who were philanthropists before soon discovered that they could not give freely again after they have met with Christ, even when it is obvious to them that the blessings of giving at this point in their new faith in God, and for the cause of the gospel, would surpass that of their previous acts of charity; some of which God did not even recognize because of the way and manner it was done. See Luke 6:32-34; Matthew 6:1-2.
Any Christian can give to support God’s work on earth, irrespective of their financial situations. If we understand the justice of God, how that He does not demand from us
what we cannot reasonably give, then, perhaps, we can be more courageous in giving for His work, even when prevailing situations around us seem to suggest that we should do otherwise.
Mark 12:41-44: “..for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, putting in all she owned, all she had to live on”.
God’s Counsel To Us On Giving.
Matthew 6:19-21; Proverbs 3:5-10; Ecclesiastes 11:1-6.
God is not asking you to give because He needs your money or resources; He is asking it of you because it belongs to Him in a way that you may not understand unless you know Him personally. However, suffice it to say that God owns you, and that He has been instrumental in bringing your life to the position it presently sits on in His overall plan for the world at large. You may think that your position in God’s big world is insignificant, but that’s not correct; God has you placed in the right and proper place, however whether you’re functioning as He expects of you or not is your own call.
Let me make an analogy using a built structure: Consider how significant every brick is to the making of a house. The house may not fall apart just because one brick was pulled out, but it will certainly cause a breach in its overall structural integrity. Consider yourself and your giving as that one brick in God’s Kingdom structure: although it may seem relatively insignificant if you do not give to support His work, yet not doing so plays a role which is far beyond what your mind can readily fully comprehend now.
Every penny you have didn’t come to you by accident; it came as a result of divine providence, way beyond your own understanding, and it must be accounted for some day.
James.5.3 “Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within. You thought you were piling up wealth. What you’ve piled up is judgment”. MSB.
Whatever you posses now ( unless it is fraudulently acquired) came to you by God’s divine providence, and this same divine providence is aimed at guiding you on the use to which it should be bestowed, if only you can allow God to guide your heart in this matter.
Hag.2.8: “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD Almighty”. NLT.
God gives to us all the money, that we legitimately own, not only to meet our personal needs, but to also use it in such ways as His Word directs. He is able to give us more money but only to the extent that we are able to use the previous ones according to His will.
Prov.22.9 “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor”. NIV.
Giving according to God’s will is a kind of investment in God’s Kingdom, which is aimed at seeing that His children have all the require for their personal sustenance and for the spread of the gospel. When we do this well, God ensures that we are further entrusted with more resources to use as He directs. The key take away here is to ensure that we have been faithful in the use of previous resources. This is one of the ways how God funds His Kingdom’s activities on earth.
Prov.19.17 “Mercy to the needy is a loan to GOD, and GOD pays back those loans in full”. MSB
So the next time you hear a message preached on godly giving, resist any temptation to think that the preacher has come for your money once again: you own nothing but what God’s divine providence allows you to have.
Ps.50.10 – “For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
Ps.50.11 – Every bird of the mountains and all the animals of the field belong to me.
Ps.50.12 – If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.” NLT.
God does not want us to loose our financial and/or material resources, so He counsels us to invest them on a venture that will never fail; He advises us to invest in His Kingdom!
In spending our money, we should put God first on the list, as a mark of honour, because all we have comes from Him, and nothing that we give out in His name will amount to a waste. With God, generosity can never result in want or poverty!
Prov.28.27 “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses”. NIV.
Prov.11.24 “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller”. MSB.
Let us borrow a leaf from the corporate world: when businesses diversify, they end up creating different ways of generating multiple income; similarly, there is wisdom in investing our money in God’s Kingdom, through giving to support multiple causes which are righteous before God. For instance, by deciding to give to support the Lord’s work, His faithful ministers in different fields of Kingdom services, and other Christians in need; we would be opening up different channels by which God’s blessings come to us. God owes no one!
As long as our investments are diversified, our blessings, too, would come in diverse ways.
Eccl.11.1 – “Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later.
Eccl.11.2 – Divide your gifts among many, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead”. — NLT.
God’s Warning To The Miserly Christian. Matthew 19:16-30; Isaiah 43:23-25.
Matt.19.16 – “Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good things must I do to have eternal life?”
Matt.19.17 – “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “Only God is good. But to answer your question, you can receive eternal life if you keep the commandments.”
Matt.19.18 – “Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “‘Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely.
Matt.19.19 – Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Matt.19.20 – “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?”
Matt.19.21 – Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Matt.19.22 – But when the young man heard this, he went sadly away because he had many possessions”. NLT .
The rich young man wanted God’s gift of eternal life, but he would not part with His own wealth in line with the counsel of Jesus Christ, to invest in God’s Kingdom. Jesus must have had a reason for asking him to do that, however, it was obvious that he couldn’t bear to obey the Lord because his riches seemed to be of more value to him than having to do so. Heaven must cost you something! How much or how little you give is inconsequential to God provided it is in obedience to His bidding that you did it; how much you invest in His name is what you get back as well!
2Cor.9.6 “Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop.
2Cor.9.7 I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving” . MSB
Those who heap up riches for their own conveniences, and forget, or refuse, to support God’s divine project for the salvation of souls, and to assist the financially vulnerable, are miserly in God’s sight, just like that rich young man. Similarly, those who fear to give out the little they have, for the fear that they’d suffer lack as a result, are equally miserly Christians. Considering that God is able to bless us in return, when we give to His cause wholeheartedly, should encourage us to keep giving without fear whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Luke.6.38 – “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving–large or small–it will be used to measure what is given back to you.” NLT.
The Sacrificial Giving Which Reflects Our Faith In God’s Ability To Bless Us.
Psalms 126:5-6; Jeremiah 31:16; Hebrews 13:16-17.
If we are waiting to have more money before giving for a worthy cause, such as to help further the spread of the gospel, or to support God’s Ministers, and the needy ones around us, then we have missed the point of this message.
Christian giving is a duty, and not a hobby we do at our leisure. We would be falling for Satan’s old trick, which he has so often successfully used in both hindering the work of God, and also making us to loose our blessings, if we see giving as something to do only at our convenience.
We should endeavour to give as soon as the need to do so arises.
Hag.1.2 – “This is what the LORD Almighty says: The people are saying, `The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house–the Temple.'”
Hag.1.3 – So the LORD sent this message through the prophet
Hag.1.4 – “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?
Hag.1.5 – This is what the LORD Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you!
Hag.1.6 – You have planted much but harvested little. You have food to eat, but not enough to fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!
Hag.1.7 – “This is what the LORD Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you!
Hag.1.8 – Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD.” NLT.
It is quite easy for most people to give in support of God’s work when they have enough, but only those who know what it means to honour and to love God would dare to give even in times of hardship.
Giving for God’s work may not be easy in these days of financial
hardship, but those who dare to sow in tears now will surely reap with joy soon in God’s own time of visitation.
Jer.31.16 “Thus says the LORD: “Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy”. NKJV .
It is my humble prayer that God will give a more deeper understanding of this message to the reader, and a generous heart to share what God has blessed them with for the work of His Kingdom, and for the help of His ministers. In Jesus Christ’s Mighty name.