Why Give?
1. Obedience -
On the first day of the week let each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. (1 Corinthians 16:2)
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crop; then you barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine (Proverbs 3:9-10)
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need (Ephesians 4:28)
2. Rewards
Give it and it shall be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)
Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness! (Matthew 25:23)
3. Recognition of God’s Ownership
Yours, Oh Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on the earth is yours, Oh Lord, and this is your Kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion that you that people are made great and given strength. (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalms 24:1)
4. To Gain an Eternal Perspective
So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and dispraise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Luke 16:11-13)
Command them to do good, to rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves and a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:18-19)
5. Love
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthian 8:9)
But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? (1 John 3:17)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Profiles of Christians Who Rob God
Bill and Donna
The Situation: Bill and Dona are in their mid-thirties. Bill has steady work as a salesman, but there always seems to be too much month left at the end of their money. Bill and Donna sincerely intend to put in the offering box whatever’s left at the end of the month. But, between house payments and bills and occasionally socking a little money into savings, there’s just never anything left. They fell bad, but what can you to when you are out of money?
The Problem: Bill and Donna don’t understand “first fruits.” They should give to the Lord off the top, not out of “what’s left” of no left. They don’t realize that the tithe belongs to God, and that there’s a word for taking money and that doesn’t belong to you – stealing.
Bob and Elaine
The Situation: Bob is in his early fifties. His wife Elaine says, “for years we frittered away our income on all kinds of luxuries. Now we’re twelve years from retirement and we don’t have anything saved. On top of that, we’ve still got two kids in college that need our help. “we’d like to give to the church,” Bob explains. “But Scripture says we’ve got to provide for our family first. After we get our kids through school and maybe get a nest egg started, then we’ll start giving.
The Problem: Bob and Elaine are keeping what belongs to God in order to compensate for their poor planning and lack of discipline in the past. Their first debt is not to their children’s college education. Their first debt is to God. If it wasn’t tuition cost, it would be something else. Since they have no true conviction about giving and no standard of giving to start wit, they’ll always find a reason not to give.
The Situation: Bill and Dona are in their mid-thirties. Bill has steady work as a salesman, but there always seems to be too much month left at the end of their money. Bill and Donna sincerely intend to put in the offering box whatever’s left at the end of the month. But, between house payments and bills and occasionally socking a little money into savings, there’s just never anything left. They fell bad, but what can you to when you are out of money?
The Problem: Bill and Donna don’t understand “first fruits.” They should give to the Lord off the top, not out of “what’s left” of no left. They don’t realize that the tithe belongs to God, and that there’s a word for taking money and that doesn’t belong to you – stealing.
Bob and Elaine
The Situation: Bob is in his early fifties. His wife Elaine says, “for years we frittered away our income on all kinds of luxuries. Now we’re twelve years from retirement and we don’t have anything saved. On top of that, we’ve still got two kids in college that need our help. “we’d like to give to the church,” Bob explains. “But Scripture says we’ve got to provide for our family first. After we get our kids through school and maybe get a nest egg started, then we’ll start giving.
The Problem: Bob and Elaine are keeping what belongs to God in order to compensate for their poor planning and lack of discipline in the past. Their first debt is not to their children’s college education. Their first debt is to God. If it wasn’t tuition cost, it would be something else. Since they have no true conviction about giving and no standard of giving to start wit, they’ll always find a reason not to give.
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