You probably have heard many in the church arena talk about living like God, loving like God or forgiving like God. But what about giving like God?
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, That whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” While we could never really comprehend God's unending, unfailing and immeasurable love for us, we can understand that He gave to us out of love. God gave His very best to us because of His love for us. It only behooves us to give our very best to Him any time that we give. As Jesus Christ was a sacrifice for our sins, sickness, and eternal life, even so there are times when we need to make sacrifices for the work of the ministry and for the sake or needs of others.
GIVING OUT OF LOVE
In the wee hours of the morning some years ago, I heard in my sleep emphatically “God loves a cheerful giver.” Waking up, I asked the Lord ”Lord why do you love a cheerful giver?” The Lord responded saying “Because a cheerful giver gives like I gave my Son Jesus. He gives willingly and sacrificially.” My giving then took on a new meaning, and became motivated by my love for God. I wanted to show Him a willingness in my giving, and made sacrifices in my giving that I might be loved by Him as a “cheerful giver.” Giving is one of the greatest acts of love towards God besides obedience to Him.
As the Christmas season is approaching, many will be making sacrifices to buy gifts, decorate their home and holiday festivities, despite the world’s economy, unemployment, etc. But there is one type of giving and one type of sacrifice that will capture the heart and attention of God. And not only will it capture the heart and attention of God, but it will result in you being rewarded, blessed, and reaping in innumerable ways in multiplied measure. Maybe you may feel that you only have a little or not enough to give. Well there is a story about the widow who only had a mite, which was less than a penny's worth. She gave her last or all that she had, and the Lord took notice of her, as having given more than all who had given out of their abundance. (Mark 12:43) Giving out of your lack or giving out of your need is a sure sign of your faith in God and that you trust Him to give you provision for your greater needs. God will give you a return and harvest for your sacrificial seed, that will come by the favor and supernatural working of God in your life. Open your hand to give, that it may be open for you to receive. Luke 6:38 says “Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down shaken together and running over shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that you give, it will be given back unto you.”
GIVING FOR KINGDOM PURPOSES
When you give and sow into the kingdom of God financially, you help ministries to help and serve others. Whether it's getting the gospel to the masses, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, providing shelter for the homeless, helping to dig wells for clean water or providing medical services to the sick, it all takes money to provide this kind of help or services. God's word plainly tells us to love in deed and in truth. To say that we love and not give is not loving in deed and not loving in truth. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (I John 3:18) Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:31-45, that when we feed the hungry, take in the stranger, clothe the naked and visit those who are sick or imprisoned, we do it as unto Him, and we shall inherit the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world. So when we give, we really give unto Him.
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