Giving may not be something that just comes natural. Truth be told our hearts are actually very selfish, and most of the time we would rather just keep things for ourselves. It isn't until we actually let go of our selfishness, that we can experience the blessings of giving. The bible tells us in 2 Corinthians " He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. But he who sows bountifully, also reaps bountifully". Putting it in simple terms, we can either give a little and get a little, or we can give a lot and get a lot.
Getting a lot may sound good, but we must not have an attitude of selfishness when giving. We must make sure we do not have the wrong motives when giving. We should give with a cheerful heart, making our goal to bring God glory. We need to invest in His kingdom....and it just so happens that in doing so blessing follow!
The best way to give is to PRAY about it first. When we pray God will lay on our hearts the amount he wants us to give. The bible gives us a starting point when the word "tithe" is used. The word " tithe" means tenth. Giving 10% of your income is a great way to start. If God lays more on your heart then go for it... I promise you can NEVER out give God!
Be consistent in your giving. Always give on time...even if you think you may not be able to afford it one week, give anyway. God has a very funny way of ALWAYS providing for you when you are giving with a cheerful heart. A big part of giving is trusting in God, and having faith that he will supply your every need. He always does, and it is usually more than you could have ever thought or imagined (Ephesians 3:20).
Not only should you give your God's money ( it's all his anyway, we "own" nothing!), but we should also give our hearts and lives to God. After all God gave his sons LIFE for us sinners. He never thought twice about it, he just did it out of the love he had for us in his heart. We need to share the love that God has for us with others. We need to pour into each others lives all of the blessings that God has given us.
Your giving shows a lot about what kingdom your heart is interested in. We are either giving keeping for the "self kingdom", or we are giving to the kingdom of our heavenly father. I don't know about you, but I would much rather be giving to the one who gave his life for me! Someone once said that you can tell where your heart is by taking a look through your checkbook. Just take a look at Matthew 6:21 ( future post on that later).
So let us pray for a heart that is ready to give cheerfully. Let us give our lives FIRST to God, and trust him with everything he has given us. Let us be a blessing to others as we share God's word and the hope of new life that God gives!
** Fun Fact **
- Money is mentioned about 2,000 times in the bible ( Google bible verses about money...I dare you (: )
- Jesus spoke about money more than any other subject.
- In the New testament, money is mentioned more than heaven and hell combined.
Let me leave you with a few scriptures to ponder on...
- Leviticus 27:30
- Deuteronomy 12:10-11
- Deuteronomy 4:28-29
- Matthew 6:19-21,33...13:44-46
- Luke 6:38
- Luke 19:8
- Proverbs 3:9
- Philippians 4:19
- Malachi 3:8-10
- 2 Corinthians 8:1-5..9:6-7, 10-12
- Psalms 24:1
- 2 Corinthians 29:11-13
- 1 Corinthians 4:7, 6:19-20
God Bless!
-Haleigh
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