Steve Hulshizer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
Touch a man’s wallet and you have touched a nerve. When Jesus challenged the rich young
\nruler to part with his money it struck a nerve. The young man apparently did not realize
\nthe grip his money had upon him until he was confronted with giving it away. (Lk.
\n18:22-23) So it is with many of us. We do not always realize how much we trust in riches,
\nand how much importance we place on money. Money gives us a sense of security; however,
\nScripture would teach us that riches have wings, and really provide very little security.
\n(Prov. 23:5)
When it comes to Christians and giving to the Lord, it has been said, “A giving
\nSavior should have giving disciples.” (2 Cor. 8:9) It was the Lord who said, “It
\nis more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) Instruction on giving to the
\nLord occupies a good part of Scripture and is a very important part of the Christian
\npathway.<\/p>\n
Throughout the Old Testament we are given accounts of those who gave abundantly. When the
\ntabernacle was to be constructed the children of Israel gave their jewelry, linen, and
\nother materials to such an extent that Moses needed to command them to stop giving. (Ex.
\n36:3-6) The widow of Zarephath gave her last meal to the prophet (1 Kings 17). In the New
\nTestament we read of the widow who gave “all that she had” (Mk. 12:44). Mary and
\nMartha provided hospitality to the Lord (Jn. 12:2), while Lydia did so for Paul and his
\ncompany (Acts 16:40.)<\/p>\n
Often “giving” is viewed in a negative light, and many fail to see that it is
\nmore “blessed” to give than receive. Many miss a blessing by failing to give of
\nthat which the Lord has placed in their hands. All is His, and David stated, “for all
\nthings come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” (1 Chr. 29:14) In addition
\nto blessing, giving is a way of honoring the Lord. “Honour the LORD with thy
\nsubstance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:” (Prov. 3:9). What
\nChristian would not want to honor the Lord in the way he lives? Yet, despite this, many
\nfail to see giving as a way of honoring the Lord. Giving needs to be seen in a more
\nfavorable light. We need to view it, not as a chore, but as an opportunity to honor the
\nLord and to be a blessing to others, and in turn be blessed.<\/p>\n
There are some very simple principles associated with Christian giving. One is that of
\nsecrecy. The one giving is not to blow his trumpet and announce it to the world. It is not
\nto be done for the praise of men. (Matt. 6:1-4)<\/p>\n
Giving is also to be systematic. Paul instructed the Corinthian saints to set aside each
\nLord’s Day in accordance with how the Lord had prospered them. We do many other financial
\nactivities in a systematic way, and yet giving is often done in a haphazard fashion. We
\npay mortgages, loans, and utility bills on a regular basis, and giving to the Lord should
\nalso be done in an orderly way.<\/p>\n
As noted above it is also to be proportional. It is to be ‘according to that a man hath,
\nand not according to that he hath not.” (2 Cor 8:12) We need not compare our giving
\nto others which will most likely cause difficulty. We are free to simply give in
\naccordance with what the Lord has placed in our trust. <\/p>\n
Perhaps most important is that our giving is to be from a willing and cheerful heart.
\n“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly,
\nor of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7) In a selfish world
\ngiving is usually viewed as a duty-something we ought to do. The Lord is desirous for the
\nChristian to have a cheerful attitude toward giving. Thankfully there are those Christians
\nwho really enjoy giving to the Lord. It should be true of all of the redeemed. <\/p>\n
We often speak of developing and using our spiritual gifts, and it needs to be done. When
\nwriting to the saints in Corinth Paul said, “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing,
\nin faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see
\nthat ye abound in this grace also.” (2 Cor. 8:7) The “grace” of which Paul
\nis speaking is that of “giving.” No doubt he would exhort us today to
\n“abound in this grace also.”<\/p>\n
Paul concludes this exhortation with the example of “giving” by the Lord Jesus,
\nWho was rich, but for our sakes became destitute in order that we might become rich. (2
\nCor. 8:9) Certainly His grace is to stir our hearts to be cheerful givers.<\/p>\n
Labour hard, consume little, give much – and all to Christ. Anthony Norris Groves Steve Hulshizer Touch a man’s wallet and you have touched a nerve. When Jesus challenged the rich young ruler to part with his money it struck a nerve. The young man apparently did not realize the grip his money had upon him until he was confronted with giving it away. (Lk. 18:22-23) So it is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church"],"yoast_head":"\n
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