When you woke up today what was the first thought that came
to your mind? Did you look at everything
that you have and take a moment to thank God for all the blessings in your
life? The bible tells us in James 1:17
that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” A few weeks ago I was having a conversation
with a friend about finances. I confided
in her that I was struggling with how to “fit in” everything that I needed to
fit in, including the money that I was supposed to be giving to the Lord on
Sundays. She encouraged me to take a
second look at my budget and do more than just “fit in” what I was going to be
giving to the Lord on Sundays. Giving is
an act of worship that I truly had not given much thought too. See the thing is…
I am blessed. I have
a wonderful life. I have a great
job. I have amazing family and
friends. I have a good comfortable home
with nice things. But what have I done
lately to show Him just how thankful I am?
Have I thanked him? Yes. I pray a prayer of thanksgiving to him every
day. Do I worship him? Yes. I go to worship every Sunday and I go to
bible study every Wednesday night. Do I
read my bible? Yes. I read and study my
bible every single day. Is that enough? Well, according to the bible, No, that isn’t
enough. As a matter of fact, it appears
that I have left out the most important part.
So if you, like me, are at a point in your life where you have done all
of these things but have left out the most important aspect of thanksgiving to
God then I urge you to read on!!!!
According to 1 Corinthians 16:2, we are commanded by God, on
the first day of every week, to “lay something aside, storing it up as he may
prosper...” Have you ever been cleaning
out a closet and in the process you find something that is so precious and
valuable? What do you do? You immediately “lay it aside” or put it in a
special place so that you can be sure that you will have it for later. The conscious act of laying something aside
means that you have determined its value and importance. It does not go into the “trash” pile or
“leftover” pile. As Christians, we must
do the same thing when
we are giving to the Lord on the first day of every week. How would you feel if you walked into
your favorite restaurant one evening to find that the only thing on the menu was the leftovers? Yet many of us give God our “leftovers” at the end of the month so that we can say we “participated in the act of giving” as God commanded us to do. Well, he commands us to do more. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says,” But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” We are not to give out of necessity. We are not to give because we have to. We are to give cheerfully. The Greek word cheerful in this passage is translated “hilarity” or “hilaros.” It means that when you give it brings you great joy and satisfaction. When you are a cheerful giver, you give without reluctance and with complete and total love. This is the same kind of love that is talked about in 1 Corinthians 13 (Don Hatch).
we are giving to the Lord on the first day of every week. How would you feel if you walked into
your favorite restaurant one evening to find that the only thing on the menu was the leftovers? Yet many of us give God our “leftovers” at the end of the month so that we can say we “participated in the act of giving” as God commanded us to do. Well, he commands us to do more. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says,” But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” We are not to give out of necessity. We are not to give because we have to. We are to give cheerfully. The Greek word cheerful in this passage is translated “hilarity” or “hilaros.” It means that when you give it brings you great joy and satisfaction. When you are a cheerful giver, you give without reluctance and with complete and total love. This is the same kind of love that is talked about in 1 Corinthians 13 (Don Hatch).
Some people live by the ten percent rule when they
give. I am not going to judge them for
that. God
knows the amount of debt they are in and how many bills they are required to pay each month. Most
importantly, God knows their heart. But I will say that if you can give more, then do so! Ten percent is such a small amount of money in comparison to all that we were given. What if God decided to
only give us ten percent tomorrow of the blessings that he gave us today? Would that be a sufficient amount to live on? We would be hurting. We would be in need. Look at the Israelites in Numbers 7 and see how they gave. Nahshon, the son of Amminadab gave “one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; one kid of the goats as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year (Numbers 7:13-16).” And all of that was just from one man. There are also plenty of other examples of men in this chapter who gave like Nahshon. The giving of the Israelites in this chapter is significant. This was not just 10% giving for sure!!!! This was not giving of “just the leftovers” either. So when we give, we need to feel it. It should be enough of a sacrifice that it hurts a little and that we have to do without. It should never just be the leftovers (Marsha York).
knows the amount of debt they are in and how many bills they are required to pay each month. Most
importantly, God knows their heart. But I will say that if you can give more, then do so! Ten percent is such a small amount of money in comparison to all that we were given. What if God decided to
only give us ten percent tomorrow of the blessings that he gave us today? Would that be a sufficient amount to live on? We would be hurting. We would be in need. Look at the Israelites in Numbers 7 and see how they gave. Nahshon, the son of Amminadab gave “one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; one kid of the goats as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year (Numbers 7:13-16).” And all of that was just from one man. There are also plenty of other examples of men in this chapter who gave like Nahshon. The giving of the Israelites in this chapter is significant. This was not just 10% giving for sure!!!! This was not giving of “just the leftovers” either. So when we give, we need to feel it. It should be enough of a sacrifice that it hurts a little and that we have to do without. It should never just be the leftovers (Marsha York).
This is
as much of a lesson for me as it is for you.
I know that after writing this article, my heart has been changed. I realize and recognize how important all
five acts of worship are. Each act of
worship should be well thought out, planned, and intentional. So next Sunday, when you are
worshiping God, don’t rush to get your checkbook during the Lord’s Supper and quickly write out a check for any amount that sounds good. Let your act of giving be well thought out, planned, and intentional. Search out your heart carefully throughout the week. Decide what sacrifice you are willing to make and do it. Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross for us. We should be willing to make a sacrifice for him.
worship should be well thought out, planned, and intentional. So next Sunday, when you are
worshiping God, don’t rush to get your checkbook during the Lord’s Supper and quickly write out a check for any amount that sounds good. Let your act of giving be well thought out, planned, and intentional. Search out your heart carefully throughout the week. Decide what sacrifice you are willing to make and do it. Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross for us. We should be willing to make a sacrifice for him.
