Giving

The answer to living a more fulfilling life is giving. Happiness is directly affected by giving. It’s an important life changing principle. When you give, God blesses you not only monetarily, but in other ways as well. You will be blessed, have joy, and become selfless. Giving is love in action. It’s a force of its own. It’s an open door that never closes. It’s the right heart motive. It’s a lifestyle. Giving should be unconditional. We shouldn't be giving to get. If everybody gave, the world would be a better place.

For some, giving is natural because of their upbringing. For some it’s not. However, as Christians we must give because that’s what the bible says and because we realize that everything we are commanded to do in the bible is for our own good as human beings. Giving is two sided. One side slices open the doors of heaven to the giver and the other closes the giver's doors to the devourer. When we give, we’re more like God because he gives, provides and blesses. It’s more blessed to give than to receive. Giving is a spiritual principle and has more importance than we are aware of.

Giving is very important in the life of believer. God wants giving to be our lifestyle and we can do it if we allow him to transform us. God is a giver. John 3:16 states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." Giving requires sacrifice and obedience. Giving is a step of faith. Giving a smile, a hug, a word of encouragement are all different types of giving. Giving is fulfilling, gives you purpose, and destiny. You can ask God to use you in giving. Giving can be an answer to your prayer.

Tithing

I don’t want people think I’m after their money, so I don’t talk about it often and God chastised me about that. The bible is specific about tithing our money. We work hard for it, it’s our security, and it takes care of us if there’s a problem, so money is important to us. However, our talent and time are important are also important to be used in God’s service.

Q&A

Tithing is only referenced in the bible’s Old Testament. Do we still have to worry about it now since we have the New Testament?

That question asked appears to be a way to get out of it. The Old Testament was the old law of 10 %, but now we are under the New Testament of grace, so we should give even more. The Old Testament law wasn’t done away with even though there’s the New Testament. Christ just gave us the ability to fulfill both in him.

Does tithing only pertain to money or does it pertain to time and talents as well?

The bible doesn’t state that it pertains to time and talents. In the Old Testament where the medium of exchange was crops, people were commanded to give a tenth. Now money is the medium of exchange, which means we are to give a tenth of our money. However, you can tithe your time and energy as well.

What if you are having a hard time paying your tithe? Can you give something instead or nothing at all?

If you just started, and that’s the best you can do, that’s fine. You can start small. However, you could arrange to pay your other bills later, while paying your tithe first because God will rebuke the devourer for your sake. It’s a heart thing. You can restructure some of your other bills, even if it will take you longer to pay off.

How important are our motives when giving?

Motives are very important. 2nd Corinthians 9:6 states, "Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." So have a good attitude. Help poor people that don’t have. Do your part as a Christian and believer in Christ to meet people’s needs. In this society we’ve often been taught to give to get. However, the bible says you sow and you reap. It’s a spiritual law. It’s saying you believe what the word says. Don’t give to get. Give to help. However, you can sow memorial offerings for breakthroughs and specific things. Even in the physical you can’t get a harvest without sowing seed. Give to be obedient and put smiles on people’s faces. 2nd Corinthians 9:7 states," Each person should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." You must have the spirit of God in you to enjoy giving. Anything we do for God should be done with a good attitude. The root motive of giving should be obedience to God and the spirit of God in us.

If a farmer plants a row of corn, he believes God for a good harvest through faith. Don’t get lazy about releasing your faith. We release faith through saying, praying and action. You should get used to giving after praying over your offering. Some people have what we would consider nothing, but they still give of what they do have. Look up giving, tithing, and offering in the bible and see what God and Jesus say about giving.

He who has ears, let him hear and receive in his or her heart.

Source: Joyce Meyer Sermon
Edited by: Susan Majek