Monday, February 10, 2020
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. I Timothy 6:10
{Instruct them} to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. I Timothy 6:18-19
Grace and Giving by Van Houser
The Old Testament model of giving
was based around the tithe. Any person
raised in Sunday School was taught Malachi 3:10 when they were old enough to
memorize. "Bring
the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and
test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for
you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it
overflows. Malachi 3:10 The definition of “tithe” is “tenth” so they
were to bring one-tenth of their grains, produce of profit from stock. Most of us don't have grain and produce to
bring to the storehouse, but we do have incomes that we can bring the first
tenth of into the church. In other
words, just because something is written in the Old Testament doesn't mean it
lacks application to us today in some way or another. We are not saved by works, thus failing to
tithe will not necessarily send you to hell but doing so will help improve your
life and strengthen your relationship with God.
Giving by law or giving by grace is
a hotly debated issue. For me, the real
question is related to how much we desire to be a part of the work of the
Kingdom and be blessed by God. We know
that the law is the base of obedience and grace should always supersede the law
for the heart supersedes the external law.
You see, there is a promise from Jesus in Luke
6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a
good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your
standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." Now,
that doesn’t mean we should “give to get”, but it does tell us that God will
bless one who gives in order to turn them into a channel of blessing.
When our hearts are moved by the
grace of God we want to give generously. The only true motive for giving is the grace
of God. We give because of God's
goodness to us. If you are the recipient
of His abundant amazing grace, then pour it out according to the measure you
have received. It is a privilege and opportunity to be involved in the
stewardship of grace. It is not our
duty; it is our privilege. God invites
us to come and join Him in what He is doing. That includes our giving. You see, everything we have is a grace gift of
God. He does not want us to return to
Him from what is ours, but what is His. When
you are blessed abundantly, you want to give abundantly.
Scripture to Claim:
"Now therefore, our
God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. "But who am I and who
are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all
things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You. 1 Chronicles 29:13-14 NASB