Thursday, January 21, 2010

God Cares How Much You Give

So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” Mark 12:43-44

One time when Jesus walked into the temple, He watched how the people put their money into the offering. He saw how many who were rich put in much. But what moved Jesus deeply was the attitude of a poor widow. Jesus said that the poor widow who sacrificed her two mites was the most generous giver of all, because her gift was large in proportion to her available money supply. Jesus was moved by her giving.

Money is a spiritual subject. God cares how much or how often you give into His house – your church. Otherwise, He wouldn’t have included so many instructions in the Bible concerning the methods, the time and the proper attitudes for giving.

He instructs on the specific day of giving: “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper” (1 Cor. 16:2). He cares about the quantity of your giving: “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6).

Most of all, He cares about the quality of your giving. When the rich “tipped” God out of their abundance, it didn’t move Jesus at all. But when the poor widow”“put in all that she had, her whole livelihood,” it touched the Lord greatly.

Most of us are afraid to talk about money. But more than 20 percent of the Holy Scriptures deal with money, wealth, finances, property, land, possessions, tithes and giving. The Bible is clear that “the blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22). David says, “Let the LORD be magnifi ed, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant” (Ps. 35:27). If you read Deuteronomy 26:1-12, you will see that God says tithing and giving offerings are specific worship services before Him.

Money is also an effective tool to help bring the gospel to the lost throughout the world. When you put your money to good use according to biblical principles, it becomes a sacred thing.

Your money is your life. Every month when you are paid, the salary you receive is your employer’s way of reimbursing you for the part of your life that you have spent in service to him. As a saint of God, when you give part of your holy life to your employer, the money he gives you in return is holy money. Money is a spiritual matter. Be a good and faithful steward in managing it.

No comments:

FRIENDS