God on Giving
Dr. Barry D. Lovett
Then Melchizedek king of Salem d brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator e of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be f God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. - Genesis 14:18-20
ALL BELONGS TO GOD:
“The earth belongs to God! Everything in all the world is His!” Psalm 24:1
“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine.” Haggai 2:8
“A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the lord’s and is holy…And the Lord owns every tenth animal of your herds and flocks and other domestic animals…” Leviticus 27:30-32
Whatever you earn it all belongs to God but he asks that you only give a part of it to Him.
YOU HAVE FREE CHOICE:
No longer are you required by law to give a tenth of all you earn
“But remember this – if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. Everyone must make up his own mid as to how much he should give. Don’t force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes. God is able to make it up to you be giving you everything you need and more, so that there will not only be enough for your own needs, but plenty left over to give joyfully to others.” II Corinthians 9:6-8
This is one of the best texts on giving you’ll find. Paul says …
1. That your gift must Come from the heart
2. That you should give because you want to not because you have to
3. That your rewards will be in direct proportion to what you give
4. That God favors those who give generously
5. That God shows His pleasure by rewarding those who give with more than they need
GIVE LIBERALLY:
“It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich!”…“Happy is the generous man…” Proverbs 11:24; Proverbs 22:9
“For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more, and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him.” Matthew 25:29
“For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down. Shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give – large or small – will be used to measure what is given back to you.” Luke 6:38
“Will a man rob God? Surely not! And yet you have robbed me.” What do you mean? When did we ever rob you? You robbed me of the tithes and offerings due to me. And so the awesome curse of God is cursing you for your whole nation has been robbing me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there will be food enough in my Temple; if you do, I will open up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won’t have room enough to take it in!” Malachi 3:8-10
When you fail to return to God what is His, you are in effect stealing from Him.
MONEY IS TEMPORARY:
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen. Store them in heaven where they will never lose their value, and are safe from thieves.” Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount
“Tell those who are rich not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone, but their pride and trust should be in the living God who always richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They would be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasures for themselves in heaven – it is the only safe investment for eternity!” I Timothy 6:17-19
WHEN AND HOW MUCH TO GIVE:
“Honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of all your income, and He will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10
“Now here are the directions about the money you are collecting to send to the Christians in Jerusalem; (and, by the way, there are the same directions I gave to the churches in Galatia). On every Lord’s Day, each of you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week, and use it for this offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord had helped you earn.” I Corinthians 16:1
1. All you have belongs to God.
2. A part of all you earn should be returned to God.
3. The amount you give should be in proportion to what you earn.
4 Your earthly possessions are only temporary.
5 Giving must come from a heart love and gratitude
6 Giving is a matter of choice, not law.
7 Giving should be done regularly.
8 Giving will bring you rewards far greater than what you give.
9 Gifts withheld are in effect stolen from God.
10 It doesn’t pay to rob God.
“If you love me keep my commandments.” Jesus