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A paradigm shift on giving
By admin | March 25, 2009
I am sorry I could not get a post out to you last week. I promised in my last post to write about getting rid of small compromises. I will still do that but I was asked to share something recently on giving for a small group. The subject blessed me so much that I just had to share it with you. Enjoy.
Giving is something that most of us participate in – particularly the giving of our money to God. Whilst giving is not new to a lot of us, but sometimes it is important to re-examine our beliefs then this article does just that.
The most important thing to start off with, when discussing giving is that all things including our finances belongs to God.
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36a)
I heard someone say recently, that life is a privilege and not a right. We do not own anything. Life in itself belongs to God. All that we have including our lives comes from Him and we owe all to Him. This means that 100% of our income belongs to Him.
For those of us who believe in the principle of the tithe (which is normally 10%) of our income, this therefore means that He has chosen to give us 90% of our income for us to live on. Tithing was one of the ways that God had ordained for His children to live in covenant with Him. Should He ask us for more than 10%, then we should be ready to give it to Him. We do not own 90% and give 10% to God. Instead, God owns 100% and He has chosen to give us 90%. This is the paradigm shift that this article deals with.
God’s generosity is shown in 1 Timothy 6:17 - Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
If I own something and I give away 90%, this makes me very charitable and people would consider me to be generous. It’s precisely the same with God. By asking the Israelites to give 10%, He was expressing His generosity to them by asking them to keep 90%.
God wants us to be generous. By being generous, we are partaking of His divine nature. That’s why I believe that the emphasis in the New Testament is not so much about tithing but generous giving, though we know that Jesus did not come to do away with the law but to fulfil it.
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written: “ He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.
10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. (2 Corinthians 9:8)10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
I trust today’s post has been a blessing to you. Learn to consider all that you have as belonging to God and pray for God to make you generous so that you can give to every good work like your Father in heaven. My prayer is that God should make us generous people both towards Him and also towards others.
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Till I appear again in your inbox, stay blessed
Ola
Topics: Giving |