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| | |  The Joys of Giving This devotion is long overdue and I hope my readers will persevere and stick with me unto the end so as to come to an understanding of the great blessings and joy that awaits the child of God who learns how to give with a joyful heart. This IS NOT about giving to my ministry or web-site. I decided when I started my web-site ministry that I would never ask for financial support or use advertisements in my site. If God wants me to continue He will furnish the finances I require so please read on. I have put off writing this particular devotion due to my desire not to lose any of my subscribers due to being convicted or bringing them to a place where their sin increases, but there comes a time when truth must be the only motivating factor that drives what God has asked me to do. My desire is that each of you grow in your walk of faith and learn what it is God wants for each of you and the joy that can only be found as we do the things He has commanded us to do. Let's start with the words of Christ: Luke 11:42 KJV but woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.  The tithe was commanded by God in the Old Testament in Leviticus 27:30-34 but I am not here to argue whether the tithe pertains to the new testament church or not. I personally believe the word of God tells us the first ten percent of all we receive belongs to God. I think most sincere Christians believe this and follow this practice. I am more interested in what the Apostle Paul had to say on the matter of giving. 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 KJV 6But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.  To reap bountifully the blessing of God we must sow bountifully of the things God has provided us. This is above and beyond the tithe which is required of us and even more importantly than what or how much we give is how we give. For God loveth a cheerful giver. This is an important spiritual law. Spiritual laws are as reliable as the laws of nature. Giving should be between God and the individual. We shouldn't give under pressure ("necessity") or grudgingly. But as we have decided in our hearts. "Cheerful" here is also translated as "hilarious". I know many of you have experienced this type of cheerful giving and know when we give cheerfully God opens the doors of heaven to bless us with even more to give cheerfully. It's the attitude of the heart that matters to God, if your heart is not right than whatever amount you give will have no meaning because it will just be works and you will have corrupted the grace of God. When you give with a cheerful heart you honor and bring praise to God.  Cheerful means hilarious. Luke 11:42 KJV but woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. As you can see from the words of Christ, financial giving should not be left undone but also to pass over judgment and show the love of God. Jesus' words here are straight and to the point, yes we should give back to God of the abundance He gives us but does that not also include judging others with the judgment we have been judged with? Does it not also include loving others as we have been loved by Him? Jesus said "the poor we shall have with us always" just maybe a case could be made that the poor are here as a test for our hearts and to bring a blessing for those whose hearts are aligned with Gods? Without getting too deep into theology let us embark on our faith walk by realizing we are all God's children and we should be following the example of Christ. He fed thousands of the poor, He healed hundreds more and He died to give us a hope and a future we could not earn on our own.
I know many of you give to great charities that help the poor; most churches have food closets to help feed those in need; missionaries would not survive without the funds they receive from Christians who support them and all of this is admirable but how about those in our own backyards, our neighbors, friends and families. The ones we come into contact with on a daily basis. As one person we can't bring a lot of change to this dying world around us but we can make a difference in the lives of those God puts in our path. Do you not think God put them there for a reason? We can not judge them; we can show them the love of God and yes we can use our God given resources to help them financially if need be. For those who have allowed their hearts to grow cold God has something to say about that also: Proverbs 24:12 KJV If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his works? James 4:17 KJV Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Please don't think for a minute that I am judging anyone, that is not my right or place but I do believe God gave me this forum to help those who are seeking to follow Him. I like all of you are a work in progress and I praise God His word is truth and convicts me when I find myself giving in to the world's way of thinking. Jeremiah 17: 9-10 KJV The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. The next time God makes a "Divine Appointment" for you try giving cheerfully with a glad heart and feel the joy and blessings God will shower upon you. I believe all of us who have been given the seal of the Holy Spirit know time is getting short and our Lord is at the door, every soul is precious to Him. The love you show to someone today who is searching for the truth could make all the difference to that person.
Bob Goulding © | | | |
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have put off writing this particular devotion due to my desire not to lose any of my subscribers due to being convicted or bringing them to a place where their sin increases, but there comes a time when truth must be the only motivating factor that drives what God has asked me to do. My desire is that each of you grow in your walk of faith and learn what it is God wants for each of you and the joy that can only be found as we do the things He has commanded us to do. Let's start with the words of Christ:
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