Ephesians 5:1 – Be followers (imitators) of God. So consider some lessons we can learn from the example of God about the importance of giving.
Giving is not just something God occasionally does. It is a daily part of God’s character. Consider just a few of God’s gifts to us.
Acts 17:25 – He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
Matthew 7:7-11 – Ask and it shall be given. Like an earthly father, God gives what we need.
Ephesians 2:8 – Salvation by grace through faith is a gift of God.
Matthew 20:28 – He gave His life as a ransom for many.
[Titus 2:14; Eph. 5:2,25; 1 Tim. 2:6; Gal. 1:4; 2:20; Luke 22:19,20; John 6:51]
John 10:28 – He gives eternal life to believers.
Giving is not something God does once a week, nor does He give us just one thing. Giving is something God does regularly, sharing many things with us. We should appreciate the many rich blessings He gives.
For us too, giving must not be something we do just once a week nor in just one way. In particular, our giving is not just the money we put in the collection on Sunday AM. Giving involves many ways, every day.
Ephesians 4:28 – Labor with your hands to give to those in need.
Philippians 4:14-16 – The church at Philippi gave to support Paul.
Hebrews 13:15 – Offer up a sacrifice of praise.
2 Corinthians 8:5 – The Macedonians first gave themselves to God, then they gave generously of their money.
Many people think they can please God by giving a few dollars on Sunday. Our service will be truly acceptable when we realize we must give our total selves to God daily.
Giving must be a daily part of life because our whole lives belong to God. Then it will be easier to give specific things.
The gift we give each first day of the week is an important part of our giving, but it is only part of what we should give.
Click here for an in-depth study of giving to support church work.
(c) Copyright David E. Pratte, 2019; gospelway.com
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Scripture quotations are generally from the New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1982, 1988 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. used by permission. All rights reserved.