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"I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
(Acts 20:35)
Every November, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, our church has a harvest offering. It is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. Everyone is encouraged to bring their offering and present it to the Lord on the altar. As we sing songs of worship, it is such a blessing to see the joy in the faces of those who come forward to give. Jesus is, of course, so very right when He tells us the greater blessing is for the one who gives rather than the one who receives.
This week, part of our devotions are dedicated to teaching on the topic of Christian stewardship. I spoke to one of our church members a couple of Sundays ago, and he shared with me how his Muslim and Hindu friends were astounded that he would give a tithe of his income to his local church. I was so proud of him as he relayed the conversations to me. It is a powerful witness to a lost world when they hear that we trust God with our entire lives, including our finances.
God graciously and lavishly pours out His blessings on His people, and we are most like Him when we give. God loves to give good gifts to His children. In fact, James 1:17 teaches us, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
Some may argue that God did not give them what they have, but they did it for themselves. To that I respond, who created your mind to think of how to work and make money? Who created your tongue to speak and prosecute your case? Who created your fingers and hands that enable you to build a house, pick up the trash, or pull someone's teeth? The answer is either mindless, meaningless, random chance, or it is God! I do not have enough faith to be an atheist. I am going with Jehovah Jireh, the LORD who provides!
Here are a couple more biblical texts that speak to our subject of stewardship: Luke 6:38 states, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." 2 Corinthians 9:7 states, "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."
We are most like God when we give. John 3:16 says "that He gave." God blesses us when we take on His character. We do not give to get; rather, we give because it is the right thing to do.
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