“So let each one give as he
purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful
giver.”—2 Corinthians 9:7
All of the developing nations of the
world conduct business transactions through some type of monetary
currency. The financial operations and
status of one nation affects many other nations. For example, when the credit rating of a
nation is down-graded the rate of interest charged to financial institution for
borrowing money increases which trickles down to all levels of people who buy
and sell things in that nation and to that nation—it affects everybody. God is personally interested in the details
of our life, including our financial
security.
The unemployment rate in America is
at 7% this means that out of 315,147,097 people over 22 million are unemployed,
and this does not account for people who are underemployed. These mathematical figures could depress
people; but, did you know that there are over 2,350 scriptures in the Bible
about money which is more than any other topic?
Do you realize that more than half of Jesus’ parables use money as
object lessons? God wants us to handle
our resources with His wisdom. That is
why His Word includes instructions about giving
and the attitudes He wants us to
have.
Generously. According to scripture, when we give generously
we will reap generously. “But
this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows
bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). Because of your national circumstance
(unemployment rate, etc.), I urge you—do not succumb to the temptation to
hoard. Honor God by blessings others
with your abundance. A friend of mine who
lives on a fixed income told me this testimony:
She said that she is very frugal with her money, but had a desire to
give to God in a special way this past summer.
As she prayed and asked God for His wisdom in what do to, she got this
idea to plant a garden. The garden
produced abundantly. She had enough for
herself, and to put some back for the winter months. The Lord showed her to take the abundance and
bless the homeless people in her area. When
she sowed her seed bountifully, she
began receiving unexpected rebates and reductions on her utility bills. Wisdom will always guide us and lead us
into right paths.
Cheerfully. God knows our hearts and motives. We are instructed to give joyfully, not with
a grudge, or out of guilt. I learned my
lesson when I felt that the Lord wanted me to give a dress I had made for
myself to another lady. I really wanted
that dress, but I loved the Lord and out of obedience to Him I gave it away. Later, I discovered that the lady did not
have a dress to wear to church, and she thought that she had to have one to
attend services. The face of this young
woman radiated with joy when she told the church congregation how the Lord surprised
her with this gift. My prideful heart
melted when I heard her testimony. She
did not have one dress; I had many and wanted more. Because of this one lesson, I love to give
whatever I have cheerfully.
Confidently
in Faith. God keeps His
promises. When we give to support the
Lord’s work, He will open the windows of heaven and impact ever area of our
lives (Malachi 3:10). We are to give in
faith, trusting God and His promises, “The
just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).
“For we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). I love the testimony of the poor widow in
Luke 21:1-4, “And He looked up and saw
the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor
widow putting in two mites. So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor
widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put
in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that
she had.” It takes faith and love to
God to give to His work when you do not have much to give. But God will not be mocked, for whatever a
person sows, that she or he will reap (Galatians 6:7).
I encourage you to study to see what
the Scripture teaches about the principels of handling your money wisely. Remember, God trusts you; He paid a big price
for you, He thinks that you are worth it and He wants to work with you. You are not alone in handling your finances. His Spirit and His wisdom are ready to impart
the answers and direction that you need in every financial decision that you
make, all you need to do is ask Him. He
is ready to back you up and to bless you abundantly.
Prayer—Father
I ask you for Your Wisdom and Spirit to guide and direct the decision that I
need to make concerning____________________.
Holy Spirit, I ask you to show me if I need to adjust any attitudes concerning
giving. Lord I purpose in my heart to
give generously, cheerfully and confidently, in Jesus Name. Amen.
