MONEY IS A STRONG POWER FOR GOOD: While living on this earth, Jesus talked about money and wealth more than just about any other subject. What does that say about How God looks at money and wealth?
We are living in very challenging and stressful times in which possession, money, and wealth matter to all. However, if not careful, the pursuit of wealth will pull us away from what really matters, which is our relationship with God and one another.
Satan uses the things of this world to tempt and lure us to him. However, the Word of God provides us with the guidance needed to avoid his trap. (Split)
In the Bible, God has provided us with practical guidance on how to live above the stresses of life, and we are given instructions on how to manage the resources He has given us.
In this series,
From a biblical perspective, we are looking at how to manage effectively the resources God has given us while prioritizing What Really Matters.
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Asking For God’s Guidance
Holy Father, we thank you for the many things that you give us day by day. Give us a willing heart to give back to you out of love in portion to our thankfulness. Help us put our love into action by returning a portion of that which you have given us. In Jesus’ Name Amen
God loves us so much that He gave us His only son Jesus. Although we cannot match the gift that he has given us, in response to His love, we show our love and gratitude when we give back to him from that which he has given us.
We love God because He first loved us. Our love for Him is in response to the love He first showed us in giving His gift of Love when he gave us Jesus.
In fact, we are told in the book Counsel on Stewardship:
“The Lord does not need our offerings. We cannot enrich Him by our gifts. Says the psalmist: ‘All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.’ Yet God permits us to show our appreciation of His mercies by self-sacrificing efforts to extend the same to others. This is the only way in which it is possible for us to manifest our gratitude and love to God. He has provided no other.”—Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, p. 18.
When we return to God a portion of the money he has given us, it deepens our love for God and others.
Though many people do a lot of evil things for the sake of money, there is great value in money. When gain without taking advantage of or miss using others to obtain it, money can be a great power for good.
Did you know that while living on this earth, Jesus talked a lot about money and wealth, almost more than any other subject?
In fact, one verse out of every six verses in Matthew, Mark, and Luke talks about money.
Money is also a powerful force for evil as well. Humans can become so obsessed with money that they have more love for it than then they have for God and other humans.
But the good news is that if we are willing, God can deliver us from loving money more than we love Him and others.
As a matter of fact, Matthew 6:31–34 and Deuteronomy 28:1–14 tell us what God has promised to do for us when we obey Him.
Matthew 6:31-34 (Split)
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Split)
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:31-34)
Deuteronomy 28:1-14
1 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.
2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:
3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8 “The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
9 “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.
10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.
11 And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
12 The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
14 So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
Surely there is nothing wrong in claiming God’s promises, especially when we willingly return Him a generous portion of what he has given us. It is our offerings that show that we don’t want to be selfish toward God and others.
In reality, giving our offerings to God can be a deeply spiritual experience for us. When we give offerings to God, it is an act of worship. It demonstrates that we are fully surrendering our lives to Him.
I am sure you agree with the old saying that “action speaks louder than words.” Simply put, when we give back to God a generous portion of what he has given us, we are, in essence, agreeing with the old saying, “put your money where your mouth is.”
In other words, you can say with your words all day long that I love God. But our offerings help show our love, and it helps to make our love grow stronger.
When we give offerings to God, what are we saying?
We are saying to God because I trust and love you, here is my gift to you.
In Giving offerings to God, we acknowledge that we believe He will give us everything we need. We are admitting that God knows what is best for us. Moreover, our offerings also show that we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.
No, we can’t buy God’s love, grace, and mercy, or rich blessings. Instead, our offerings flow from hearts of gratefulness and love. It shows our acceptance by faith in God’s gift of Love found in God giving his son Jesus Christ.
The thing is, if we are not getting what we think we should be getting, we may want to consider how much we are giving and our motive for giving. Notice what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7.
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
There are two principles here:
- The amount of giving: When you give generously, you get a generous return.
- The attitude in giving: When you give cheerfully and willingly, your gift is accepted.
God establishes how much tithe we should give, but how much should we give in offerings? Find out more on Day 3: What Portion for Offerings
If you want to return tithe and offering and do not have a church home, consider giving online,
@ Adventisgiving.org
in the name of my local Church:
Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church 7902 Wheatly Street in Houston, TX 77088
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