BLESSING TIME

MEMORY VERSE: But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And 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: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 16-20

Most people regard offering time as a necessary evil, at best. As usual, our ideas are much different than what the Word of God teaches. Isaiah 55:8 says: “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”Friend, offering time is a blessing time. Firstly, it is a time to bless the Lord. It is an opportunity for us to worship God and express our love to Him in a tangible way. Our gifts reflect how much we value those we are giving to. If I want to give to my parents, I make sure it is the best because of their efforts over my life. How much more if I want to give to my Creator?  David, a man after the heart of God, once said, “neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing (2 Samuel 24:24).” In other words, I will not give the LORD my God a cheap offering. Secondly, it is a time to receive blessings from the Lord. God being so good, has designed it so that when we do give to Him it also functions like planting a seed, which will produce a harvest of blessing in our life. God designed His creation to work in such a way that money and blessing will come back to us in even greater measure than we give out. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says: “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And 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:”

One way the devil tries to suppress the spread of the gospel is by my making people believe that messages like this are just to get money as if preachers wrote the Bible for their own benefit. No, God planned all this, and He knows that without adequate funding, those whom He has called to teach and equip His people will be held back, unable to be as effective as they should be. Money is needed to do the great commission. We cannot take the gospel to Australia on foot neither can we take the gospel to Papua guinea on a horse or a donkey. Organizing revivals cost a lot – fasting and praying especially. Also a lot of money is needed. Money is needed to rent chairs, music instruments, plan logistics and all. Even in our local churches, we need prayers and money especially to pay the bills. So when we give to those proclaiming the Word of God on earth, God considers it giving to Him, and a seed sown. When we give towards the gospel, God considers us His partners on earth and He rewards accordingly. Mark 9:41 says: “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, shall not lose his reward.” Offering and planting of seeds are very similar. No wise farmer hates planting his crops. Farmers do not murmur or complain about having to put their seed in the ground. No, they look forward with Joy to the time of harvest. They know it is coming because they understand how seeds work. This should be our attitude when give offering.  We should do it cheerfully knowing that our reward is coming.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Offering and giving to God helps combat selfishness.

PRAYER POINT: Father, bless me so that I can be a financier of your work.

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