When We Are Born Again Giving All We Have to God Reflects

Rev. Tim McConnell

I tend to believe that the spirit and action of giving is ane of the nearly important spiritual practices a disciple of Jesus can claim. I also believe that the attitude we take toward our money and finances directly influences the condition of our relationship with Jesus. How we feel about tithing and sharing our finances tin also reflect the level of giving in other areas of our lives.

Generosity is contagious, as it spreads from our money to our fourth dimension, our talents, our abilities and our presence. Our lack of generosity and the willingness to share is also contagious.

We know every bit Christians nosotros are taught to share what has been given to us with those who take less. Nosotros share our gifts, talents, fourth dimension, ourselves and, yes, even our financial resources.

So we begin the discussion of giving back to God from our paychecks and the coin that finds its way into our pockets and bank accounts. Talking and preaching about this subject can make near of us uncomfortable, because we tend to exist very possessive with our hard-earned money.

James Harnish (author of "A Disciple'southward Path: Deepening Your Human relationship with Christ and the Church building"), in his give-and-take about financial generosity, insists that the starting betoken in a disciple'south understanding of giving is the recognition that everything that nosotros have comes from God.

David writes in Psalm 24:1 (CEB), "The world is the Lord'southward and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too." Information technology all belongs to God. James 1:17 (CEB) echoes this truth: "Every skillful gift, every perfect gift, comes from to a higher place. These gifts come down from the Father."

So in one case we really believe that all the things we accept ultimately belong to God, nosotros tin can get forward into the practise of giving back to God.

The following story illustrates the concept of tithing, the practice of giving back to God what actually belongs to him anyway.

Once upon a time at that place was a man who had cipher, so God gave him 10 apples. The beginning three apples were for the homo to eat, the second iii were to trade for shelter, and the last three were to trade for clothing. God gave the human being the 10th apple and then he might have something to give back to God in gratitude for the other nine.

So the man did just that, he ate the first three and traded the others for shelter and dress. Then he looked actually hard at the 10th apple, knowing that God wanted him to give it dorsum with a grateful centre.

But this final apple seemed so much bigger and juicer than the others, and the man reasoned that God already had all the apples in the world anyway. Why would God need his apple? And then, the man ate the 10th apple tree and gave the core to God.

We should not requite because we call back God needs our gifts in order to be God, or that the church needs our money to exist the church building.

Harnish writes, "The people of God — yous and me — requite to the church and to God because of our gratitude to him. We give dorsum to God what is God's and so that through our gifts the love of God can become a tangible reality in our world. Our giving is a reminder of the blessings God gives united states of america and gave to us through Jesus Christ."

We observe in John 3:sixteen three thoughts that should be the foundation of all our giving. God'due south motivation for giving was love; he gave himself in the person of Jesus; and God gave in response to our need. As we utilise this example for the basis of our giving, nosotros realize that the only giving God recognizes is giving wrapped in beloved. In 1 Corinthians 13:three, Paul writes, "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, merely have non honey, I gain nothing" (NIV).

The story that Luke tells us in Chapter 21 reflects Jesus' teachings about our giving as his disciples. The widow gave two coins worth a penny, merely her gift came from her eye. Jesus saw the rich people throwing their pocket change into the offering plate. Jesus commented that the poor widow had outgiven them all.

Jesus defines giving not by the size of our gifts, but by the condition of the heart from which it is given. For Jesus and for usa, motivation is everything when information technology comes to giving. A disciple of Jesus volition give because of his/her gratitude for God's gifts so freely given.

This is the stance of the Rev. Tim McConnell, assistant pastor of Long'southward Chapel United Methodist Church in Lake Junaluska. Contact him at 828-456-3993 or pastortimmc.blogspot.com.

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Source: https://www.citizen-times.com/story/life/2017/10/28/devotional-why-do-we-give-back-to-god/795253001/

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