Our Blog
The Attitude of Giving
Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
“Every man, according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (v. 7).
Giving — proportionately, purposefully, willingly, even exuberantly: there is nothing like it. It is true that we are commanded to care for our own; I doubt that anyone disputes that. Watch for the needs of your family, those that are closest to you. When you are incapable of helping a particular need, ask God for the faith to believe in His unending care for His own. Then set your eyes on heaven and eternity; keep in mind the “recompense of the reward” to those who are faithful. Ask God to help you see, really see, needs. We have a special obligation to the local church — the “storehouse.” Give consideration to the outreach to the Native Americans, the inner cities, overseas missions, our Christian day schools, and Bible colleges. Joyously support traveling evangelists; give to local charities, those who are working with addicts, in prison ministries. Help sponsor a scholarship to a local Christian school or a Bible college. Don't be a grouch about giving back to God, for He loves a hilarious giver. (Leonard Sankey)
Give of your sons to bear the message glorious;
Give of your means to speed them on their way. — Mary A. Thomson
This devotional is the Sunday, April 9, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.
Small group discussion and reporting
Another effective learning technique is to divide the class into smaller groups who will spend time studying, researching, and debating a smaller aspect or issue, and then reporting to the whole group their findings and conclusions.
For example, in studying Lesson 6, the class could be divided into three groups. The first group could be given multiple scriptures that speak of tithing and giving offerings to God, with the question: “What are patterns we see about giving in God’s Word?” The second group could be tasked writing a list of 5–10 principles for giving from the primary text and supporting scriptures. The third group could compile a list of the many blessings God promises for those who have a giving, sacrificial heart.
These three groups would report to the whole group their findings. The main points could be listed on a whiteboard, and you as teacher could then spend time emphasizing the most important issues, leading the class in relevant discussion and consideration of practical application steps.
Christian Principles for Giving Money
Lesson 6 - April 9, 2003
Focus Text: Malachi 3:8-10; 2 Corinthians 9:5-15
Central Truth: Proper biblical stewardship includes giving as God directs.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify ways in which their stewardship of money could be improved.
Lesson Outline:
- The Pattern for Giving (Malachi 3:7-12)
- The Principles of Giving (2 Corinthians 9:5-7)
- The Privileges of Giving (2 Corinthians 9:8-15)
Is your hope in wealth?
In "Doctrinal Discussion" Jason Lindahl writes:
One of these was Job, a respected leader in his ancient community. In Eastern poetical language, he said, “Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me . . . when I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil” (29:2-6). Job confessed that he fully expected to die in this blessed state: “Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand” (29:18). However, his story illustrates that wealth, by itself, is a lousy source of security. In chapter 28, Job wrote about the wealth of precious stones and metals hidden in the earth and the means men use to mine them. Perhaps some of his own wealth was related to this mining. However, Job went on to explain that wisdom's value is much greater than all of this earthly wealth. He understood the principle that “the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (v. 28). Job's hope was not in his wealth, but in God.
Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 32.
Is it wrong to want to be rich?
In "Biblical Perspective" Larry Grile writes:
The desire and purpose to be rich is neither spiritual nor legitimate. The desire to have money and possessions exposes men to unexpected temptations and traps them in unwanted trials and adversities. The lure of riches will tempt men to violate conscience and compromise ethics. Part of the problem of desiring to be wealthy is that it creates endless possibilities and therefore breeds many other desires for all kinds of worthless and harmful things. Things that we do not need and things that we should not want begin to overwhelm our lives, saturate our minds, absorb our time, and drain our money. Finally, all these things converge to overwhelm the soul and sink men down into ruin and eternal damnation.
Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 29.