Topic: Spend for God
Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 23-24; Luke 22:31-53.
Memory Verse: “And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” 2 Samuel 24:24 (KJV) .
The bible says in Luke 6:38 (KJV), “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” This was stated by our Lord Jesus Christ to emphasize the reward in giving. And if you look at the context in which the Lord Jesus spoke these words, you will notice it covers various ways of giving such as showing mercies to others, loving your enemies, not judging others etc. We can also extend this to every area of giving including kindness, imparting knowledge, giving shelter, clothing, food and money. Based on this, nobody can be excluded from giving. You will have something to give even if it’s your time or even your experience.
Secondly is that Jesus emphasized that the rewarder of your giving is God. He knows how and when best to reward you. And if the reward comes from God, then you should expect multiple of whatever you give because He has in excess whatever you may give. If men realise this, then one wonders why they are still unwilling to give their resources when they know the greatest provider will reward them abundantly! One of the key issues concerning expectation on giving is timing. Because people generally do not know when they may be rewarded, they tend to downplay the reward as they often value instant gratification.
It is critical that we do not only give but also ensure that we give to those who need it. You need to identify the poor or needy around you and ensure you give more to them. Proverbs 19:17 (KJV), “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord ; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.” So giving to God is not only by paying tithes and offerings or supporting church projects but by giving to every creature of God in need. Such giving as shown above can be anything as long as it meets the need of the recipient.
It is also important to take giving to the next level, learning from David in 2 Samuel 24:24 (KJV), “And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. Giving clothes, shoes and food amongst other things that you do not need is good but giving sacrificially is better. That entails giving what you would have used directly or indirectly. It means giving what will deprive you of some satisfaction. David would have been given the land and sacrifice items free of charge by Araunah ( 2 Samuel 24:19-23) but David rejected free gift and offered to pay for them as he would not give to God what does not cost him anything. You also need to ensure you give to God or His creature, what costs you something!
Action Point:
Ensure you give sacrificially to the needy and God’s work regularly.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero