HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 150
page A148
Giving continued
are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection
because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.
Generosity glorifies God and enriches your life. Others will thank God and honor him as
their needs are met, and many will pray for you.
• 1 C H R O NI C L E S 2 9 :9 -1 4 | The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely
and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy. Then David praised
the Lord. . . . “Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours. . . . Wealth and honor
come from you alone. . . . Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only
what you first gave us!”
Generosity reminds us that the things we have are gifts to be shared with others.
• 1 P E T E R 4 :1 0 | God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts.
Use them well to serve one another.
The more generous you are with others the more God’s generosity flows through you.
• A C T S 2 0 :3 5 | Remember the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to
receive.”
Keeping something may please you, but giving provides you the joy of pleasing God and
the satisfaction of helping others.
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• PSA L M 1 1 2 :5 -6 | Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their
business fairly. Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be
long remembered.
God blesses the generous with things that money can never buy.
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How will I know when I’m generous enough?
• L U K E 2 1 :1 -4 | While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their
gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell
you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they
have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”
Observing people at the Temple treasury, Jesus described God’s standard for gauging
generosity: The degree of your sacrifice matters more than the value of your gift. Millionaire
philanthropists whose high-dollar gifts never alter their lifestyle may be less generous in
God’s eyes than the struggling single parent who foregoes a needed pair of shoes in order
to give to God. He looks for the willing heart, not the extravagant amount. God looks for
what giving will do in your life, not just what it will accomplish for his Kingdom. Does your
giving sometimes cause you to do without something significant? Can you honestly say
you give sacrificially? That is the giving that reveals true generosity.
What will greed do to me?
• PR O V E R B S 2 1 :2 6 | Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!
(See note on page 577.)
• I SA I A H 5 6 :1 1 | Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied. They are . . . intent on personal
gain. (See note on page 653.)
Greed makes us ignorant of others’ needs and causes us to think only of ourselves.
• E X O DU S 2 0 :1 7 | “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your
neighbor’s wife.”
• 2 K I NG S 5 :2 6 | “Is this the time to receive money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards,
sheep and cattle?”
Envy, or coveting, is a form of greed. Greed can overpower us, moving us to go after things
we know we should not have.
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 5 :1 1 | You are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer
yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard,
or cheats people.
In this passage God ranks greed with some of the worst kinds of sin.