Tithes & Offerings Devotion No.3 - Blessed To Be A Blessing Series

Compiled by: Herman Abrahams (Pastor), Cornerstone Faith Ministries, P.O. Box 740, Westridge 7802, Rep. of South Africa.

E-Mail: Mentorship2003@yahoo.co.uk

Note to the reader:

If you have been blessed with this sermon compilation, I would be honoured to receive an e-mail from you simply stating where in the world you are based- this is merely so that I can have the pleasure of giving thanks to Almighty God that all over the globe, the ministry which he has entrusted to me, is blessing the Body of Christ and helping to extend the Kingdom of God.

Please feel free to communicate. Thank you.

Herman Abrahams,

Cape Town, South Africa.

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Blessed To Be A Blessing

Genesis 12:1-3

Ge 12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. Ge 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. Ge 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

God had told Abraham to leave his country, his people and the comfort of his father’s house and go to a land that God would show him. God told Abraham that He would bless him and that he would be a blessing to others. Wow, what a test of Abraham’s faith! Without knowing where it was that God was taking him, Abraham, in obedience to Almighty God, “left, as the Lord had told him” (Genesis 12:4)

The believer has the blessing of God on his life. In turn he is called to be a channel through which God can bless others. Believers are blessed to be a blessing! In leaving the security of his Father’s house, Abraham not only displayed complete obedience to his heavenly father but also displayed his faith in Almighty God - El Shaddai, the God who is more than sufficient. Yes, the way of God’s blessing is one of faith and obedience. There are times when God asks us to do something where we are unable to see the outcome. Abraham was asked to go, but was not shown where at the time of departure.

Our giving is like that. God asks us to give our tithes and offerings and promises us a blessing of more than we can hold (Malachi 3:10), however, this is often difficult for us to believe or envisage. But we need to remember that “Without faith it is impossible to please God...that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).” And so with diligence of faith and obedience, know that as you keep on doing good in the area of giving tithes and offerings God will surely bless you.

But there is more to this story than just being blessed ourselves. Abraham was not only told that he would be blessed but that others would be blessed through him. Through our financial gifts sown into the Body of Christ, the hungry can be fed, the poor clothed, social upliftment projects can be run and the Gospel preached throughout the world, both for the salvation of dying souls and for the building up of the Body of Christ, etc

Sometimes God will call us to be a blessing by giving directly to someone who is in need or towards one or other Kingdom Project - a missions or apostolic trip, a new building project, a particular ministry, etc. One of the primary reasons why God blesses us with finances is so that we may be able to be a blessing to someone who is in need:

Ephesians 4:28 "He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need."

Remember therefore, that because of God’s blessing on our lives, we are blessed. This blessing is not only for ourselves. We are blessed to be a blessing. We become a blessing through our regular giving into the Kingdom of God and sometimes directly into the lives of others.

Illustration

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What Those Oats Can Do

Henry Crowell, founder of the Quaker Oats Company and a significant contributor to the work of Moody Bible Institute knew how to use money wisely. As a young man, he received Christ as his Savior. When he began his business career in a little Ohio factory, he promised God that he would honor Him in his giving. God’s blessing was upon him; and, as his business grew, he increased his giving. After more than forty years of giving 60 percent of his income to God, Crowell testified, “I’ve never gotten ahead of God. He has always been ahead of me in giving.” * 1