Giving Is An Act Of Worship

Giving Is An Act Of Worship

Proverbs 3:5-10 NASB

Giving can be a very touchy subject for many people. The reputation of the Church has been damaged by folks who have abused others for their own selfish gain. But the excesses of a few wicked folks do not absolve you from your responsibilities.

The Bible outlines three areas that Christians are required to give:

FIRST FRUITS - Giving the first income off of your labor

OFFERING - Giving the best from the fruit of your labor

TITHE - Giving a return of your labor that represents the whole

Giving of your income to your local Church does not include personal mission’s commitments, benevolence or civic donations.

Today I want to share with you three important reasons for being a CHURCH GIVER.

Giving: Acknowledges God's AUTHORITY

It means – you are NOT giving God your leftovers

It means – you should plan what you’re going to give to God.

It means – your gift to God is NOT an afterthought

It means – your gift is something you’ve planned

Giving: Honors God's ATTRIBUTES

It means – you know all good gifts come from God

It means – you are NOT negligent in expressing gratitude

It means – you realize your inability to be self-sufficient

It means – you are NOT driven or motivated by your EGO

Giving: Trusts God's ABILITIES

It means – you are NOT doubting God's love or abilities

It means – you are walking by faith

It means – you are NOT living by your own wits

It means – you should freely give without hesitation

It is easy to trust God when everything is going just fine and dandy. But can you give the Lord your offering when your next pay day is only a wisp of a wish and you can't see any way to make ends meet? God is blessed by what you give and you are blessed when you give regardless of your circumstances.

ILLUSTRATIONS

OPEN: In 21ST Century Christian Magazine a mother told this story:

Our 3 year old daughter was in the habit of giving half of her 2 quarter allowance to God each week. One Sunday we were out of town, so the next Sunday, we gave her an extra quarter to teach her about “making up” our giving when we miss.

She said, “Oh, good, I’ll give one for God and one for Jesus.”

We thought that was cute and didn’t think more about it until the following Sunday. When it was back to the regular allowance and she had only one quarter for the contribution, she started crying. We asked her what was wrong and she said, “Where’s the quarter for Jesus?”

Needless to say, she got an immediate raise in her allowance! We are waiting to see what happens when she finds out about the Holy Spirit.

APPLY: That family was faithfully teaching their daughter a great truth: that giving was an act of worship.

ILLUS: Clara Null of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma told of living in a small town with one bank and three churches. Early one Monday morning, the bank called all three churches with the same request. “Could you bring in Sunday’s collection right away?” We’re out of one-dollar bills.”

Now, why could the bank be sure that there would be $1 bills in the offering? Because many people DON’T PLAN AHEAD in their giving… they give God what they have in their pockets at the time.

ILLUS: One wit observed: “One of the best tests of religion is to find yourself in church with nothing less than a 20 dollar bill in your wallet” (For Benefit of Clergy quoted in Readers’ Digest 5/89)

ILLUS: When I explain to people what it means to become a Christian, I explain faith, repentance and baptism… but I spend a great deal of my time on the “confessing Jesus as Lord” out of Romans 10.

I explain that, in the day of Jesus, if one person called another their “Lord” they were acknowledging that that person “owned them.” They were slaves. The owner not only owned the slave’s services, they owned everything around the slave. The slave owned nothing. (Take out wallet) At this point, I take out my wallet and tell them that “confessing Jesus as Lord” means turning over to Jesus everything you own: everything in your wallet, your bank account, your deeds and titles of ownership – it’s all His now.

ILLUS: Years ago, there was a movie called Shenandoah. The leading character, played by Jimmy Stewart opened the film with a prayer of thanksgiving for the meal. He calls the family in, makes the kids sit still, and prays,

“Lord, we plowed the field, we planted the field, we harvested the crop. We cooked it and put it on the table. It wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for our hard work. But we thank you for it anyway. Amen.”