REF NO: 025
COLUMNIST: Rudolf Nii Yemoh Mensah, Prelate, Oasis Potterlight Chapel International
BIBLE PASSAGE: Proverbs 18:16, NLT: "Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people!"
BACKGROUND: The passage (verse) teaches us how God uses our gift to open bigger doors for us.
THE MAIN MESSAGE
What does this verse really mean? Often times, I've heard people quote this verse out of context. Many preachers and teachers relate it to talent but it isn't so in the original Hebrew translation.
In the Original Hebrew text you'll discover that the writer is referring to financial matters. In fact, when you look it up, you will find that in Palestine (Middle East) it was customary for a man to bring a gift to an individual in order to be heard by that individual. You had to present a gift before anyone would even discuss business with you.
Other people have also related this idea to mean giving bribe. But this is also so wrong. the gift mentioned in this passage is not a bribe. The Hebrew word used here is "mattan" and differs from the word for a bribe which is "shochad".
According to the Strong's Concordance, the Hebrew word translated "gift" (mattan) in Prov. 18:16 means a gift, offering or present '. And the word "room" means to 'broaden'. So, in other words, we could read that verse like this: "A man's present will broaden, cause expansion, or create opportunity for him. And, on top of all that, a man's present will bring him before great men."
God knows the power of a gift. That’s why he didn’t institute a “church tax.” He wanted every gift to be given from one’s own will so that when the blessings come, we understand how God worked through our gift to prosper our wellbeing.
I like the way the New International Version translates Prov. 18:16. It may make it easier to understand the meaning of the verse: A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great. (Prov. 18:16. NIV).
There is something else I want you to see concerning the value of a gift. Prov. 17:8 says, "A gift is as a PRECIOUS STONE in the eyes of him that hath it. Whithersoever it turneth, it PROSPERETH." This scripture says that a gift is as a precious stone.
You need to understand that a gift is of value and that a gift makes room for you. In other words, a gift will open doors of opportunity for you.
Proverbs 21:26: "the righteous gives and does not hold back".
What gift do you have? Are you a giver or a receiver? How often do you give? It will make room for you. In other words, your gift will make a way for you. You will be brought before great, affluent and prominent people because of your gift.
According to Scripture, it is a good thing to give because it ushers you to your breakthrough. It is good to give. Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Acts 20:35, NLT: "And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
It is more blessed to give than receive because giving will give you the miracle and favour that you need. Giving will open unusual doors of favour and greatness. It will put you in the status of a big man.
When we give, we are putting ourselves in a place of humility and offering that God shows favour upon. God is looking to bless those who obey Him and pursue the things of His kingdom on earth!
It is more blessed to give than receive because giving promotes financial breakthroughs. Giving causes God to give us more than we gave.
Luke 6:38, NLT: Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
What you add to the wellbeing of life on earth, you receive back in fulfillment. God will amazingly give you far more than you will ever give to support the kingdom. God will give more more than you ever gave to support those who are in need. Jesus Himself said that much more blessings are allocated to givers than takers. That is why givers never lack and never would. Giving promotes prosperity.
The giver becomes prosperous in all his ways, praise the Lord! What gift have you given to somebody this new year? What gift are you going to give to support the church and others this year? Never grow tired in giving. Giving is good! Giving is of God! Be of God by demonstrating the essence of love through giving! Show some love!
Proverbs 11:24-25: There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.
Giving Is Loving
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
In Christianity, we give because 'giving is how God expressed His love for us'. You can give without loving but you can never love without giving.
1 John 3:16-18: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
God is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). As His image-bearers we are called to copy His giving, to be mini-pictures of His infinitely large heart. The larger our hearts (and the wider our hands), the larger the picture we paint of God’s character.
What do people think of God when they think of the way you use your money? It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving. Love gives!
Giving Is Powerful
1 Timothy 6:17-19, NLT: Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
This is the power of gift! Giving is power! Giving is powerful!
God knows the power of a gift. That’s why he didn’t institute a “church tax.” He wanted every gift to be given from one’s own will so that when the blessings come, we understand how God worked through our gift to prosper our wellbeing.
To be in vital communion with God and in alignment with his mission, we care for our members and our community. I ask that you would give to that care now so that God’s power can flow through us to heal the broken in our church and community.
Giving Is The Way God Blesses Others
Proverbs 22:9: He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.
Proverbs 28:27: He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.
If giving is the way God blesses us, then it is the way God blesses us. When God was talking to Abram about creating a nation that would be his, the point was always about being a blessing to others. He tells Abram, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2).
God doesn’t often drop His providence out of the sky. He blesses us so that we will be able to bless others.
Giving Joyfully Makes God Happy
Paul spells it out for us: “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 8:1). That’s pretty self-explanatory. When we give as joyful expression, it delights our Maker. God becomes so delighted and excited when giving becomes our joy.
Giving is An Act Of Obedience
According to Malachi 3:10-12, giving is the one thing God tells us to test him in.
Giving is God's command. It is a mandate from God! This implies that giving is mandatory for every child of God. We are not giving what belongs to us, we are sharing what God has given us to share with others and fund His kingdom.
“You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:18)
God gives us the blessing of being able to work, earn, save, spend, and accumulate wealth. We do this for our children. We do this for our community. We do this for ourselves. But we also do it to honor God as faithful stewards.
And as stewards, we joyfully worship God each each day and give back to him from what we have earned so that the church can do meaningful work for God’s kingdom in the world.
While God doesn’t want us to give out of compulsion (2 Cor. 9:7), He does want us to give. In fact, Jesus encourages us to give to everyone who asks of us (Lk. 6:30). That’s a pretty sobering statement.
Giving Makes You Happier and Joyful
Chronicles 29:9: Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly.
There’s nothing that makes a Christian happier than knowing that she’s made God happy, and happy giving means a happy God.
The Tony Evans Bible Commentary tells us "Indeed, in God’s economy you will be more blessed if you’re a spiritual conduit rather than a spiritual cul-de-sac. God wants to work through you so that you will be a blessing to others. If you have the capacity to address a need (with your money, your time, or your encouragement), be used by God to give to and meet that need.
God will return the favor."
It delights Him to see His people gladly opening their hearts and hands to provide for the needs of His Church and indeed of all His creatures. Through Paul, God repeatedly commends and praises those who gave of their funds and of themselves to Gospel work (2 Corinthians 8:1).
Giving trusts God’s provision
The biggest deterrent to giving is fear, the fear that if I give away too much I won’t have enough for this or that. When we give sacrificially, above and beyond what is comfortable and easy, we are expressing our faith and trust in God to provide for us and our family. This is not an argument for folly, but for faith.
As Christians, the Bible is clear throughout its pages that we’re called to give generously. Even in the book of Exodus chapter 35, we see the Israelites all generously giving the materials and time to build the tabernacle. If any of those people decided to withhold the materials they owned or the skills they had, the tabernacle wouldn’t have come together.
God loves everybody. But what He loves about a cheerful giver is that they get it. They get the connection between spiritual growth and generosity. They get that giving is itself a blessing to the giver. They get it. Not that those who aren’t in a position to give don’t get it. But there are far more of those who can and don’t, and those who think they can’t, but probably could.
Many Christians have discovered the joy of casting their crumbs of bread upon the waters and multiple loaves returning after many days (Ecclesiastes 11:1). It’s such a joy to see God fulfill His promise of provision when we obey Him.
When Jesus says, “It’s better to give than to receive,” He’s not making a statement about benefit.
“Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!” (Psalm 119:36)
When you think of your money, does your heart hold or release? If it can release, it’s not selfish gain. If it can’t, it might be lingering beneath the surface.
One way God helps us fight against grasping so tightly onto our money that it gets in the way of God’s testimonies to us is to give to the church. God tells us to do it, and he knows it’s an ailment for hearts that are often inclined toward selfishness. Would you release your heart today and give to God as we incline our heart toward his testimonies??
To give a portion of our earnings to God keeps our hearts reminded of the God who not only calls us to give, but blesses us in return. You all have many gifts. Some are called to give more, and some are called to give less. But when we are called to give, we are called to give generously.
When we are equipped with enough resources to give generously, our capacity to produce a greater effect is increased. Funding the mission and work of the church as well as caring for the levites (Pastors), the poor and needy in our families and society is God's heartbeat.
Giving is a way of opening ourselves to opportunity. When we choose to be God’s opportunity of help and love for another person, we place ourselves in God’s design for giving and receiving from one another.
We need to become generous people because it’s the right thing to do, not because we’ll benefit. But it is just the God blesses us according to Scripture.
This does not imply that giving is the only way God blesses us. In fact, God blesses us in so many ways but giving is just the way God blesses us. Shalom Aleichem!
