DATE: 25TH APRIL, 2021
THEME: STEWARDSHIP: CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS GIVING
SCRIPTURE READINGS
2 Kings 4:8-17
1 Corinthians 16:1-4
Matthew 6:1-4
Psalter: Psalm 23
PREPARED BY: OSOFO YAW DODD
INTRODUCTION
“God gives liberally; man divides it badly.” – Adam Clarke
Believe it or not, your attitude toward giving can say a lot about you as a Christian. It speaks volumes about the condition of your heart. It determines what kind of “eye” you have. It signifies on what level of Faith you are actually walking. It manifests to all if you are being a good steward of what the Lord has placed in your care. It demonstrates if your life is well-pleasing in His sight. Lastly, it shows how attached or unattached you are to this world and its treasures and even where your eternal soul is headed.
The “liberal soul” is one that gives freely and fully in the true spirit of love. Acts 20:35 – He recognizes that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” On the other hand, the miserly, stingy, penny-pincher withholds blessings from others because he feels that, by giving, he robs himself.
Giving should always be done plentifully, liberally, and faithfully. It should never be carried out with a sinister design or out of respect of persons. In fact, God only accepts that which is done out of the pure motive to glorify Him. Unfortunately, many today in the Body of Christ give out of a selfish motive, seeking to further their own influence or prosperity. In fact, some ministries even encourage such base and selfish ends. Resultantly, many will not give unless they get some tangible gift in return.
Giving should always be voluntary and cheerful. It must be prompted by the heart and not by the head or human reasoning. Many times one will feel moved by the Holy Spirit to give to a certain need, only to fail to come through in the end because he allowed self-interests, pride, corrupt passions, stinginess, and greed to hinder.
O Christian, what is in your heart today? When the Holy Spirit moves upon you to give, does your heart gladly respond with “Yes, Lord,” or do you find yourself kicking against the pricks because of some improper attachment that has a hold of you? Do you find yourself asking, “What is in this for me? What will I gain by my giving?”
BODY
A. THE FOUNDATION FOR GIVING
Giving is not just having to do with your money or your substance, but also has other implications. In 2 Corinthians 8 the Apostle Paul was lauding the Macedonian churches for the way they had financially supported him during a time of great need (for him AND them). In the same exultation, the Apostle Paul gives us the proper order of our giving. 2 Corinthians 8:5 “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.” This is God’s order in Giving.
▪ Give yourself to the Lord.
These disciples of Paul firstly gave THEMSELVES unto God. This is the first step to giving. God does not receive your offering if you have not given yourself to Him. This certainly is speaking of a salvation, born-again experience, but it also goes above and beyond that. It could also be speaking about being wholehearted towards God, your devotion to Him, His ways, and towards His call, will, and purposes for your life.
▪ Give yourself to the Church or the Ministry God has put you under.
These Christians willfully put themselves under the authority of the Apostle Paul. He was their spiritual father, but today many people are rebelling against their fathers. Rebellion is a very big issue in our world today. I know of countless men who have risen up in rebellion against their Pastor, split the church, and went and began their own church in another place.
B. OUR MOTIVE FOR GIVING!
Our motivation for giving should be – OBEDIENCE, DEVOTION to the Lord, and a DESIRE to see the furtherance of His kingdom.
C. THE WRONG ATTITUDE TOWARD GIVING
Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Jesus says to “be careful,” or “beware,” or “take heed.” That phrase should catch our attention. There is something that we could possibly do that would be harmful to us. When you walk up to a house with a sign that says, “Beware of Dog,” your senses are heightened. You’re looking for the dog.
Jesus says “beware,” because something we do could cause harm. We should pay attention so as not to do that thing.
Well, towards what act does Jesus tells us to be careful? He says, “not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.”
D. THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARD CHRISTIAN GIVING
How do you get the attitude God expects when you give? It starts with your heart. God is a lot more interested in your willingness to give than your wealth, because he’s interested in what’s happening in your heart when you decide to give.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully’” (NLT). This verse talks specifically about four key heart attitudes you should have when you give.
- Give thoughtfully
- Give enthusiastically
- Give voluntarily
- Give cheerfully
Sometimes it’s a challenge to be cheerful when God is challenging you to give. Whenever you feel that way, just remind yourself of the benefits of what God wants to do in your heart: It creates love among the Christian community. It defeats materialism. It strengthens your faith. It’s an investment for eternity. It blesses you in return. And it makes you more like God.
E. THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN, OUR PERFECT EXAMPLE IN CHRISTIAN GIVING
This story primarily centers around this great woman of faith. There are four other actors in this drama–Elisha, his servant Gehazi, the woman’s husband, and of course her son. But the central figure is this woman and her ministry of faith by which she showed hospitality to Elisha as a man of God.
▪Her godliness and respect for the Word is seen in her hospitality. She willingly opened her home to those in need. She extended her hand to the needy; she shared in the good things God had given her (Prov. 31:20).
▪This lady was also great because she was interested in and wanted to promote the work of God, especially the preaching of the Word. She did what she did for Elisha because she perceived he was a man of God, that is, a prophet teaching the Word and doing the work of God (vs. 9). By her concern and her actions she was promoting the preaching of the Word.
▪She was a great lady because of her contentment. When Elisha, being appreciative for her warm hospitality, wished to reward her by offering to use his influence with the king or his military commanders, she politely refused. She had no desire for worldly advancement; she was not wanting to climb the social ladder of success. She was content with what God had provided her and with her place of service and ministry in the community. She was content with her home, her position, her friends, and her ministry.
What a rare attitude! She knew and believed she was where God wanted her and with that she was content. This lady had it together!
REFLECTION
▪Elisha was very appreciative and thankful for what this woman had done for him and his servant. There is a mental attitude of thankfulness and appreciation that characterizes the godly. One of the products of a Spirit-controlled, Word-filled life is thankfulness, not only to God, but to others for what they mean to us, to our ministry, and to others.
▪Elisha was not just thankful, he wanted to express his thanks in concrete terms so he sought for something he could do for her to show his appreciation. The point here is people cannot read our minds, so we need to say and do things to express our appreciation. That will surely encourage them and honor the Lord.
CONCLUSION
In this story we see a great lady, a lady of faith, appreciated and soon rewarded and blessed for her service to the Lord and to His prophet. Enjoy the SERVICE. Stay Blessed
PREPARED BY
OSOFO YAW DODD
CALVARY METHODIST CHURCH
ADABRAKA-ACCRA
