Our Bible Study group recently watched ‘The Blessed Life’ video series by Robert Morris from Gateway Church. Pastor Morris talks about the blessing of being a generous and giving person. Here are some of my take-a-ways from his teaching.
- Being blessed means having supernatural power working for you.
You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God: Your towns and your fields will be blessed. Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. ~ Deuteronomy 28:1-6
2. True giving comes from the heart—not from a legalistic mind.
You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ~ 2 Corinthians 9:7
3. Giving is not a get-rich-quick scheme; it is a lay-down-your-life challenge.
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. ~ Matthew 6:24
4. A properly focused heart is more excited about giving generously than receiving.
Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. ~ Deuteronomy 15:10
5. Debt can hinder our giving. So be very careful about going into debt.
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. ~ Proverbs 22:7
7. Give to the Lord first.
Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. ~ Proverbs 3:9-10
8. God wants us to be good stewards. We need to be faithful with what He gives us.
‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.” ~ Matthew 25:21
9. God loves it when we give cheerfully not grudgingly
“God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. ~ 2 Corinthians 9:8
10. True riches are souls. When all is said and done, our possessions don’t make it to heaven: only our souls and those we’ve won to the Lord.
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. ~ Matthew 6:19-21
