GIVE LIBERALLY

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” – John 3:16

LIGHT FOR NOW: The believer is born of a giving God. He is, therefore, a product of giving as giving is what made him a Christian.

God so loved the world that He gave! Christianity is founded on giving. This is so because God gave first and laid down an example for us to follow when he gave his son to die for us. Paul in Romans 8 echoes the same fact in verse 32 “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

• God is the first giver
• God is the chief giver
• God is the sole giver
• God is the main giver

The culture of giving thus emanates from God. 1 John 3:16 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down for his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren”. Love is the motivation for giving. God gave because he loved us. God did not give before he loved. He loved before he gave. So, the love preceded the giving, and the love is the reason for the giving. God so loved that he gave; thus, giving must be love motivated. Your motivation for giving is wrong if it doesn’t come from love. Any act of giving devoid of love is not giving but greed.

Giving is to:
• Honor God
• Respect God
• Express faith in God
We learn the act of giving from God, so we love it because he first loved us. 1 John 4:10, 19 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We love him, because he first loved us”.

Christianity can not be separated from giving; we give because God first gave. We can give because we have received from God. Ephesians 5:1-2 “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour”. The believer is born of love. Love should always motivate our actions, including giving. The believer can imitate God even in his giving; he must give liberally and freely. Glory!

INSTRUCTION: Just give!

CONFESSION: I am born of God, I can imitate God; I give with love just as God has given unto me, in Jesus Name, Amen

QUOTE: The culture of giving should be the character of the believer.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 5; EVENING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 6