Took a break for a couple of days as my days were packed full this last week. I want to continue looking at giving God's Way! Our giving should be regulated and motivated by gratitude for what Christ has done for us. Paul writes: '...though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.' (2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV) Understanding how gracious and generous God is to us is important, because some of us give Him our leftovers; if we've anything left after we've paid our bills and done everything we wanted to do, we'll give. But even if we give God a million dollars, if it's out of our leftovers, have we given Him our best? (Malachi 1:6-14) Some people are 're-givers'. Re-givers receive a present they don't want, wrap it up and give it to someone else. Some folks have whole wardrobes full of these kinds of gifts. I know, we did that the other day for Joe's birthday. He wasn't expecting anything but Amy has a cabinet full of gifts to give for right occasions. That's how some of us approach giving to God - and it's an insult! In the New Testament you don't see preachers begging, selling stuff or using gimmicks to raise money for God's work. What you see is people like the Macedonians responding to God's grace because they understood and loved the God they served. Everything God created was meant to give. He created the sun to give light during the day and the moon and stars during the night. He created flowers to give seeds. God Himself is a giver: 'For God so loved the world, that He gave...' (John 3:16 KJV) When you understand grace, circumstances take a back seat. Your giving is not determined by your debt-to-income ratios, financial indexes, leading economic indicators or tax code. No, your giving is motivated by God's grace! You are loved...
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