Matthew 23:23-24

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”

A dear friend who attended the memorial service for my brother commented about my message dealing with heaven. He said that few modern ministers preach about heaven or hell or giving. With that in mind, here are a few of my thoughts concerning giving to the Lord.  

Over the years I have been bombarded with questions about spiritual giving. The tone of their question usually indicates that the one who is asking wants to give the least possible amount to the Lord and keep the rest for their self. I feel that we fall into great error when we get the idea that our income belongs to us, and we graciously give a certain amount (or none) to the Lord.  

I believe that everything we own or earn belongs to the Lord. That being the case, we need to ask Him what we should do with His money. All too often we are emotionally swayed by heart-rending appeals or guilt trips about not doing enough. I have heard some ministries use greed as an incentive to give.

In our own ministry, I have come to the place of totally relying on the Lord to provide. There have been times in years gone by that I appealed for giving. The Lord has convicted me of doing that. If He lays it upon someone’s heart to give, that is between them and the Lord.  Hudson Taylor is quoted as saying; “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.”

It may be that God will have you give twenty or thirty percent of your income to your church or some ministry that He lays upon your heart. The important thing is to spend time in God’s Word and prayer, then let Him lead you. 

Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!

- – - Pastor Cecil