Trusting God Through Giving
ICS Daily Devotions
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (NKJV) But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Malachi 3:10 (NKJV) Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
The Jewish people recognise that blessings come from obeying God’s law. God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed in the Garden of Eden. The Israelites didn’t lack anything when they left Egypt, and as they entered the Promised Land, it was a land flowing with milk and honey. God was pleased for them to build beautiful houses and for their grain and flocks multiply, on the condition that they didn’t become proud or forget that it was God who gave them the ability to prosper, because He honours His covenant with them. God also reminded us through Scripture that He would supply all our needs in accordance with His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Therefore, as believers, we can be confident we will never be in lack, because we are more valuable than the birds and lilies in the field.
People tend to be forgetful. When things go well, it becomes easy to drift into trusting mammon rather than God. Fearing we will lose it, we begin to rely on what we have earned and subtly allow money to become our master. The most practical way to stay humble and anchored in faith is to practise biblical financial principles. Tithing and giving freewill offerings are not only acts of worship, but declarations that God, not money, is our source.
Both opening passages promise God’s provision to His people through giving. We are given the opportunity to taste and see that the Lord is good through these two offerings. Both require faith and obedience because this is the battleground between trusting in God and trusting in mammon. Faith in God is shown by actions, not words. It is very liberating when we trust and place our confidence in God regarding money.
To live a life of faith, we must depend fully on God, and if our trust truly rests in Him, we will respond to His prompting to give freewill offerings as readily as we obey Him in every other area.
Reflection: When you give—through tithes or freewill offerings—is it truly an act of worship and obedience, or is it driven more by reluctance, fear, or obligation than by trust in God?
Sermon Series： Our Free Will Offering
