ICS Daily Devotions
Freely Received and Freely Give
2 Corinthians 8:7 (NKJV) But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.
Just like the people in Corinth, we might have acquired a lot of Bible knowledge, grown in our faith and are diligent in our work, but one thing that God would also like us to excel and abound in is the grace to give. May we be known for our giving, knowing that God has given us the grace to be able to give financially towards His work.
Tithing makes God the source and provider of everything we need in life. It is important to establish and accept the biblical truth in our lives that He is truly Jehovah Jireh, our provider. It is much easier for us to be a steward of God’s money when we truly believe that He is the source of our provision. We should also cultivate a lifestyle of giving by giving over and above the tithe and weekly offerings—it is the lifestyle of freely received and freely give. It is when we are found to be good stewards of administering His finances then He will entrust us with more. Moreover, we will experience God in our lives when we practise these biblical financial principles; it will help us to escape the corruption that is in the world, and to switch from the world’s system to God’s system of blessings and provision.
Pride holds us back from acknowledging that God is the source of our provision. Someone might argue that it is their hard work that has brought forth their wealth, but let’s not forget that it is God who gave us life in the first place. COVID-19 has shown us that we have taken many things for granted, including being able to wake up every morning, breathe normally and go about our daily routines.
Acts 17:28 (NKJV) for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Nobody can give themselves life or extend their lives. The source of life is God because He is the giver of life. It was the breath of God that brought Adam into a living being after he was made from the earth. We will not be able to work, make money, do well in business unless God has given us life. Unfortunately, we often don’t perceive this truth until we are sick, humbled, and down to our last few breaths. Everything on earth stops when our spirit departs from this earth, but as Christians, we can rejoice in the face of death because we know that we will continue to live in eternity.
Sermon Series: Free Will Offering
