I missed church today but I learnt a couple of things I will like to share with you during my personal time. It is about giving to God, fellow man and to self.
Giving to God
Sometimes we get caught up in prioritizing our giving, some people are so consumed in what they do and don't have so much that the topic giving is stranger than being lost on an island in Bermuda triangle. A lot of people say giving to fellow man is the same as giving to God, this is true in some cases. But you see, we give not because we are in abundance but we give because we own nothing.
The bible encourages us to honour the Lord your God with your first fruit,
It is required by God, offering the first portion of your first fruit to God will cause all of your finances for the year to be holy, which is what we as Christians should pursue, the Bible says
If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches Romans 11:16
It impacts a blessing on your home, the Bible also helps us to understand that offering your first fruit not only brings blessings to yourself, let's read the word together...
The best of all the firstfruits and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal so that a blessing may rest on your household
Ezekiel 44:30
Not only does he bless you, he also blesses people around you,..
Givers of offering enjoy Good insurance
Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,'" declares the LORD. Jeremaiah 2:3
If you want to change what you're getting from God why don't you change what you're giving to God?
I Understanding that giving of our first fruit to God is an instruction from him, for him to open doors of blessings to us, why hold back, it's not cryptocurrency, it is the blessings of God and it has to be timely, according to 2ND Chronicles 31:5 As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything.
Right here the word emphasizes on 'as soon', it means timing is involved and quite important, a lot of time we like to procrastinate our tithing, we have this notion of, it's not really convenient right now, I will double up next month, totally wrong, do it now, as soon as you harvest. Looking at it from the point of view of understanding that for every action, there is an opposite reaction and relating it to the way we expect response from God when we call to him we seem to be in need of a quick answer, so why then do we seek for immediate answers with procrastinated tithing?
Giving to man
I'm not a preacher, neither do I need to be one to know the importance of giving to our fellow man. A lot of time we get caught up in thinking we have little or nothing to give, believe me I have heard people say I cant give you because its not enough, well at least there is a bit of honesty, how about having and claiming not to have?
People have so many reasons for doing what they do, however, givers are leaders, the ability to give without expecting anything in return places one in a position to lead others who dont have. Giving unto people, helping others in time of need opens doors of wonders for one,windows of grace. No man is an Island, every one will need something one day, even the givers. So if we make giving others a hobby, then we can only truly enjoy the abundance of God.
We can not just give material things to people but we can also give our support, time, skill, encouragement, the power of a listening should not be underrated, sometimes it is the only thing we have to offer, then let us do it wholeheartedly.
Giving to self
When my uncle was alive, he was a fine example of someone who we could say is selfless, he could give his last meal to a hungry person, his giving got intense everyday as if to know he was going to die soon, but one thing I know is that he barely gave himself time, always about other people, maybe he would have noticed the lump in his chest, or maybe he did and did not care enough, some questions are beyond my knowledge.
Well, the bible says we should love ourselves, this entails taking care of ourselves, giving love, time and attention to ourselves as well, no one is of use to another dead, nothing really is mine but has been given by the most High. If we can discipline ourselves and derive the right attitude about giving. And likewise giving to man is not only about giving material things, we can give ourselves healthy meals, knowledge, good company, good music, good thoughts, we owe it to ourselves.
Givers never lack
I hope you had a nice read. Have a pleasant evening. Happy Sabbath