Honoring God with our finances is one of the most misunderstood and mis-preached subjects that I’ve seen in church life. It seems to me, just in my own experience, that pastors either avoid the subject altogether or teach it in a way that dishonors God by using the tools of guilt, condemnation, and even manipulation. But we can not build God’s church using the devil’s tools. Never.
With that in mind, let’s begin our devotional around this important value…
Read 2 Corinthians 8:9… Paul shows us the proper beginning point for any discussion of generosity. Where does he say we begin? (Hint: If you need help, take a look at John 3:16. Is God a taker or a giver?)
Read 2 Corinthians 8:12-14… What does Paul say is the standard we are to use in measuring our giving?
Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 and work through the following questions:
- What kind of giver does Paul say God loves? And what role should guilt, condemnation, and/or manipulation play in encouraging people to give?
- Does God promise to take care of those who are generous?
- What is the ultimate result of our generosity? Who gets the glory and thanksgiving?
- Is it possible to give more to God than He has already given to us?
We have worded this value with great care and caution. We wanted it to encapsulate 2 very important reminders:
- God is always the initiator of giving. Anything we give is a response to His gift. Giving is not primarily about us, but about God.
- God, in his character and person, is generous. Generosity isn’t just what God does, it is who He is.
Don’t forget that we have one more value to share tomorrow!
Joshua Butcher 