The world will worship God because of what you give in His name
Maybe you’ve never thought about how your tithes, offerings, alms and other financial giving affects others in worship, but you should! You’re a world changer, just by being faithful to give your money into what God is doing. In fact, Paul wrote that because of the giving of the believers at the church in Corinth to the people of Macedonia, “they glorify God for the profession of your faith…and for your liberal sharing with them.” Did you catch that? When you are faithful to give, God can do so much with those seeds! And just one facet of what He can accomplish through faithful giving is that people will worship Him- because of you!
The importance of your place in the Kingdom of God cannot be understated. There is so much you can do to share the Gospel, just by being a “living testimony known and read of all men”. (2 Corinthians 3:2) The power of “sowing into the ground that feeds you” (your local church), and into the work on the mission field, and even giving to the poor (which is “lending to God”, see Proverbs 19:7), God is glorified! If your heart is truly one that desires to glorify God, and to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then faithful, financial giving needs to be part of that equation- and to God will be the glory from people who will worship Him because of what you have done in His name!
Being a “living epistle” is not a Sunday morning thing, nor a Sunday morning/Wednesday night/small groups thing. While it’s nice for the church to observe your living witness, the lost and dying world needs you even more.
Talking about “money” is uncomfortable for some people, but tithes, offerings and alms are a Biblical principle and even more so, the Bible is clear: “…they glorify God for…your liberal sharing with them…” Giving isn’t an “act of worship” as defined in the Bible, but it is an obedient by which God is glorified. When you give into missions and programs that enable other Christians to reach into the lost and dying world with faith and finances, you are part of the blessing that God has set aside for those faithful witnesses! Well done, good and faithful servant!
Thought for today
Being a “living epistle” is not a Sunday morning thing, nor a Sunday morning/Wednesday night/small groups thing. While it’s nice for the church to observe your living witness, the lost and dying world needs you even more. “The poor will always be among you,” Jesus said. “As much as you did to the lease of these you did to Me,” Jesus said later in Matthew 25. Maybe you won’t be the one who goes out into the world, but your giving will go places you’ll never be able to go. People will see Jesus Christ in you because of what you do financially, it’s true- and God sees too! One of the most visible things you can do to show others Jesus Christ is help the poor and give financially to your local church. Even if you can’t go, you can give. And God will be glorified!!
