Extreme Giving

Do you give from your surplus or is it a true sacrifice?

Habakkuk 3:17-19 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD!

I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.

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Habakkuk chapter three doesn't make sense to anyone that has not established a personal relationship with God. If your circumstances are as bad as Habakkuk was facing would you have any reason to rejoice in tribulation? Would you be able to trust God's plan and purpose for your life?

Trusting God when it doesn't make sense is probably the most difficult when it comes to giving away a portion of what you have when you seem to have so little or when it isn't clear how much you will have.

In the Old Testament law God's people were required to bring a first fruit offering to the temple. This offering required a level of trust because you were giving a sacrifice at the beginning of the harvest before you knew how much you would earn. (Leviticus 23:14)

This idea of giving before we get is very foreign to us, we want to give after the paycheck or the bonus comes in, but the Bible teaches that our giving should show that we trust God to take care of us regardless of our financial circumstances.

Give Sacrificially

Mark 12:43-44 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

Jesus told his disciples that the poor widow at the temple was the best giver that day while he was in the temple. Her gift was a true sacrifice that created a financial struggle that none of the other people experienced that day.

Looking back at Habakkuk's situation, the country was in full economic collapse, their wealth had disappeared, the ability to provide for their families was destroyed and the possibility of having a meal on any given day was bleak.

Giving sacrificially requires that you give until it hurts, your giving should make you a little bit uncomfortable, and your lifestyle should be affected by your giving. Is your giving really a generous sacrifice? If you are only giving from your surplus then what happens when the surplus is gone?

Give Joyfully

Deuteronomy 26:8-11 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and powerful arm, with overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! 10 And now, O LORD, I have brought you the first portion of the harvest you have given me from the ground.’ Then place the produce before the LORD your God, and bow to the ground in worship before him. 11 Afterward you may go and celebrate because of all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household. Remember to include the Levites and the foreigners living among you in the celebration.

In the teachings about the first fruit offering they didn't just drop their offering in the collection box and walk away. Their offering was given joyfully with a testimony about the one that provided the offering.

We give our money cheerfully to the things that we are passionate about, it doesn't matter what your interest is, you will spend money easily on those things that you love the most. You will have to be careful not to spend too much on those things.

What do you treasure so much that you can effortlessly give money to? Do you give as cheerfully to God as you do to your earthly pleasures?

Give Graciously 

2 Corinthians 8:2-3  They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.  3  For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.

When you give your time, treasure or your talents to God it becomes part of God's grace to others. God didn't bless me so that I can accumulate the blessings and keep them to myself, I have been blessed so that I can introduce the people that I bless to my loving God who provided for me.

When God's people share their blessings we fulfill our mission here on earth, our blessings help bring charity, good works and justice to our hurting world. Our giving will help us be better ambassadors for our Savior who was the most extreme giver.

I need to be faithful to give even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD!

RELATED ARTICLES

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow: An Analysis (medium.com)
What Was The First Fruits Offering? (gotquestions.com)
Doxology (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

Digging For Treasure

How much value do you put on God's Word?

Psalms 19:7-11  The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

8  The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living.  9  Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever.

The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair.  10  They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.  11  They are a warning to Your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.

Psalms 119:72  Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.

Psalms 119:162  I rejoice in Your word like one who discovers a great treasure.
The word's "Bible study" don't sound like very much fun to most people, mention the word "Bible" and they think of a big boring book, mention the word "study" and most of us think of doing something difficult like a final exam. Both of those words sound a lot like the word "work."

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Work is what it will probably be for you if you are just beginning to develop the spiritual discipline of reading the Bible. If you view work as something that should be avoided then you will probably never dig in and discover the treasure in the Bible. Just because it takes some work doesn't mean that the Bible should sit on the shelf.

Most of us spend a lot of time working at something so that we will be successful. It could be a career or a hobby that motivates us to labor towards a goal. Those who desire to find the treasures in God's word must dig for them.

This is a long term commitment to digging, it is similar to a miner digging for treasure hidden in the earth, if you dig for a short time then you may not get any jewels. We need to decide for ourselves if the work that is involved is worth it.

Over and over again God's word proves that it is valuable, useful and beneficial. Here is a short list of some of the benefits that we can receive from Bible study:

✔  Revives the soul
✔  Makes us wise and gives us insight
✔  Brings joy to the heart
✔  Show us the glory of God

With benefits like that we shouldn't mind picking up the shovel and getting busy.

What excites you?
Matthew 13:44  "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

The person that bought the field knew that he had found something that was valuable enough that he should get rid of everything else that he owned so that he could buy the land and obtain the rights to the treasure that was hidden from everybody else.

What do you consider valuable? Are the things of this world garbage to you? We pursue what we perceive as being valuable. The problem is that we tend to value the things that the world tells us to value and ignore the things that really matter.

Don't be fooled by the fact that you won't find heavenly treasure being traded in the financial markets. As followers of Jesus we need to be careful that we don't view the treasure that can be found in God's word the way that the rest of the world sees it. We need to have a different perspective and we need to upgrade the value of this investment. The world's "treasure" should be garbage to us. (Matthew 6:19-21, Philippians 3:8)