Giving - Christ’s Commission Fellowship
Are you intimate with God? We are designed to experience nearness with the Lord, as a man is intimate with his wife. There are five ways in which we can test how intimate we are with Him.
The Test of Communication
Do we communicate with God? Do we listen to Him? Do we obey Him? When we love someone we desire to constantly talk with that person.The Test of Companionship
Do we get excited with opportunities to spend time with God? Or would we rather do something else? When we love someone we try to spend every waking hour with that person.The Test of Service
Are we able to submit with delight in service to our God? Do we enjoy doing ministry work despite not getting paid or not being praised? When we love someone we seek to serve that person anyway we could.The Test of Fear
Do you fear you will displease Him? Are we confident that God will help us in our time of trouble? When we love someone we are scared to hurt that person.The Test of Giving
Do we find joy in giving our time, talent and treasures? Or is it a challenge? When we love someone we give gifts to that person. For we can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving.
Giving has always been an area of controversy and difficulty. But God takes joy when He sees us giving back to Him with a cheerful heart. His desire to bless us with more, if only we give. For those who love God, giving should never be painful. He seeks to bless us so we can bless others. But how do we become instruments of God’s blessings?
Partner with God
We are mere stewards. When we partner with God and become intimate with Him who owns everything, we are assured that all our needs will be met. We are then reminded to be worry-free and put our trust and confidence in Him alone. God desires to be involved in every aspect of our life, even with our finances. He has given us a promise that if we seek His kingdom first, He will be faithful in providing for all our needs. (Matthew 6:33)
Planning to Prioritize God
We must plan to prioritize God. Faithful stewardship begins when we give our tithes to Him. This can only be done by faith, and it is only through faith that we learn to trust and put Him first.
Prompting by the Holy Spirit
God often communicates with us through the prodding of the Holy Spirit. More often than not, these promptings will challenge us to go out of our comfort zones as He uses us to become channels of His blessings to others.
God desires for us to be a blessing for others. He desires that we pursue intimacy with Him through our giving–for the extent our giving and our willingness to trust God will all our needs show how intimate we are with Him.
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