THE CHRISTIAN GIVER

 THE CHRISTIAN GIVER - PART 3

Together, we have been considering since the beginning of the week, a message on Christians as givers. I believe we have so much being blessed. If you have not been following the series, pls you can read previous articles on our blog site and Facebook page. God bless you.

In the third part of this week's message, we shall be rounding off the mysteries and benefits in Giving. 

THE MYSTERIES OF GIVING

5. Giving as a Covenant:

From God's word, we understand that Giving is in fact a covenant practice. Through Abraham's giving, he entered into the covenant of trans-generational blessings. Genesis 22:16-17; "And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies". Also, through Noah's offering, God entered into a covenant that He will for no reason destroy the earth with flood (Genesis 8:20-22). 

Also, in the book of 1Kings 3, we see how king Solomon entered into a covenant of prosperity. And the Bible recorded that there was none like king Solomon among the kings. This only came about because of his offering in verse 3 and 4. 1Kings 3:3-4 "And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statues of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar". God came down unto him by reason of his giving and made a covenant with him. 

When we give as God desires, we enter into a covenant. As we know our God is a covenant keeping God; as long as you are faithfully doing your part, God is committed to doing His own part. Psalm 89:34 "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips".

6. Giving as a mystery:

Giving as seen in the scriptures is one of many mysteries Christ unveiled to us through his ministry here on Earth. How can one explain the scripture in Proverbs 11:24; "There is he that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is he that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty". 

Mysteries are the acts and ways of God that can not be understood by the natural man

In that verse above; as a certain one was scattering, he was yet increasing while as another was holding much to himself, he continued in lack and want. Looking from the carnal man's point of view, you will naturally expect He who holds to himself to have much more at the end but that is not the case here. It is he who lendeth out, he who gives that gets the increase. It is not surprising how our Fathers of old in the scriptures received the blessings of God. Abraham was a giver, so was Isaac his son. Job was a die-hard giver, hence the blessings on their lives. 

This is though a mystery but as children of God, God reveals them to us. For him who scatters, something leaves him whether to another person or to any other thing in particular and he has an empty hand or more room to receive more blessings but to him who withholds much, he continues to accumulate to the extent that he is not able to receive and then all he has starts to drop out of his hands. When we understand that the principle of giving does not answer to your knowledge of Mathematics, this will also help us know that you cannot expect to see continually the blessings of God if you keep taking all to yourself unlike what science will tell you. In the same vein, God is the one who is to bless your seeds; so when it appears that the fruits are delayed, it is not a time to give up the race but to continue with the seeds because at the end, though it may tarry, it will yet speak.

Why is it also best to trust God whom we give unto than the seeds? This is because the seeds themselves can not turn into fruits; God the Father determines this. Hence, patience and obedience in order to reap the fruits is needed on our part. Remember always that God is the one that receives your giving and He is the one to bless that giving. You must continue to give whether the results yield as fast as you expect.

7. Giving as a way to provoke the hands of God:

We must understand that God is Committed to giving us what we desire when we give Him what He desires. Giving opens the heavens for anyone who does it genuinely. Because Giving provokes the hands of God, it therefore facilitates speedy answers to our prayers. We talked about blessings available in Giving. One of these is speedy answers to our prayers. The Bible makes us to know that God loves a cheerful giver (2Corinthians 9:7). Thus, if you give with your heart joyfully and God loves you, is there anything that you will ask Him that He will not do?

There are many instances from scriptures when men provoked the hands of God to bless them through Giving. Abraham in Genesis 22, Isaac in Genesis 26, Noah in Genesis 8, 

Malachi 3:10; God said "prove me now". NLT version says "test me now". The Heavens will always pour out rain upon the grounds of a giver but He who doesn't give shall be cursed (Proverbs 11:25)

TO BE CONTINUED...

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