Skip to main content

Growing in Grace II FOP/BSS/011

TOPIC:  Growing in Grace II
Sub-Topic: Grace of Giving
TEXT: 2 Cor. 8:1013
MEMORY VERSE: 2 Cor. 8:7
 
INTRODUCTION
Giving is an expression of love and it is a major attribute of our loving Father. But God shows and clearly proves His (own) love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners Christ, the messiah, the anointed one, died for us! Rom. 5:8 (Amp).
Scripture teaches us that apart from the fact that giving is an expression of love, it is a basic requirement for a continuous reception of good things. The one who gives never lacks.
Giving can be seen from two angles; vertical and horizontal giving. The vertical giving has to do with giving to God; first our lives, worship and love. The horizontal giving has to do with giving to our fellow humans.
There are many aspects of giving but for the purpose of this study, we will limit ourselves to giving our resources by means of tithes, offerings, seeds and meeting the needs of the brethren.
 
EVALUATIONS
 
1. Why we should give
a) John 3:10, Acts 4:32-35
b) Acts 20:35
c) Prov. 3:9-10, 14:31
d) Mal. 3:10, Prov. 11:24

2. Right attitude towards giving
a)  I Chron. 29:9, 2 Cor. 8:12
b) 2 Cor. 9:6-7
c)  Matt. 5:23-24
d)  2 Sam. 24:24
e) Mal. 1:7-8
f) Matt. 6:1-4
 
3.  Growing in the giving grace
a)  2 Pet. 1:2-3
b) Gal. 6:9-10, 2 Thess. 3:13
c) Zech. 4:10a, Luke 16:10
d)  Jude 20, John 14:26
e) Lk 2:52, 2 Pet 3:18
 
CONCLUSIONA heart that loves to give, greatly pleases God. God is interested in helping us become like Himself in every area of our lives, therefore He has given is His grace (enabling power) to excel in giving.
Let us take advantage of this grace that has been made available for us and as we do, we will grow more and more until we reach perfection (maturity) in Christ.
 
Selah!
-A poor man is not a man without bread, but a man without seed.
-There is no such way to attain greater measure of grace as for a man to live up to the little grace he has.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Updated: Don’t Bind the Brook, Don’t Rebuke the Ravens - Simple Lesson in Obedience

  Over the years I have come to understand the place of simple obedience to the instructions of God, and the huge difference it could make in one’s life. I have also come to see how easy believers can be in disobedience, yet be able to cover up with some form of spiritual activity, then in the end attempt to pass on the responsibility for their failures on God.   This can possibly account for one of the biggest reasons why there are believers who seem not to be making progress in life in spite of their seeming spirituality. The situation is even more compounded when older believers who should set the example for younger believers fall into this group. The implication is that there will be a generation of young believers who cannot seem to find the proper alignment between the Christian faith and being productive in life.   The story of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 17, clearly illustrates my point.  The Word of the Lord had come to the prophet to camp by the bro...

Blessed By Association - Updated

Abraham by God’s calling had become a blessed man walking in the blessing. God appeared to him, changed his name and gave him the covenant of circumcision. You would have thought that all this will happen to just Abraham and his family, but not so, the blessing as we see it (Gen 17: 12-14) was also for as many as were with Abraham at that time. They came into the lineage of blessing simply by association with the man Abraham, they were to be circumcised just like Abraham, and came under the same covenant blessing. These people who were associated with Abraham at that time, including his household servants, enjoyed the most of the covenant that God Almighty gave to him. It therefore goes to show that there are associations in life that will forever set you up for the blessing. That is why you must treasure the relationships that God brings into your life, and never take them for granted.  In one of the piece published on this blog,  Identity by association , it was emphasized t...

Becoming a Person of Value

Over the years, I have come to realize that everyone likes to associate with people of value. It means that if you are someone who commands value, people will be drawn to you. If not, they will not. Now, suppose you find yourself always seeking to associate with others whom you consider valuable, but discover that not many people are eager to associate with you — this could simply mean that you are not yet commanding enough value. I use the words “not yet” intentionally, because I am mindful that we can all command great value if we take the right steps. Here are a few steps to help you truly become a person of value: 1. Have the Right Perspective The first step to becoming a person of value is to have the right perspective of who you are — who you are in Christ and the graces God has bestowed upon you. I do not think you can be of worth to yourself or to others if you do not first understand who you are in Christ. Remember, you are valuable in the sight of God, which is why He was wil...