For the past several weeks I have have been studying God's truth about being "rich", exactly what God means in the different aspects of being rich and living the rich life as believers and followers of Christ.
All God's talk about being rich just makes sense. Let me explain.
The bottom line to God's economy is that it all comes from God and it all belongs to God. So that is the basic truth in being rich and knowing how rich we are as a church. What makes sense is that it brings one important truth from all what I've read...and for me it bottoms out at one word.
Gratitude.
When I acknowledge that it's all God's, and that all gifts come from Him, then I become more grateful for everything that God has richly given to me.
I don't need to make you a list, but the one big life-changing gift that God blesses us with is one we tend to take for granted. When we look at what Christ has done for us, the gift of salvation, we must accept His love as a gift. A love gift. A gift of love... that just keeps on giving and that makes so much sense to me.
My pastor drills this home often...
"God has blessed me with more than I need. I'm rich. I will not trust in riches but in Him who has blessed me with more than I need. I will not trust in riches but in Him who richly provides."
I don't know where you are in your attitude of gratitude but when I think about how God has given me eternal salvation, something none of us deserve but is our most important need, then it makes sense to trust Him for everything else that I need to live in this daily enriched life of a believer and follower.
Just think....that God took care of my forever need, first and foremost...with His eternal love attached.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
When we acknowledge the gift of Christ from the view of the cross, everything else falls into place regarding who owns what, who should give what. Because God loves us so and gives us more than we need, deserve, and could imagine, why wouldn't we want to give him our ALL our life in response to His greatest and most rich gift?
What a gift of great wealth and value, such a rich response of God's heart.
So when it comes to giving...I want to give as I have been given unto. For me I tend to want to give it all away because I can't out give what God has done for me. The important thing is that we need to give as a love response back to God in the tithe to the local church or a church that feeds you so that you can continue the work of feeding others.
And if God is asking you to give more than the tithe? Our response is to obey what He says, but give it with joy. You have to know that there will be more from God, His faithfulness has been tested and approved! Perhaps in your time, talents or bank account. Give as you have been given to and from what's been decided in your heart to give.
Yes, indeed, and that's the way I like it.
Now where is God challenging you to trust Him in giving?
Where is God asking more of you in your love response back to Him?
What are you grateful for today because of what you know about God's great gift?
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