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: "Giving from the Heart"
September 06, 2007 by Pastor Greg Laurie
Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them. - 2 Corinthians 8:5
The Bible offers several examples of people who loved to give. In the Old Testament, we read that when the tabernacle was being built, the Israelites were so generous and so blessed by the opportunity to invest in it that Moses had to tell them, "All right, guys. Enough! We have more than we need. Don't bring any more." Those are people who understood the blessing of giving.
And the New Testament tells of believers who just loved to give, believers who, in fact, even begged Paul to allow them to give. Paul said of these believers, "They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem" (2 Corinthians 8:4). We hear about pastors begging their congregations for money, yet this was a congregation begging to give.
So what was the secret of the generosity of these believers? Paul mentions it in the next verse: "Their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them" (2 Corinthians 8:5). You see, if you give of yourself to God, you will also give of your money. To put it another way, if you don't give money, have you really yet given of yourself?
You may be thinking, "Well, Lord, you are over all areas except this, You know. This is mine. But the rest is Yours." God can have your money and not have your heart. But He cannot have your heart and not have your money.
This devotional delivered by: Harvest Christian Fellowship, NYC
September 06, 2007 by Pastor Greg Laurie
Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them. - 2 Corinthians 8:5
The Bible offers several examples of people who loved to give. In the Old Testament, we read that when the tabernacle was being built, the Israelites were so generous and so blessed by the opportunity to invest in it that Moses had to tell them, "All right, guys. Enough! We have more than we need. Don't bring any more." Those are people who understood the blessing of giving.
And the New Testament tells of believers who just loved to give, believers who, in fact, even begged Paul to allow them to give. Paul said of these believers, "They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem" (2 Corinthians 8:4). We hear about pastors begging their congregations for money, yet this was a congregation begging to give.
So what was the secret of the generosity of these believers? Paul mentions it in the next verse: "Their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them" (2 Corinthians 8:5). You see, if you give of yourself to God, you will also give of your money. To put it another way, if you don't give money, have you really yet given of yourself?
You may be thinking, "Well, Lord, you are over all areas except this, You know. This is mine. But the rest is Yours." God can have your money and not have your heart. But He cannot have your heart and not have your money.
This devotional delivered by: Harvest Christian Fellowship, NYC
