Giving Is Your Duty As A Christian

Posted by Rev. Mark Slay

I've always had a disdain for when preachers manipulate people for their money. I can see how ministers can fall into that because as ministers, we need money. There is no way to do what we do without it. God knows His kingdom needs it, and the way He gets it into His kingdom is thru those in the kingdom. Proverbs chapter 11 is one place where He explains this principle to us.

Proverbs 11:24 - There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.

This verse is talking about your giving. And the way that God is able to respond to you is if you initiate something. This seems contrary to normal thinking, that if we scatter we will increase all the more. But, if we sit idle and never initiate anything then He has nothing to respond to. So, by initiating, by scattering, we give God something to respond to and He brings the increase.

Ecclesiastes the 11th chapter tells us something similar. It says, "Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days." You can see the same concept here - that you have to initiate something. You cast your bread and then many days later you will find it. You'll also notice in this verse that it says many days later. Sometimes it takes a while and you will have to have faith for many days for God to return to you what He's going to return to you.

Let's look at Galatians the 6th chapter. We'll see this concept again.

Galatians 6:6-7 - The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

Here again, the burden of responsibility falls upon us and not upon God. You are supposed to be sowing, or sharing all good things with the one who teaches. And if you're not, don't be deceived, God is not mocked; whatever you sow, that's what you'll reap. And verse 9 of Galatians repeats a concept I introduced in Ecclesiastes. It says, "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." This verse also implies a long time. Sometimes it is a long time before you receive but you cannot give up your faith about it.

Don't be a chintzy person in God's Kingdom. The ones that are most blessed are the ones that are the biggest givers. Don't let the devil intimidate you into not giving to others. For if you sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully.