Faith & Love: A One Year Bible Reading Plan - Part 10Mfano

One of the biggest pitfalls for obedience we get in our faith walk is the area of giving. It is so easy for us to look at the church and when the preacher talks about tithing, or giving, or living a generous life, that we tend to clamp down and experience these thoughts: “Finances again?” “I want to give, but I can’t. It’s just impossible.” “All the church wants is my money.” The sad truth is that so many believers have these thoughts, and unfortunately, all these thoughts are doing is presenting the condition of our hearts. It is so easy for us as believers to fall into the trap of “not enough” / a scarcity mindset that is not what God has given us. We see here how the Church from Macedonia was so captivated by the gospel that they bought into this dream of advancing the kingdom. And nothing, not even extreme poverty, was going to stop them from giving. Paul encourages the church in Corinth not to forget that at a time, they too were like the Macedonian church, fearless and obedient in their giving, and should not stop now. Think of it this way: What story do your finances tell the world? Everything we do… our whole lives communicates a story. Every area of our lives. And people around us can read those stories like a storybook. And when we ask someone to tell us your story, what will they witness about you? Did you live a generous life and give generously? We were called by God to be his representatives (Genesis 1:26 – 27) and when we are functioning in this world, and representing Him, it is our responsibility to represent him well.