One of the greatest qualities of Christian conduct is giving. "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver" 2 Corinthians 9: 6-7.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if God was given the first dollar or the best of our talents? Often, all God gets are the leftovers. We exhaust ourselves on Saturday night, and God gets what is left of us on Sunday morning. We sit up in Church sleepy, exhausted and bored, and we think God should be happy. We pay the bill collectors, and if anything is left after our social budgeting, we use it to bargain with God.

Our jobs take our best. We use our best mental energy during the week at work, and we are too tired to give God truly meaningful worship.

Think about what would happen if we rearranged our schedule so that we got more rest during the week. What if we went to bed early on Saturday and were more refreshed on Sunday. What if we paid God before the bill collectors, and used our talents for God.

God set the example Himself by giving His Son as our Savior. He not only provides for our natural needs, but He has given us eternal peace through Jesus Christ.

We do not give to receive honor and praise from men, but from a heart giving secretly that God may reward openly. Giving expresses our love and obedience to God. Christians who give should not be limited to some set plan, but give as God prospers. When the young man asked Jesus what must he do to gain eternal lie, Jesus told him to give his possessions to the poor. There was no place in the young man’s heart to make such a sacrifice, so he left. We should not love things more than people or possessions more than God. We may not be asked to sell all our possessions to follow Jesus, but we must not be so attached to things that we allow them to separate us from God.

Money, time and talents are important and can be misused. Both Jesus and Solomon gave many warnings regarding women, time, talents and money. All that we have belongs to God. He promises to return to us in proportion to how we give. Giving is a principle that opens up our life to receive from God in an awesome way.

Most every Christian has something to give, but whether or not he or she does is up to that individual. The bible instructs us how we should give. Love is what motivates us to give our best in the Name of Christ.

Giving involves the total person, both spiritual and natural. It is impossible to give more than He has given to us, but we can try. There is far more Joy from giving than receiving.

The thing that separates Christians from others is love and giving. The love a Christian has for mankind is shown in by his giving. Christians cannot master the art of giving without mastering the art of loving.

By today’s standards, Jesus was in poverty, even though He claimed to be rich. He did not seek worldly possessions, but freely shared all he had. When we give out of what God has given us, then we place God under obligation to replenish us. We do not give simply to get. That would be a selfish motive. We give because we love God and His Word commands us to.

Jesus went about doing good to the sick and outcast. Our lives are made great not by what we have, but by what we give. Have you heard the voice of your heart telling you to give to a special need? Why not obey, and release the blessings of giving to work in your life.

By: Naomi Brown