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2 Cor. 8:1-11
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can download our service on iTunes or tune in for “The Good Word” each day on AM 1230 WSAL or on Hoosier Country 103.7 FM just after 8am. Probably until the rapture people will continue to ask the question, “exactly how much am I supposed to give to God?” Asked most people who’ve been around church for at least some part of their life and they will probably tell you – it’s supposed to be a tithe or 10%. If you ask a student of the Bible they will tell you the tithe or 10% was the OT rule; but the NT rule is to give to God as God has given unto you. One writer says it this way, “the financial burden of God’s work has always been shared among God’s people. In the OT, this was mainly by compulsory tithes; in the NT by voluntary contributions.” We studied earlier this month the Biblical doctrine of giving to God eventually involves every area of our life and lifestyle. Someone has said, “The giving of one’s self is the submission of the self to the will of God, in thanksgiving and service.” God, being the gracious God He is explains to us why: SELF-GIVING IS OUR REASONABLE SERVICE TO HIM!
- We belong to God by right of creation! Read Duet. 32:6; Ps. 100:3; 119:73; Rev. 4:11. We need to understand to a much higher degree than we do, that the only reason we exist is because God willed and wants us to exist. This goes back to the Providence or sovereignty of God, and His divine will. The reality of life is that if all God did was bring us into this world and gave us only our breath, the gift of life would be enough for us to worship, honor, and appraise Him for our entire life. It is the arrogance of sin that causes us to believe God owes us! It is also the reality of life that all God owes us is hell. Because God gave us life by creating us, plus all the other benefits we received from him is reason enough to give ourselves to Him in-service
- We belong to God because He redeemed us! Read Rom. 14:7, 8; 1 Cor. 3:16, 17, 19, 20. As much as we need to understand much more than we do – that we belong to God because He created us, we also need to understand much, much more than we do that we belong to Him because He read deemed us! So the question is this: considering that you exist because God wants you to, and that you belong to God because He wanted to redeem you – right this very moment where you are how valuable is your salvation to you? The real answer to that question is that both you and God know the real answer to that question! Finally, self-giving is our reasonable service to God because:
- ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO US FROM GOD! Read Deut. 8:18; 1 Chron. 29:14; John 3:17; Matt. 7:7-11; Acts 17:25; 1 Tim. 6:17; James 1:17.Here’s the thing Beloved, everything about you, everything about your life, whether you perceive it as good or bad, negative or positive, is from God! Now listen! Even if you perceive something as negative in your life, God has allowed it to touch your life for a positive reason. How do I know that? Because God tells us that He works all things, all things together, for our good! So why is self-giving a reasonable service to God? The Scripture teaches because we belong to him by right of creation; we belong to him because he redeemed us; and all good things are given to us by God for all good reasons! It is only reasonable that we should give ourselves in totality to the God who has already given all for us.
If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
