Why Christ Commands Us To Give (part 5)

Luke, the physician, and a close companion of the apostle Paul, wrote these precious words of our Lord Jesus, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6.38).

THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL; THIS IS A COMMAND. Christ is not just asking us to give money. He is asking us to give of our life, of our time, of our talents and skills, and of our treasures.

Gleaning from Luke chapter 6, here are several reasons WHY WE GIVE:

1. WE GIVE BECAUSE WE ARE RECIPIENTS OF HIS MERCY. (click here to read this)
2. WE GIVE SO THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE HOW GOD GIVES. (click here to read this)
3. WE GIVE BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST, WHO IS THE LIGHT, "HAS CALLED US OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT" AND WE WANT TO LEAD OTHERS TO HIM WHO CAN DELIVER THEM FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS. (click here to read this)
4. WE GIVE BECAUSE WE ARE HIS FOLLOWERS/DISCIPLES WHO EMULATE FROM OUR MASTER. (click here to read this)

5. WE GIVE BECAUSE GOD HAS TRANSFORMED US FROM BEING AN EVIL MAN TO A GOOD MAN.

Luke 6.45 declares, "A good man out of the treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

Formerly, we were not righteous; we were not good (Romans 3.10, 12). But when Christ became our Lord and Savior, the old things are passed away; all things become new (II Corinthians 5.17). In Christ, we are saved, redeemed, forgiven, sealed with the Holy Spirit to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1.6-13).

Sinless? NO! Forgiven? YES! Redeemed? YES! ALL BECAUSE OF THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE GRACE OF GOD.

Why Christ Commands Us To Give (part 4)

Luke, the physician, and a close companion of the apostle Paul, wrote these precious words of our Lord Jesus, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6.38).

THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL; THIS IS A COMMAND. Christ is not just asking us to give money. He is asking us to give of our life, of our time, of our talents and skills, and of our treasures.

Gleaning from Luke chapter 6, here are several reasons WHY WE GIVE:

1. WE GIVE BECAUSE WE ARE RECIPIENTS OF HIS MERCY. (click here to read this)
2. WE GIVE SO THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE HOW GOD GIVES. (click here to read this)
3. WE GIVE BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST, WHO IS THE LIGHT, "HAS CALLED US OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT" AND WE WANT TO LEAD OTHERS TO HIM WHO CAN DELIVER THEM FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS. (click here to read this)

4. WE GIVE BECAUSE WE ARE HIS FOLLOWERS/DISCIPLES WHO EMULATE FROM OUR MASTER.

"The disciple is not above his master: but every one who is perfect (mature) shall be like his master." (Luke 6.40).

Is God a giver? Yes, HE IS!

"For God so loved the world, that HE GAVE..." (John 3.16).
"He Who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely GIVE us all things?" (Romans 8.32).

Is Christ a giver? Yes HE IS!

"And I GIVE unto them eternal life..." (John 10.28).
"I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd GIVES His life for the sheep." (John 10.11).

Therefore, if our Master is a giver, we must become givers. If God is generous, we, His disciples must be generous.

Why Christ Commands Us To Give (part 3)

Luke, the physician, and a close companion of the apostle Paul, wrote these precious words of our Lord Jesus, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6.38).

THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL; THIS IS A COMMAND. Christ is not just asking us to give money. He is asking us to give of our life, of our time, of our talents and skills, and of our treasures.

Gleaning from Luke chapter 6, here are several reasons WHY WE GIVE:

1. WE GIVE BECAUSE WE ARE RECIPIENTS OF HIS MERCY. (click here to read this)
2. WE GIVE SO THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE HOW GOD GIVES. (click here to read this)

3. WE GIVE BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST, WHO IS THE LIGHT, "HAS CALLED US OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELLOUS LIGHT" AND WE WANT TO LEAD OTHERS TO HIM WHO CAN DELIVER THEM FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS.
(I Peter 2.9)

Right after the Lord gave the command for us to give, He asked a probing question in the form of a parable: "Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?" (Luke 6.39). NO! Only people who have experienced the liberating power of God's Light can lead the spiritually blind. The saved can lead the unsaved to The Light. The enlightened ones can illumine the minds of the darkened ones. That's why we give to support the work of missionaries, ministers, preachers, pastors, evangelists, teachers as they proclaim the light of the blessed Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We give because we want others to see The Light.

Why Christ Commands Us To Give (part 2)

Luke, the physician, and a close companion of the apostle Paul, wrote these precious words of our Lord Jesus, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6.38).

THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL; THIS IS A COMMAND. Christ is not just asking us to give money. He is asking us to give of our life, of our time, of our talents and skills, and of our treasures.

Gleaning from Luke chapter 6, here are several reasons WHY WE GIVE:

1. WE GIVE BECAUSE WE ARE RECIPIENTS OF HIS MERCY. (click here to read this)

2. WE GIVE SO THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE HOW GOD GIVES.

How does God give? He gives in good measure. He is NOT a cheater. He will press more blessings upon you. He will shake it together so that more will come, and He keeps pouring until your cup runs over.

Usually, He uses people to bless you...people who are good, medium good, and extra good. He may even use the not so good people...even people whom you have not personally met. Here is more...HE GIVES AGAIN...AND AGAIN...AND AGAIN...That's our God. Blessing you is never a problem to Him. He never runs out of blessings. He is the source of all blessings. That's the reason why He commands us, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6.38).

Do you want to experience the way God gives? GIVE, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU.

Why Christ Commands Us To Give (part 1)

Luke, the physician, and a close companion of the apostle Paul, wrote these precious words of our Lord Jesus, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6.38).

THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL; THIS IS A COMMAND. Christ is not just asking us to give money. He is asking us to give of our life, of our time, of our talents and skills, and of our treasures.

Gleaning from Luke chapter 6, here are several reasons WHY WE GIVE:

WE GIVE BECAUSE WE ARE RECIPIENTS OF HIS MERCY.

"Be ye therefore merciful, as Your Father is merciful." (Luke 6.36).

Jeremiah, the prophet, wept and proclaimed, "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3.22, 23).

When we received Jesus as Lord and Savior, "according to His mercy He saved us." (Titus 3.5). NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY. WOW! THAT IS GOD'S GRACE IN ACTION. Now that we are saved, we can now "present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service." (Romans 12.1).

WHY GIVE? We give because we have received God's mercy.

The Rich In God (part 10)

THE RICH IN GOD IS A FAITHFUL STEWARD

"And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom His Lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?" (Luke 12.42).

A steward is a caretaker of his boss' property; a manager of his boss' business; an administrator of his boss' resources.

According to our Lord, a steward must be FAITHFUL, meaning he must be FULL OF TRUST in the person, ability, and capacity of his boss.

• A steward must be RESPONSIBLE in maintaining, enhancing, and enlarging his boss' resources. 
• He must be ACCOUNTABLE, meaning he will report to his boss what he is doing with his boss' business. 
• He must be WISE, full of wisdom, willing to learn, willing to be like his boss. 
• Last, but not the least, a steward must be CONSISTENT in being faithful, and in doing so, he gets the approval of his Boss, saying, You are worthy of my trust." TRUSTWORTHY. 

The faithful steward will be REWARDED: "His Lord will make him ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season."

"...You have been faithful over a few things, I WILL MAKE YOU RULER OVER MANY THINGS." (Matthew 25.23)

The Rich In God (part 9)

THE RICH IN GOD IS A BLESSED SERVANT.

This person keeps on serving the God Who gave him the GREATEST BLESSINGS OF ALL: The Gift of Life, physical and spiritual. Three times in the Book of Luke, chapter 12, our Lord Jesus would use the phrase, "Blessed is/are the servants..." (Luke 12 37, 38, and 43). Notice the Blessed Man's work ethic. He is ready at all times to serve His Lord. He is a responsible servant. He loves to serve even when his Lord is away. He is not a menpleaser. He does his work heartily. "Blessed is that servant whom the Lord, when He comes shall find so doing."

The Apostle Paul, who often spoke of himself as a servant/slave of Jesus, admonishes us to "...Obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God: and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:22-24.