The Joy of Giving

Monday, September 8, 2014

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.”

2 Corinthians 8:1–4

The church at Ephesus was one of the strongest and most fruitful of all the churches Paul established. He spent a great deal of time with them and did his best to instruct them in all that God wanted them to know. On his way back to Jerusalem for the final time, Paul met with the leaders of this great church for a last time of instruction. During that meeting Paul said, “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

The things that we have are not really ours. We hold them as stewards—it all belongs to God. Yet too often we become so attached to our money and possessions that they become more important to us than they should be. Instead of focusing on the eternal, we become obsessed with the temporal. There are many problems with this approach, but often overlooked is that when we are materialistic and unwilling to give, we lose out on the joy that can only be found in using our resources to help others. There is great joy in knowing that we are being part of God’s work and helping to meet the needs of others.

Today's Growth Principle
When we regard giving as a joy and privilege, we are looking at our resources the way God means for us to view them.

Old Testament Reading

Proverbs 6-7

CHAPTER 6

¹ My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, ² Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. ³ Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. ⁴ Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. ⁵ Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶ Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: ⁷ Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, ⁸ Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. ⁹ How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? ¹⁰ Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: ¹¹ So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

¹² A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. ¹³ He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; ¹⁴ Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. ¹⁵ Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. ¹⁶ These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: ¹⁷ A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸ An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, ¹⁹ A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

²⁰ My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: ²¹ Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. ²² When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. ²³ For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: ²⁴ To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. ²⁵ Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. ²⁶ For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. ²⁷ Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? ²⁸ Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? ²⁹ So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. ³⁰ Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; ³¹ But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. ³² But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. ³³ A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. ³⁴ For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. ³⁵ He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

CHAPTER 7

¹ My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. ² Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. ³ Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. ⁴ Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: ⁵ That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

⁶ For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, ⁷ And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, ⁸ Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, ⁹ In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: ¹⁰ And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. ¹¹ (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: ¹² Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) ¹³ So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, ¹⁴ I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. ¹⁵ Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. ¹⁶ I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. ¹⁷ I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. ¹⁸ Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. ¹⁹ For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: ²⁰ He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. ²¹ With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. ²² He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; ²³ Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

²⁴ Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. ²⁵ Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. ²⁶ For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. ²⁷ Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

New Testament Reading

2 Corinthians 2

CHAPTER 2

¹ But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. ² For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? ³ And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. ⁴ For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

⁵ But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. ⁶ Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. ⁷ So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. ⁸ Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. ⁹ For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. ¹⁰ To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; ¹¹ Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

¹² Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, ¹³ I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia. ¹⁴ Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. ¹⁵ For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: ¹⁶ To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷ For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Proverbs Reading

Proverbs 9

¹ Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: ² She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. ³ She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city, ⁴ Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, ⁵ Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. ⁶ Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. ⁷ He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. ⁸ Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. ⁹ Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. ¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. ¹¹ For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. ¹² If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. ¹³ A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing. ¹⁴ For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, ¹⁵ To call passengers who go right on their ways: ¹⁶ Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, ¹⁷ Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. ¹⁸ But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.