For instance, once upon a time, I was led to do some giving, this was quite a large sum than what I was used to giving, the biggest I had ever done at the time and naturally, I went along with the planning and just putting things together… A couple days before the Day-day, My Bible Study for that morning was on Matthew 6: 1 – 4 , The passage where Jesus was warning about giving in public and how your reward was already on Earth if you do so… (what a coincidence, right??). That Bible study really troubled me, because I honestly did not feel like a hypocrite, I believed God was trying to tell me something, but what was it? What did this passage mean for me?
You see from an Expository understanding of scripture, there are three answers I could bring out here,
- The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, you will be punished Proverbs 21:27
- If the reason you are giving is not pure & in Love,You will gain nothing. it is better not to give at all. 1 Corinthians 13:3
- Do not be a hypocrite, If you are giving for show, or public approval, your reward will be on earth. Matthew 6:1
- If there is even a hint of inner hypocrisy, Do your giving privately. this is a fool-proof way to make sure that your giving is done in Love. Matthew 6:4
But then Jesus also says that we should let our light so shine as an example to others, Jesus regularly called his followers to give generously because it displays the heartbeat of God’s love
Something to note here is that, for me to understand the application of this passage to be, it requires soul searching, understanding the content of my heart, context of the situation, inspiration of the Holy Spirit and wisdom to make the right decision. These “mysteries” can only be gotten through communion with God, prayers and prayers again, and deep meditation on the word. In other words; devotion & quiet time, as opposed to
So would it not be better if God just gave us one clear rule?
God did that to the israelites in the Bible but Humans are too dead in sin to keep commandments or avoid sin, so God came in flesh as Jesus Christ and ushered us into the era of Grace and blessed us with the Holy Spirit, The spirit has given us wisdom, that we should have a closer relationship with God, trusting that He can show us when we need to do anything.
Giving in secrete is not a rule, it is wisdom, Jesus
What have we learned?
Expository study of the word makes us understand these diffferent responses to Giving, Devotional & Quiet time study helps us understand which particular response applies to our life at a given moment.
Devotional is more than knowing, it is feeding upon the scriptures and then prayer (Ephesians 1 & 3)
When carrying out devotional notes, write the following:
- The present moment
- Your observations from the passage
- Key Verse that spoke to you
- The application of that passage to your life.
Write all these in personal terms not reporting what the Bible says
Two men withthe very same doctrine can learn from systematic theology and the other can learn it directly from Scriptures – You do need both, but nothing trumps prayer (not just asking for blessings, but) communion with God, ministering onto the Lord, praying in the spirit.
Be a man shut u pto God, on your knees, in the word, awake in the night watch, tarrying… not just praying to intercede, but praying to see the face of God, building an intimate relationship with God and him being more real with you. And you can hear his soft voice.
Pray until you can pray & pray until you have prayed.