Verse of the day: Joshua 8:2 “And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.”
It always amazes me when I hear Christians’ reactions to giving. I hear many excuses as to why born again believers do not give to their local church. Sadly, far too many Christians are soured because of what some churches, preachers and false teachers have done to give the impression that all the church wants is for us to give them our money so that their pastors can live lavish lifestyles. That is not what giving to the ministry is all about, and those who do this will stand before God to give account. Giving is an act of faith. If there is any area of our lives where our faith is tested, it is in the area of giving. In Joshua 6:18-19, God instructed Joshua and Israel not to take any of the accursed things, and all the silver and gold that was found belonged to Him. In Joshua 6:21, the Word tells us that all was utterly destroyed, and gives no indication that anything was kept as spoil, except for what Achan took in disobedience to God’s command, and that cost him and his family their lives. Here in chapter 8 we see God instruct Israel to take spoil and cattle for themselves. We previously said that the Apostle Paul commended the Philippians for their generosity in meeting his needs while he served the Lord (Philippians 4). However, the Apostle Paul made it clear to them that he did not seek their gift for selfish reasons, but for their benefit. Philippians 4:15-17 reads, “Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.” The bottom line is that when we give, we should be giving God the first of what we have, not just our material gain, but of our time and talents as well. We should also give in accordance to what the Spirit puts in our hearts to give, and do so cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 tells us, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” Like Achan, we should not allow covetousness to rob us of opportunities to give to God what is rightfully His, and in turn rob ourselves of eternal blessings. When we give to our local church for the work of the ministry, when we give to missions, when we give towards fulfilling someone’s needs, we are giving it to God. In Matthew 25 Jesus says this, about the time when He will judge the nations, in verses 34-40, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” God commanded that the first fruits of their victory at Jericho be set aside for Him. However, He did not forget His people, and at Ai they were rewarded for their obedience with spoil and cattle. We should not give for the sole purpose of getting something back; that is selfish and God knows the intention of the heart. We should give for the simple reason that we trust God to take care of our needs, regardless of how much He asks us to give for the purpose of the furtherance of the Gospel or for the purpose of meeting someone else’s needs. When we give, we not only show the love of Christ, but we also prove to the Lord how much we trust Him and show acknowledgment that all we have belongs to Him anyway. When we give, let us have the same mindset of the Psalmist who wrote this in Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” God is Debtor to no man.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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