Post by Zac Loh on Nov 29, 2007 9:55:10 GMT -5
There are many servants of God out there, and missionaries, who are depending on God for daily food and ministry provision.
When we give based only on what we can naturally perceive and what is obvious; we are limiting what the Holy Spirit want to do through us.
Many are giving solely because they are emotionally touched, or they are giving basically due to emotional attachment. This way, many are caged-in in giving. They have been cut-off from knowing what it is - to be led by the Holy Spirit in giving.
God knows, there are many out there who are in dire need of our giving. But these servants of God are isolated. Consequently, they have been missed-out owing to the manner we give.
How many of us want to be led by the Holy Spirit ...in ministry, in power and in gifting? If yes, then, we better start to learn to give our monies and possessions based on His leading. It is a fallacy to think that we can separate the Holy Spirit’s involvement in service - from our practical living.
We are to give to servants of God who have ministered to us. But if we enclose ourselves in ...in this type of giving …then we are missing-out on a lot of people!
How Are We To Be Led?
We cannot separate money/material from spirituality. It is definitely wrong to allow such a separation. The more spiritual we are, the better a giver we become. The closer we are to God, the more effective giver we are.
It is not the amount that we possess, but our ability to be obedient to God's direction that makes us effective. He is all-knowing. And He universally plans and manages His church, His kingdom and all that He wants to do on this planet earth.
Do we have to hear God speak every time before we give? We are not spiritual robots. So we give out of our individual relationship with God. Our giving do get us personal with God. We will work things out with God. And God leads us in many ways. A spiritual impression, is one of them. Most of all, a spiritual knowing at the inside of us.
Let me also highlight the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is our spiritual nature to give. In this topic of 'Be Led By The Spirit In Giving', I will not imply at all that we are spiritual robots. We are sons, stewards and servants. There are manifestations of the behavior of Christ within us.
The problem with soulish giving and carnal giving, is that our motive is not connect to our relationship with God, and sometimes we have an ulterior impure agenda.
When things did not happen our way; we get disappointed, upset or angry. We have our natural expectation ingrained in our giving, and this leads us to setbacks and hurts, in particular when the recipient grossly mismanaged our gift.
Will any recipient ever fail God? Of course. Sure. But we know, as we give unto God, we also leave the matter in the hands of God.
When we give based only on what we can naturally perceive and what is obvious; we are limiting what the Holy Spirit want to do through us.
Many are giving solely because they are emotionally touched, or they are giving basically due to emotional attachment. This way, many are caged-in in giving. They have been cut-off from knowing what it is - to be led by the Holy Spirit in giving.
God knows, there are many out there who are in dire need of our giving. But these servants of God are isolated. Consequently, they have been missed-out owing to the manner we give.
How many of us want to be led by the Holy Spirit ...in ministry, in power and in gifting? If yes, then, we better start to learn to give our monies and possessions based on His leading. It is a fallacy to think that we can separate the Holy Spirit’s involvement in service - from our practical living.
We are to give to servants of God who have ministered to us. But if we enclose ourselves in ...in this type of giving …then we are missing-out on a lot of people!
How Are We To Be Led?
We cannot separate money/material from spirituality. It is definitely wrong to allow such a separation. The more spiritual we are, the better a giver we become. The closer we are to God, the more effective giver we are.
It is not the amount that we possess, but our ability to be obedient to God's direction that makes us effective. He is all-knowing. And He universally plans and manages His church, His kingdom and all that He wants to do on this planet earth.
Do we have to hear God speak every time before we give? We are not spiritual robots. So we give out of our individual relationship with God. Our giving do get us personal with God. We will work things out with God. And God leads us in many ways. A spiritual impression, is one of them. Most of all, a spiritual knowing at the inside of us.
Let me also highlight the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is our spiritual nature to give. In this topic of 'Be Led By The Spirit In Giving', I will not imply at all that we are spiritual robots. We are sons, stewards and servants. There are manifestations of the behavior of Christ within us.
The problem with soulish giving and carnal giving, is that our motive is not connect to our relationship with God, and sometimes we have an ulterior impure agenda.
When things did not happen our way; we get disappointed, upset or angry. We have our natural expectation ingrained in our giving, and this leads us to setbacks and hurts, in particular when the recipient grossly mismanaged our gift.
Will any recipient ever fail God? Of course. Sure. But we know, as we give unto God, we also leave the matter in the hands of God.