Give to Grow Week 1

In our consumer age people's expectations often determine expenditure. There are two important implications to this:
1. We give according to what we want to receive
2. What we spend our money on shapes and influences who we are.
So, as Christian people the attitude with which we give is far more important that what we give.
Giving to God is different to giving to charity. If we gve to charity, our 'reward' is the satisfaction of knowing we have helped make a difference to someone's life. The great paradox of giving to God is that we give as a sacrifice of praise because God is shaping and influencing who we are, not for anything in return, but if we give this way, God has promised to pour blessings on us. More than we imagine or can even take in.

1 Chronicles 29:1-20 is our passage this week.
The perspective of our giving matters - v1 shows the gifts were not just for the temple but for God. We don't give to keep our doors open, but give with the wider perspective of giving to God himself.

The intensity of our giving matters - v2 - with all my devotion, with all my resources

The response matters - v17 they wanted to give, so gave willingly

The consistency of giving matters - v18. We give out of trust, even when we don't understand why God acts in the way he does.