| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ( H ) WE SHOULD DO LIKEWISE As Gods’ children we should also act with the same motive of giving that our Father has done to us. Freely, you and I have received from God therefore we should freely give. Giving freely, not looking for any return benefit or something compensatory from the recipient or from God. But to give simply based on the motive to only be a blessing and to benefit the recipient. Give, lend, do good, hoping and expecting for nothing in return from the recipent nor from anyone else or God. Our personal care and need is always before the Father who according to Matthew 6:25-33 and 1 Peter 5:6-7 clearly shows us how much he cares and values mankind; [35] 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 It is more blessed to give than to receive. The blessing of giving is not based on any return or compensation from those persons to whom we have given nor from any other person nor from God ( a faulty and unscriptural ideology of the prosperity message ). The blessing of giving is being able to give with the Godly motives and heart as Christ instructed in scripture. The blessing of giving is due to the truth that God has first given to us and thus enabled us to give and be a blessing to other people. Give, lend, do good, hoping and expecting for nothing in return from the recipent nor from any other person or God. It is a blessing to give simply because it is a good and blessed thing to be able to freely help others in need. In addition to this, God as our Father had already expressed the marvelous gifts and blessings which await His faithful children in heaven. Our heavenly Father has already determined to give us all things pertaining to this life regardless of whether we give or not because He freely gave us His Son when we were His enemy, ( Rom. 8:32 / 1 Cor. 2:12 / Rom. 5:6-10 / 1 John 4:19 / 1 John 4:9-10 ). Receive and therefore we give, not give to receive as unscripturally taught in the prosperity message. Our act of giving is an ability based on what we have already first and freely received from God our Father in Christ. Our receiving is not to be based on what we give. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |