The God who has given to me, requires me to give to others

From: November 20 – 26, 2007

Pastor: Edith Cruz

Study: # 518

TOPIC: “The God who has given to me, requires me to give to others” 2 Corinthians 9:7 The God whom we serve is a cheerful giver. It is convenient and necessary for us to have a God who is a giver. We are limited and this is why we need a God who gives, for this reason we must be cheerful givers also. 2 Corinthians 9:7 There was a great man who had been very generous in his time, but as time passed he started to give less. Then, his life fell in decadence. The devil tries to keep us from arriving at the church so that there will be no knowledge and for us to die. Each one should give how it is proposed in their heart as the Word of God says. Aguadilla is one of the towns that have received so much of the gospel, but In spite of the blessings many are always crying and complaining. This should not be this way. A righteous cannot see things the same as the unbelievers do. When we made the decision of giving our lives to the Lord, we have to understand that the God that has given us so much in the same way expects from us. We indoctrinate ourselves according to the Word because the word teaches us; it guides us and fills us with knowledge so that we will not perish. If we lack of knowledge we will slowly perish. There are many topics that may seem pleasant and beautiful to our ears, but beloved, let us not live only to enjoy. In this path we must struggle with tears and then we will gather with rejoice, it is not only the pleasant things what we should seek but the profitable things for our lives. As long as we have the knowledge that is in the Scriptures we will have everything in us, because we have a righteous God. We cannot give with sadness or because of necessity. Regrettably, to give is not characteristic of the human being but just the opposite. As people of God we need to seek for knowledge God’s ways. In the Scriptures we find many wonderful topics that edify and console us, but not all of them are promises. We sometimes seek the Scriptures for our own convenience. The Word of God in many occasions does not make us laugh but rather retorts us. The word is useful from Genesis thru Revelations because of its power and because it brings clarity to our lives. For this reason we must learn from the Scriptures. God loves those who are cheerful givers. When we give with sadness we don’t get anywhere. If we refuse the Word of God, as the church, and do not have participation in what is being spoken, then some serious illness would sprout in the church. This cannot be allowed. In the same way God blesses us, He is entitled to take away the blessings. We should walk accordingly because time is short. A cheerful giver always gives God the best. When we decide to serve God, we give ourselves completely. We have to give ourselves for love, not expecting anything in return. Those who give to Jehovah will always be blessed, but those who steal from Jehovah will be cursed. Malachi 3: 8, 9 Sometimes, many cheat using arguments that are far from the sacred Scriptures, always looking for excuses that only benefit them. When we fall back the well-known truth to which the church is entitled falls behind.

Our great Lord weighs our service as gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and trash. 1 Corinthians 3: 12 We should bring to the altar what belongs to God. A cheerful giver doesn't give with sadness or because of necessity. God calls us to give with freedom, with pleasure. God has sent us to give with proportion, according to how much the Lord has prospered us. 1 Corinthians 16: 2 Numbers 35: 8 Do not give according to what other people expect but rather what God would expect. Mark 12: 42-44 As the church we have to open our eyes. God has given us with happiness. We have the gift of light which comes from the sun. As creatures of God we have to give. When we lack fidelity it is because we lack love. The excellence of the earth consists in all that is produced for us. We have in our island, Puerto Rico, many blessings; for this reason we give what is expected. A God who gives has people who give, then, how can we ask from Him if we don't know how to give? Phillipians 4: 15 There is no one in this world that does not live to give. In Heaven everything is for service. All that God has given us is to fill us, except the greedy that are like sand in the motor of a machine. Jesus came to teach the greedy justice. Luke 12: 21 The great preacher Spurgeon said that the tithe is a Christian obligation that should not be questioned at all. The Jews gave much more than the tithes. They gave to the priest, to the House of God, etc. They gave a third of what they owned to the service of God. We can see that God will always seek for those who belong to him. Deuteronomy 10:8, 9 Jehovah blesses us. The priest blesses the people in the name of our Lord. We have possessed, obtained, and acquired to bless on His behalf till this day. The tribe of Levi didn't have inheritance; Jehovah was their inheritance. In Deuteronomy 12:19 God establishes that the people had to sustain the Levites and not abandon them. They took precautions so that the priests would not get mixed in the businesses of the world, for this reason they had no inheritance. God is the inheritance of the ministers who are the Levites. God is spirit and the priest is a man who cannot be fed by air. God blesses us; He takes care of us and protects us. But sometimes, of the blessings we receive, we want to keep it for ourselves. What ever we take that does not belong to us is a debt that we will stumble with in Heaven, because it is an obligation to which the priest is entitled on behalf of the people. It is not our generosity but their right by law. He is the portion of our soul, for this reason we don't have inheritance. All ministers of Mega Zoé are entitled by law. Ministers do not receive inheritance, but rather it is the people who should take care of them. Haggai 1:9, 10 and Malachi 3:10 We should be faithful to God in everything. Amen.