God Cares How I Give, Not What I Give

In Hebrews 11:4 I read, “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings” (NIV)

It’s interesting that the first person who gets mentioned in Hebrews 11’s “Faith Hall of Fame” is Abel, one of Adam and Eve’s sons.

What did Abel do that caused him to be included alongside Moses and Abraham and other significant biblical heroes in Hebrews 11? As far as we know, Abel never did anything great. He never took any major risks. But he gave an offering in faith, and that pleased God. It’s not what Abel gave; it’s how he gave it. Abel gave with an attitude of faith.

Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings” (NIV).

Giving and faith go together. God couldn’t care less about the amount I give. God doesn’t need my money. He wants my heart.

In fact, if I’m not giving in faith, don’t give. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).

There are two ways to give: I can give by reason, or I can give by revelation.

To give by reason is to sit down, look at the numbers, and figure out reasonably what I think it makes sense to give. But that approach doesn’t require any faith at all.

When I give by revelation, on the other hand, I let God reveal to me what he wants me to give in faith. I stop and take time to pray, asking, “God, how much do you want me to trust you for this time?” Then I do whatever he tells me to do. This is the kind of giving that stretches my faith because it’s not necessarily reasonable. It’s giving based on revelation. 

In the Bible, there was a group of early Christians that gave by revelation, not by reason. They lived in Macedonia, the same part of Greece that Alexander the Great came from. The Macedonian church had been through hard times and was extremely impoverished. Yet, when they heard that the church at Jerusalem needed help, they gave a sacrificial gift. Though the Macedonians had very little money themselves, they gave in faith to help their fellow Christians.

Paul says this about them: “They have been tested by great troubles, and they are very poor. But they gave much because of their great joy” (2 Corinthians 8:2 NCV).  

Notice why the Macedonians gave? Not out of guilt? No, but “because of their great joy.”

When I give in faith, I give with joy. And, as a result of my joyous, faithful giving, I grow and ultimately become more like Christ!

In summary, the first person who gets mentioned in Hebrews 11’s “Faith Hall of Fame” is Abel. What did Abel do? As far as we know, Abel never did anything great. He never took any major risks. But he gave an offering in faith, and that pleased God. It’s not what Abel gave; it’s how he gave it with an attitude of faith.Giving and faith go together. God couldn’t care less about the amount. God doesn’t need my money. He wants my heart. If I’m not giving in faith, don’t give. “Without faith it is impossible to please God”. There are two ways to give: I can give by reason, or by revelation. To give by reason is to sit down, look at the numbers, and figure out reasonably what I think it makes sense to give. But that approach doesn’t require any faith. When I give by revelation, I let God reveal to me what he wants me to give in faith. I stop and take time to pray, asking, “God, how much do you want me to trust you for this time?” Then I do whatever he tells me. This is the kind of giving that stretches my faith because it’s not necessarily reasonable. It’s giving based on revelation. When I give in faith, I give with joy. And, as a result of my joyous, faithful giving, I grow and ultimately become more like Christ!

Cain and Abel were Adam and Eve's first two sons. Abel offered a sacrifice that pleased God, while Cain's sacrifice was unacceptable. Abel's sacrifice (an animal substitute) was more acceptable to God, both because it was a blood sacrifice and, most important, because of Abel's attitude when he offered it.

Faith and Persistence Go Hand in Hand

In Hebrews 11:27 I read, “It was by faith that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king’s anger. Moses continued strong as if he could see the God that no one can see.” (NCV)

There is a strong belief in our culture that if it feels good, do it. That influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not. But when I allow myself to be manipulated by my moods, I am living my life according to my feelings.

But God wants me to live a different kind of life—a life of faith, not just a life of feeling. The truth is, I may not always feel like doing the right thing. But God can give me the kind of faith that persists above feelings.

If I look around, I’ll see that successful people do things they don’t feel like doing. They get tired of going through the motions and want to do things differently. They do the things that other people aren’t willing to do.

I can’t be an Olympic athlete unless I spend the extra hours training. I can’t be a master musician unless I spend many hours practicing.

The same principle is true for being a mature, godly Christian. If I want to deepen my relationship with God, I have to spend time with him, even when I don’t feel like it. Do you know people who really enjoy their time with God? That’s because they persisted in spending time with God, even when they didn’t feel like it.

Faith and persistence go hand in hand. Faith means I don’t give up even when I’m tired. Faith means I just won’t quit. When I’m living in faith, I’m persisting.

Moses was a great example of a life lived in faithful persistence. Hebrews 11:27 says, “It was by faith that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king’s anger. Moses continued strong as if he could see the God that no one can see” (NCV).

Moses realized this important truth: You can only accomplish the impossible when you see the invisible.

God will give me strength to persevere. He’ll give me the power to keep working on the marriage that seems hopeless. He will give me the power to pick myself up when I’ve fallen. He can give me the power to keep going when I’m on the edge of bankruptcy. He’ll give me the power to keep my convictions when all the pressure around me says to give in.

The key to faith is to be persistent. Keep my eyes on God, not on my problem.

God’s power to keep going is always there for me. I just need to ask him for it.

In summary, a belief in our culture is that if it feels good, do it. That influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not. But when I allow myself to be manipulated by my moods, I am living my life according to my feelings. God wants me to live a different kind of life—a life of faith, not just a life of feeling. I may not always feel like doing the right thing. God can give me the kind of faith that persists above feelings. If I look around, I’ll see that successful people do things they don’t feel like doing. They get tired of going through the motions and want to do things differently. They do the things that other people aren’t willing to do. If I want to deepen my relationship with God, I have to spend time with him, even when I don’t feel like it. Faith and persistence go hand in hand. Faith means I don’t give up even when I’m tired. Faith means I just won’t quit. When I’m living in faith, I’m persisting. Moses realized you can only accomplish the impossible when you see the invisible. God will give me strength to persevere. He’ll give me the power to keep working on the marriage that seems hopeless. He will give me the power to pick myself up when I’ve fallen. He can give me the power to keep going when I’m on the edge of bankruptcy. He’ll give me the power to keep my convictions when all the pressure around me says to give in. The key to faith is to be persistent. Keep my eyes on God, not on my problem. God’s power to keep going is always there for me. I just need to ask him for it.

True wealth is eternal. So, don't forfeit eternal rewards for temporary benefits. Like Moses, I need to be willing to make sacrifices now for the greater rewards later.  In the life to come, the last will be first, if they got in last by choosing to follow Jesus. 

Trusting God When You Don’t Understand

In Proverbs 3:5 I read, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.” (HCSB)

Many people, including myself, ask God to guarantee success before trying what he has asked us to do—but that’s not faith. Faith always requires risk.

Faith means I obey even when I don’t understand. For example, forgiveness never seems like a good idea before I do it, but it’s one of the greatest tests of my faith. When someone hurts me, it may not feel right to forgive that person; it may not appear just. But forgiveness is always the right choice, regardless of whether I understand it.

Remember when as a child, my parents told me to do something that didn’t make sense? But now I can look back with 20/20 hindsight and understand my parents’ perspective.

That’s how it works with God too.

Faith is doing what’s right even when it seems absurd. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding” (HCSB). I will never know the whole picture, but God does. 

The Bible gives a great example of this in the story of Gideon in Judges 7. Gideon took 300 Israelites to battle 135,000 enemy soldiers. The odds were 450 to one. God had the soldiers take torches, trumpets, and clay pots—a command I’m sure Gideon thought was ludicrous.

Then God told Gideon to put the clay pots over the torches so the light couldn’t be seen at night and go surround the enemy’s camp. God’s instructions were something like this: “When I tell you to, blow the trumpets, break the pots, and let the torchlight suddenly shine out in the darkness. It will look like a huge army is surrounding the camp. It will cause mass confusion, and the enemy soldiers will end up fighting each other.”

Gideon obeyed, even though it didn’t make any sense. The Israelites blew their trumpets, broke their pots, and revealed the light from their torches. The enemy soldiers woke up in shock and started fighting each other instead of the Israelites. Because Gideon did what God told him to do—even when he didn’t understand it—the Israelites won the battle.

Sometimes God tells me to do something that appears foolish—like going into battle facing overwhelming odds. But when I have faith, I’ll obey God even when I don’t understand what he’s asking me to do.

Like Gideon and his soldiers, I can’t live by faith without risk. But God sees the big picture with 20/20 vision. I can trust what he’s asking me to do.

In summary, many, including myself, ask God to guarantee success before trying what he has asked us to do—but that’s not faith. Faith always requires risk. Faith means I obey even when I don’t understand. Faith is doing what’s right even when it seems absurd. I will never know the whole picture, but God does. The Bible gives a great example of this in the story of Gideon. Sometimes God tells me to do something that appears foolish. But when I have faith, I’ll obey God even when I don’t understand what he’s asking me to do. I can’t live by faith without risk. But God sees the big picture with 20/20 vision. I can trust what he’s asking me to do.

I need to learn to trust in the Lord with all my heart. Never rely on what I think I know. Remember to include the Lord in everything I do, then he will show me the right way to go. I should never think highly of myself. Simply obey the Lord and refuse to do wrong. After all, God knows what is best for me. I must learn to trust him completely in everything. I need to be willing to listen to and be corrected by God's Word and wise counselors. Bring decisions to God in prayer, use His Word as a guide and follow His leading. To receive His guidance all I need to do is to turn every area of my life over to him and seek his will in what I do.

What Does It Mean to Have Radical Gratitude?

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 I read, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

The more deeply I understand God’s love, the more grateful I will become.

In fact, the Bible says that gratitude should saturate my life: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV).

Notice that the Bible says to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. There is a big difference!

I do not have to be thankful for the bad things that happen in life. Not everything that happens in the world is God’s will. In fact, most of the time, God’s will is not done here on Earth; instead, people’s will is done.

There’s a lot of evil in the world, and I don’t need to thank God for that. But I can thank God in the midst of it.

In my own life, I’ve learned that I can thank God in every circumstance. Here are some reasons why:

God is in control.

God can bring good out of evil.

God can turn even my mistakes into something that works out well; he can bring good out of them.

I won’t live on Earth forever; I’m going to heaven one day.

I can’t lose my salvation.

No matter what happens, God isn’t going to stop loving me.

The truth is that I could think of a hundred reasons to be thankful in any circumstance, even circumstances that seem horrible.

Look again at 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV). It says I should give thanks to God “in all circumstances.” The Greek word used is the word pos, which means any, all, everything, anyone, all the time, anywhere, everywhere, the whole thing. It means no exceptions, no excuses, and no exemptions.

That seems pretty radical, doesn’t it? That’s why it’s radical gratitude.

It doesn’t take any effort to be grateful for the nice present someone just gave me. Anyone can do that. But being grateful in all circumstances takes radical gratitude.

People say they want to know God’s will. They want to know what God wants them to do with their lives. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, God makes that very clear: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV).

Giving thanks in all situations is God’s will for me. And the more thankful I am, the closer I’ll get to God!

In summary, the more deeply I understand God’s love, the more grateful I will become.

In fact, God’s Word tells me that gratitude should saturate my life. God’s Word says to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. There is a big difference! I do not have to be thankful for the bad things that happen. Not everything that happens in the world is God’s will. In fact, most of the time, God’s will is not done here on Earth; instead, people’s will is done. There’s a lot of evil in the world, and I don’t need to thank God for that. But I can thank God in the midst of it. I can thank God in every circumstance. Here are some reasons: 1). God is in control. 2). God can bring good out of evil. 3). God can turn even my mistakes into something that works out well; he can bring good out of them. 4). I won’t live on Earth forever; I’m going to heaven one day. 5). I can’t lose my salvation. 6). No matter what happens, God isn’t going to stop loving me. Looking again at 1 Thessalonians 5:18, It says I should give thanks to God “in all circumstances.” The Greek word used is the word pos, which means any, all, everything, anyone, all the time, anywhere, everywhere, the whole thing. It means no exceptions, no excuses, and no exemptions. That seems pretty radical and that’s why it’s radical gratitude. It doesn’t take any effort to be grateful for the nice present someone just gave me. But being grateful in all circumstances takes radical gratitude. People say they want to know God’s will. They want to know what God wants them to do with their lives. Giving thanks in all situations is God’s will for me. And the more thankful I am, the closer I’ll get to God!

My joy, prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with my circumstances or feelings. Obeying three commands, to be joyful, never stop praying, and to be thankful, often go against my natural inclinations. However, when I make a conscious decision to do what God says, I will begin to see people in a new perspective. Doing God's will makes it easier to be joyful and thankful.