Life Principle 23
You can never out give God. (2 Cor 9:8)
You can never out give God. (2 Cor 9:8)
Life’s Questions
Giving is an aspect of discipleship that pastors are generally hesitant to talk about and believers are usually less than enthusiastic to learn. For some reason, the topics of tithing and generosity strike us as too personal to discuss and are often difficult to turn over to God. We’re eager to receive God’s blessings, yet we’re hesitant to obey Him with the gifts that He’s given us. This is due to a lack of trust and the refusal to acknowledge God’s ownership of all that exists.
That’s why Life Principle 23 teaches, You can never out give God. God is loving and full of grace, so when He commands us to let go of our wealth and resources, it is for a good reason. He does not want to deprive us. Rather, He wants to teach us to be more like Him by making us into generous givers. As we learn to let go of our possessions, we find that we receive back from Him above and beyond all we’ve released.
What the Bible Says
Read Acts 11:27–30. Why did the disciples find it necessary to send aid to the believers in Judea—and more specifically, the church in Jerusalem (28)?
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1–7. What example had the Macedonian churches set for the Corinthians (1–4)?
*** God sent Paul to the Macedonians during his second missionary journey, and this letter to the Corinthians was written during his third missionary journey, a few years later. Paul couldn’t have know what an immense blessing the Macedonian churches would be to him and to the church in Jerusalem—but God did.
Why do you think Paul begins his plea to the Corinthians with the positive example of the Macedonians (7)?
Read 2 Corinthians 8:8–15. Why is it often easier to show your love and support for others in ways that are not financial (8)?
How did Jesus become poor for your sake (9; also see Phil. 2:5–7)?
When have you pledged to donate resources and then failed to make good on your promise (10–12)? What happened?
*** The Corinthians had pledged to give to the church in Jerusalem but had not yet fulfilled their promise.
Why is it in your interest to be faithful to God with your finances (see Mal. 3:10) and to show generosity toward others (13–15; also see Luke 6:38; Gal. 5:13–15)?
What It Means
Along with the famine (see Acts 11:27–30), there were other factors affecting the poor in Jerusalem. Many believers were disowned by their families and community, losing their ability to support themselves. This led to the pooling of resources which were soon spent (see Acts 2:44; 4:34). There were also many widows that needed to be supported (see Acts 6:1–6), as well as missionaries that were being sent out. To make matters even worse, the people were being taxed by both Jewish and Roman authorities, which meant that it was nearly impossible to produce enough to live on. However, through all these financial troubles, God was teaching the Gentile believers to show His love to others, and He was also showing Jewish believers that they could trust the Gentile Christians. In other words, God was uniting the church that was divided by culture and distance as only He could.
Life Examples
Read 2 Corinthians 9:1–15. What do you think Paul told the Macedonians about the Corinthians (2)?
When people think of you as a good example, does it motivate you to act in a godly manner, even if it’s difficult (3–5)? Why or why not?
How have you seen the principle in verse 6 proven true in your own life?
What is cheerful giving based on (7; also see Matt. 10:8; John 13:34; 1 Cor. 13:3; Eph 5:2)?
What is God’s promise to you when you give (8)?
*** The word grace in the New Testament comes from the root word to rejoice. It means the absolutely free benefit or expression of loving-kindness, deeds which cause joy, and favor conferred. When Paul writes, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you” (2 Cor. 9:8), it means that God shows you a superabundance of kindness that will cause you immense joy.
What does obedience to God in your finances inspire (10–15)?
Living the Principle
Do you tithe, giving 10 percent of your income for the ministry of the church? Do you give generously, blessing those in need? Perhaps you look at those questions and think, I can’t because I have barely enough to live on myself. Or maybe your response is, I’ve worked hard for what I have and I don’t see why I should give it up. As we’ve discussed before, both of these attitudes come from a lack of trust in God and the refusal to acknowledge His ownership of all that exists. God wants to “open … the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Mal 3:10), but He will wait until you submit this area of your life to Him.
God knows your struggles, desires, and the circumstances that surround your life, and He has promised to “supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). So stop making your decisions based on a balance sheet, and start obeying God in every area—including your finances. You’ll never come up short. Be generous with Him, and what you’ll find are greater blessings than you could have imagined.
How will you live out Life Principle 23 this week? Discuss the blessings of turning your finances over to God. Submit to Him and commit to keeping each other accountable in the area of finances. Then spend time in prayer, asking God to draw you into intimate communion with Himself and to transform your life, so that you can affect the world for the sake of His kingdom.
Life Lessons to Remember
Giving is an aspect of discipleship that pastors are generally hesitant to talk about and believers are usually less than enthusiastic to learn. For some reason, the topics of tithing and generosity strike us as too personal to discuss and are often difficult to turn over to God. We’re eager to receive God’s blessings, yet we’re hesitant to obey Him with the gifts that He’s given us. This is due to a lack of trust and the refusal to acknowledge God’s ownership of all that exists.
That’s why Life Principle 23 teaches, You can never out give God. God is loving and full of grace, so when He commands us to let go of our wealth and resources, it is for a good reason. He does not want to deprive us. Rather, He wants to teach us to be more like Him by making us into generous givers. As we learn to let go of our possessions, we find that we receive back from Him above and beyond all we’ve released.
What the Bible Says
Read Acts 11:27–30. Why did the disciples find it necessary to send aid to the believers in Judea—and more specifically, the church in Jerusalem (28)?
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1–7. What example had the Macedonian churches set for the Corinthians (1–4)?
*** God sent Paul to the Macedonians during his second missionary journey, and this letter to the Corinthians was written during his third missionary journey, a few years later. Paul couldn’t have know what an immense blessing the Macedonian churches would be to him and to the church in Jerusalem—but God did.
Why do you think Paul begins his plea to the Corinthians with the positive example of the Macedonians (7)?
Read 2 Corinthians 8:8–15. Why is it often easier to show your love and support for others in ways that are not financial (8)?
How did Jesus become poor for your sake (9; also see Phil. 2:5–7)?
When have you pledged to donate resources and then failed to make good on your promise (10–12)? What happened?
*** The Corinthians had pledged to give to the church in Jerusalem but had not yet fulfilled their promise.
Why is it in your interest to be faithful to God with your finances (see Mal. 3:10) and to show generosity toward others (13–15; also see Luke 6:38; Gal. 5:13–15)?
What It Means
Along with the famine (see Acts 11:27–30), there were other factors affecting the poor in Jerusalem. Many believers were disowned by their families and community, losing their ability to support themselves. This led to the pooling of resources which were soon spent (see Acts 2:44; 4:34). There were also many widows that needed to be supported (see Acts 6:1–6), as well as missionaries that were being sent out. To make matters even worse, the people were being taxed by both Jewish and Roman authorities, which meant that it was nearly impossible to produce enough to live on. However, through all these financial troubles, God was teaching the Gentile believers to show His love to others, and He was also showing Jewish believers that they could trust the Gentile Christians. In other words, God was uniting the church that was divided by culture and distance as only He could.
Life Examples
Read 2 Corinthians 9:1–15. What do you think Paul told the Macedonians about the Corinthians (2)?
When people think of you as a good example, does it motivate you to act in a godly manner, even if it’s difficult (3–5)? Why or why not?
How have you seen the principle in verse 6 proven true in your own life?
What is cheerful giving based on (7; also see Matt. 10:8; John 13:34; 1 Cor. 13:3; Eph 5:2)?
What is God’s promise to you when you give (8)?
*** The word grace in the New Testament comes from the root word to rejoice. It means the absolutely free benefit or expression of loving-kindness, deeds which cause joy, and favor conferred. When Paul writes, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you” (2 Cor. 9:8), it means that God shows you a superabundance of kindness that will cause you immense joy.
What does obedience to God in your finances inspire (10–15)?
Living the Principle
Do you tithe, giving 10 percent of your income for the ministry of the church? Do you give generously, blessing those in need? Perhaps you look at those questions and think, I can’t because I have barely enough to live on myself. Or maybe your response is, I’ve worked hard for what I have and I don’t see why I should give it up. As we’ve discussed before, both of these attitudes come from a lack of trust in God and the refusal to acknowledge His ownership of all that exists. God wants to “open … the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Mal 3:10), but He will wait until you submit this area of your life to Him.
God knows your struggles, desires, and the circumstances that surround your life, and He has promised to “supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). So stop making your decisions based on a balance sheet, and start obeying God in every area—including your finances. You’ll never come up short. Be generous with Him, and what you’ll find are greater blessings than you could have imagined.
How will you live out Life Principle 23 this week? Discuss the blessings of turning your finances over to God. Submit to Him and commit to keeping each other accountable in the area of finances. Then spend time in prayer, asking God to draw you into intimate communion with Himself and to transform your life, so that you can affect the world for the sake of His kingdom.
Life Lessons to Remember
- All that we have is a gift from God; therefore, whatever we offer Him is only a portion of what He has already given to us (see Deut. 10:14).
- When we obey Him by honoring Him with our tithes, He protects our finances and blesses us (see Mal. 3:10).