Kigoye Eriya

Proverbs 19:17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given. There are and will always be poor people among us. If therefore we can have a decent living, there's one who really can't and we need to consider them in our distribution of resources.  When one gives to one who cannot give back to them, they are lending to the Lord. If banks of this world gain interest on the loans they give out, how much more will God give back to you when you give to poor people.  The church has different people who earn differently. There are those who are needy and don't have enough. And a good pastor knows them. Every church should have a percentage of their collections say 10% which is to help the poor people both in the church and outside the church. Even at an individual level, do the same on every earning you get.  Poor people are helped best by first giving them the gospel. When all things are said and done, their eternal destiny matters most....

Mark 12:41-44 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called [unto him] his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all [they] did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, [even] all her living. It's normal for many including I to give what we can afford to part with. It's not usual to give beyond what we cannot afford. I call the first sensible giving and the second one nonsensical giving.  The widow gave her two remaining coins and it got Jesus' commendation. The others gave pocket change. The widow gave until it hurt. She might have given her Penney's for her food that day.  Have you ever visited someone who gives you more than you expect...

Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Jesus' death on the cross is the ultimate model for God giving us his son freely. God did not just talk the talk, He walked the path of exemplary giving. One thing to keep at the back of our minds is God increases or prospers us financially to increase our standard of giving. Above all else, giving shouldn't be affected because we are having difficulty in some seasons of our lives. Instead, we should lower our standards in some unnecessary areas so that our giving is not affected. This is not the mind of most believers. To them when things are going bad, that's when their spiritual lives suffer most. And yet those are some of the best times to up our giving, praying, fasting etc.  In times of much abundance, it isn't the time to think about what cloth, or car, you have always wanted to buy, it's best to think like "how much more...

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now with this, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. When one is to take a journey of a thousand miles, it only takes a step to start that journey. When one is to take a step into radical generosity, they need to start with giving a tithe.  What is then radical generosity? Simply giving over and beyond 10 percent. But it's important to know why people don't even tithe in the first place. First of all they don't believe right. They attribute it to the law and that we who are in the grace don't need to give. Such a mind robs men of even giving a tenth to even giving nothing at all! After all they advocate that we are in grace! God's standards have never been lowered just because we are in grace! His view on adultery, stealing, covetousness is still th...

Deuteronomy 14:22-23 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. I stumbled on the scripture which says after giving the tithe, one learns to fear the Lord. That's powerful. Many cry out in deep desire to know God and fear Him but it starts with being faithful in giving of your tithe.  There's another who reads their Bible and don't get any revelation from it, according to the theme scripture, we conclude that faithfully tithing will bring a fuller understanding of who God is to you through His word.  We attach value to the things we spend on. The more we spend on it, the more value we attach to it. If you consider it valuable, then your money goes there.  ...

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Faith without works is dead. Works which are aimed to obtain salvation, are those that the bible calls dead towards God. However there are good deeds which should accompany our salvation, these works matter so much before God and believers will be judged based on them.  It matters what you do as well as what you believe. It's not only good to have right beliefs, based on right knowledge, it matters what you do with them. What are you up to with your life? What are you using your time, resources, talents for? Is your faith leading you to do more, or only sending you into hiding in the prayer closet? Until recently, there are these questions which we always ask ourselves whenever we are done hearing a sermon during family time, "What have you learned, what are you going to do about it?" They really used to nag me but it's until...

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Parents, how are you training your children not to be overly desirous for material things? It's important we raised our children so that they won't become a problem to society tomorrow.  I have come to know this about parents, any good parent wouldn't want their children to suffer like they did. They at least strive to give them a little bit better conditions than they had growing up. They take them to good schools, better clothes etc. How about parents who instead of good training they instead end up spoiling their children in the name of love? They purchase any toy the child mentions, hears, or sees the other children in the neighborhood having. Does this in anyway solve the problem of a lack of a toy or creates another problem which will be a menace some time to come?  I have heard from some parents who grew up hearing the phrase "I don't have the money for ...

1 Timothy 6:17-19 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. There are life's greatest treasures which money, gold and silver cannot buy. These are riches which only God through Christ can give. The gift of salvation is the greatest gift a man can ever get. But how many rich people appreciate this gift? How many value it's worth more than anything they own? The numbers may not be many.  With everything within their reach, it's hard for men to hunger for God because they tend to independence from God instead. Someone has ever asked a question which seems so typical of independent mindedness. If I find you praying to God to give you something a...

James 5:1-4 Come now, [you] rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon [you!] Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Everyday we are faced with opportunities to do good or bad. With wealth in our possession, we have greater opportunity to do much good or evil.  I have come to realize that sin is expensive and that some don't sin because they have no means of doing it or haven't been tempted to do so. With money in one's possession, men buy their way in corrupt systems of this world. Crime, gangs, immorality etc cannot survive unless someone is heavily financing them. We have seen instances where very talent...

Proverbs 30:8-9 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny [thee], and say, Who [is] the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God [in vain]. An unhealthy thirst for wealth and money can end up being a curse rather than a blessing. One can wonder, how can a seemingly good thing suddenly become a bad thing? Yes it can if one's heart is not set right, Solomon in our theme scripture says it rightly. The greatest attack you can ever get on your being is by having so much in an instant which you have never had before and yet you weren't prepared for it. Take for instance drought. Drought is not good in terms of crop growing. But again when rain comes all of a sudden and it floods all of a sudden, it destroys rather than being a blessing. If one is stuffed with too much food at once, it chokes them rather than being a healthy addition to their system.  That's why peopl...

Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Does life consist in the abundance of things? No Should one chase after possessions yet end up destroying their own lives both naturally and spiritually? No. But some don't care until they get to hurt their own lives.  I have a friend who's parent focused on chasing after the money and ensuring that they become more secure. As that happened they didn't mind their health in the process. Right now in the advanced years of the parent, terrible health complications due to overworking are now taking away the money the parent painfully worked for. Now that's both a loss to time they would give to the jobs and to service to God. There's a reason for rest. Rest helps you recoup, regain energy, think sharper etc. Working many jobs looks financially okay until you break down mentally and physically. It is self care ...

Psalms 62:10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart [upon them]. Riches and possessions have a temptation they create when one gets them, they compete for the time we would have given to the Lord for instance the person who used to pray, now finds it hard because the new flat screen with a cable TV they got has many channels they want to explore so time for God in prayer is reduced, some after acquiring a lot of land spend their weekends visiting them instead of going to church etc.  A story is told of some man of God who has so many keys to the many houses he has been given in many countries of the world yet he has never even visited them. Getting the houses has never hindered even his pursuit for God, evangelism, planting churches etc. How about another man of God who received 500 keys for SUV cars on his birthday? I have not yet heard that he fell back from seeking God because of them. One car like this can cause someone t...

Ephesians 4:17-19 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. Greed is the excessive desire to gain material possessions. It characterizes someone who clings tight to what they own, so desirous for what they do not have and unduly withhold back from giving freely.  Greed caused Gehazi to run after Naaman to ask him for gold which Elisha had refused. When he returned to the man of God, he lied about where he had been. The result was a curse and he become leprous. The end of greedy men isn't always good. Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land and greed caused them to lie about the amount at which they sold the land. Greed, stealing and lyi...

Philippians 4:10-12 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. Contentment is a state of happiness and satisfaction. Happy and satisfied with the lot God has given you in this life.  From our theme scripture contentment is learned. The flesh by default will cry out like a baby for what it doesn't have and also naturally feel some level of discomfort with what it currently possesses. The solution is to subject the natural under the spiritual and not let them dominate.  What are some of those things we should be content about? Be content about the country you were born, the wife you have, the ch...

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. This is an age old question. The answer you have depends on what you have been feeding on, who has been feeding you or modeling the life of God before you.  It is a simple as saying, I am for God and nothing else matters, or I am for money and nothing else matters. If the first is your answer, does that mean that money is not necessary? It is necessary but it's not the one factor that causes you to seek God. Such people who regard God as very important and money as something necessary for living easily give it away to advance the kingdom of God, they are not happy because have it or sad because they are not rather they have learned to be content in every situation, such people are so hungry and desirous for God in that they seek opportunities to make more of it so that they can be a blessing to othe...

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Money is the most talked about topic in the world because the world revolves around it. It's crucial though to know the place it holds and how to handle it.   Most secular writers condemn scriptures like the one as our theme scripture in a way hinder christians from having the right view about money. Others are like You cannot serve two masters etc. But making such assertions reveal that we need to teach more on money and how they need to handle it without destroying them. I therefore believe that if a Christian holds a right beliefs about money, they will be a real threat to the devil and advance the kingdom of God much better. Is Money therefore bad as some assert? Does it hinder our spiritual walk? Can we have a right perspective about having it and using it? The answers to these are all in the Bible....

Luke 18:2, 8 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man. I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Fearing God is not being afraid or of the Lord but to have reverence for him. Reverence is respect. This should be our attitude when handling the things we are stewarding over like money, wealth, gifts and talents. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, those who are out there endeavouring to multiply their gifts and to those who aren't trying, even the little that they think they have, they get to lose it.  It's important to know that we aren't indispensable. We are privileged to be used of God. Anytime we feel indispensable, pride sets in and the next thing is a fall. There are many in the Bible who suffered terrible falls because they were taken up with pride.  Jesus is both saviour and Lord. At the same time He is a friend, a brother, present hel...

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. What matters most in your life? Fulfilling the will of God and handling all that we have been given with care and multiplying it. You cannot grow what you do not count and you don't count what is not important to you. God is interested in the numbers as much as many don't want to view Him that way.  In the parable, the master did not give them talents without number. He gave them a certain number they needed to focus on. We are not called to focus on our neighbours call but on ours. In fact, the day one starts to focus on multiplying the gifts, talents, money, ministries and they start seeing the fruit of it is the day one receives good counsel of how they could do it better. And you wonder why such advi...

Proverbs 1:20-33 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, [saying], How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they des...

Proverbs 6:6-11 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, [and] gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? [Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. It takes hard work to multiply the money, giftings, talents God has placed in our care. Even the most gifted people, if they aren't hardworking, they cannot fully reach their potential. From the theme scripture, ants are a good example to a lazy one in terms of hard work. Even in the new testament parable of the talents, the servants who multiplied their masters money worked very hard. The other who didn't just buried the talent which is so easy to do but it's not the best option.  Great artists train hard and long enough, great preachers pray and r...

Matthew 25:24-29 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, [there] thou hast [that is] thine. His lord answered and said unto him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and [then] at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give [it] unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. Whatever God gives us, He has set high hopes in what we can achieve with those gifts. To those who are faithful to multiply the gifts, money, talents etc God adds to them more. To those who...

Acts 1:7-8 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Trust according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is, a:assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something, b: one in which confidence is placed.  It takes trust to leave your gifts, treasures, goods, talents, etc to another person's care. God has surely done that. For example God has left us in charge of spreading the gospel. It's not angels who are supposed to do it. It's been entrusted to our care. That is why the angel of the Lord sent for Peter to Cornelius' house to witness to them and not the angel, Acts 10.  We should be living in awe and amazement everyday that God can entrust you and I for this glor...

Luke 16:2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as the quality or state of being 1: responsible: such as, a: moral, legal, or mental accountability, b: reliability, trustworthiness. 2: something for which one is responsible : burden.  And what is accountability? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, it is the quality or state of being accountable especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions. To be accountable also means that one reports to others for all they do when they hold a public office or leadership position. Many Christians don't want to be responsible and accountable for their actions. "The devil made me do it, so and so told me to do this, the situation is not favourable, etc " are lines normally used by some who don't want to acknowledge that ...

Luke 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true [riches]? This scripture was got from the parable of the unjust steward. This was a manager of a rich man's goods. When he was called upon to give account of his stewardship, he called upon the debtors of the master and cut the debts they owed to the master so that he could be welcomed by them in their homes when he's fired by his master.  Instead of being angry at him, the master commended him for having used money to make friends who would be of help to him later. It's very probable that this rich man had a lot of money because on a normal occasion no one would praise a thief if their livelihood depended on those goods in the steward's care.  Who is the master in this case? God. Who is the steward, us. God has entrusted to us his gems like money, talents, gifts, etc and we need to utilize them for the sake of winning souls. If we don't then our heave...

Haggai 2:8 'The silver [is] Mine, and the gold [is] Mine,' says the LORD of hosts. How do you determine the greatness of a person? Some of the determinants include the person's accomplishments, riches, wisdom, power and authority. A rich person most probably has possessions like land, cash etc. Our God is indeed great because he owns this universe and all that is in it including you and I. But it's my life, my car, my children, some say. No they are all His. Handle them as though they have an owner. There's an army man who is now late in Uganda who was very popular. He used to assert it firmly to his children that whatever they see at home isn't theirs, so they need to handle it with care. He used to tell them, the bed your sleeping on is mine, the TV is mine, the chairs, the house, even the very clothes you have etc. If such talk didn't put sense in the children's brains not only to handle dad's property well, nothing else would. Am sure they would...

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. Coming to the Lord through Jesus Christ grants the believer the wisdom, power, riches and authority of God. What then are we to do in turn? Subject all we have to him, not some but all.  We always say "all I have is you God." When we do so do we get a God in part or fully? I know you know the answer, fully. He also requires us to fully give ourselves to Him. All that we are and will ever be will be because of Him. It's high time you gave your all and say, "God use all of me and all I have been entrusted in my care."  What's my point, our thinking shouldn't be limited to, " the tithe as one belonging to God," but all we have belongs to Him. It's the mind of the steward or manager and not an owner. God should have unlimited access to even the 90% after the 10% of our money has been returned to Him. That's the beginning place of being entrusted with much mor...

Matthew 19:21-22 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Money and wealth reveal who man truly is. If such a one has been touched by God and is generous, having more money will reveal that they are truly generous and will express it more. If one is miserly, they will tend to be more of that in multiplied form when they accumulate more money.  The rich young ruler in our theme scripture couldn't obey the Lord's command to sell his possessions and follow Jesus because that instruction revealed where his heart was all along, on money and not God. Money was his god and yet he never knew it. He was a good religious fellow but his possessions had possessed him.  A real move of God in a man's heart will be evident in his giving otherwise he's simply in dead relig...

Luke 16:10-11 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true [riches]? Can God trust you with much money? The answer is yes if you have been faithful with that you have been in charge of presently and in the past.  A single man out there, how can God entrust you with his daughter's hand in marriage if you haven't been tithing or giving? You want to be a pastor one day, but you aren't tithing, you want to be a great worshipper but your giving is not coming through, you are employed somewhere, instead of doing your daily tasks faithfully, you are busy asking for a promotion.  Promotion won't fall on us like a ripe mango will fall from a tree, just be ye faithful till the very end. A simple command should be obeyed first before anticipating for bigger promotion. You are not ready to do ste...

1 Kings 8:4-5 Then they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that [were] in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, [were] with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 1 Kings 8:10-11 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy [place,] that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. There's something noteworthy about this account and the ones before it. At the start of Solomon's reign he offered 1000 burnt offerings, 1 Kings 3:4. After God appeared to him, he offered again, 1 Kings 3:15. After the construction of the temple, Solomon offered what couldn't be numbered and the presence of God came down into the holy place in t...

Mark 6:38-44 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave [them] to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. What in the world can five loaves and two fish do for a 5000 hungry crowd? Nothing but to God it can do a lot. Jesus multiplied it and it fed all of them and after feeding all of them the leftovers collected were much more than what was given him originally.  God is not a joking subject. He knows how to take a little oil and multiply it in se...

2 Chronicles 1:6-7 And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which [was] at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it. In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. Many don't know why Solomon became the Solomon they read of. Do you know before God appearing to him in a dream where he asked for wisdom he first offered to God 1000 burnt offerings? Now that may be new to you but that's exactly what happened. If he hadn't offered would God have appeared to him? No.  Argue all you want but from this we draw some lessons that giving attracts God's attention. And that is exactly what we see here. Perhaps you want God to appear to you or answer your prayer and all you need is to give an offering you have never given before? We don't see Solomon giving before that time but his first recorded offering was very significant as he started his reign.  Giving reflects where...

1 Chronicles 29:2 Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for [things to be made] of gold, and the silver for [things] of silver, and the brass for [things] of brass, the iron for [things] of iron, and wood for [things] of wood; onyx stones, and [stones] to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. Was it by accident that David was blessed by God? I don't think so. One of the reasons why he was blessed is listed here. He made strong preparation for the building and giving towards God's house. Oh my strong what? Preparation.  Casting down all manner of doubts and unbelief to serve God takes mental strength. Getting people ready and prepared to give takes physical strength. Praying fervently towards the day of the giving takes spiritual strength. Preparing to give a big heartfelt offering takes strength of the heart to do so. We said previously that it's the wise that giv...

Exodus 36:4-7 And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. The Israelites in the old testament did what every pastor desires his church members to do. They gave more than was enough for the work to be accomplished. What a blessing! Why were they able to do so? Because the Lord touched their hearts to give.  Secondly their minds were more focused on spiritual things, the things from above, God's affairs and not the things of the earth, wealth, riches or carnal desires and lusts. Can we rel...

Exodus 35:25 And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, [both] of blue, and of purple, [and] of scarlet, and of fine linen. The background to the theme of the scripture above is that Moses asked the people to give towards the building of the tabernacle. Many gave towards the cause until Moses called on them to stop. The highlight of it is that there are some wise hearted women who spun some items and brought them before Moses as their offering.  The Bible doesn't mince words. It takes people of wisdom to align to God's purposes. God blesses those who purpose to give towards his cause with skills to make money so that they have what to give towards the building of his church.  Whereas there are those who prefer to ask for wisdom like the Bible says in James, there are those whose wisdom follows them because their attitude is very positive towards giving. Is God unjust in doing that? I don't think so. He is just i...

1 Chronicles 29:9 Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. The heart is one of the greatest assets that should aid us throughout our sowing and reaping. One powerful condition that God wants us to have during the giving process is a willing heart.  Bible says if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the fruit of the land, Isaiah 1:19. You cannot separate your giving from your heart.They are closely linked.  Our giving is received at two levels, the church as well as God. The church doesn't know what is in your heart so it will receive whatever you offer it. The other is God. It doesn't matter whether the amount is big or not, if it's not offered by a willing heart, God isn't pleased and you will miss out the blessings of willful giving.  The heart by definition is the attitude one has while giving. A perfect heart is thus a right attitu...

1 Chronicles 29:3-7 Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, [which] I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, [Even] three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses [withal]: The gold for [things] of gold, and the silver for [things] of silver, and for all manner of work [to be made] by the hands of artificers. And who [then] is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD? Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly, And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. I...

1 Chronicles 29:3 Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, [which] I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, David mentions something important as he was about to give an offering for the building of God's house, affection. The background to this verse is that David was commanded by the Lord not to build the house of the Lord but instead his son Solomon would. But because he set his affection on God's house, he started an initiative of collecting gold and silver which would make it easier and give his son a starting point when the time would come for him to build. Did God command him to do so? No. It was out of affection, love, passion to do so. He foresaw the need and responded by getting together the leaders and the people of Israel to give towards that cause.  Many pray to do exploits but some of these won't happen without the valuable elem...