Be A Cheerful Giver B
Posted by: Buffalo Dream Center
Topic: Christian Character
Verse: ...For God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Props:
Fruits and vegetables
Instructions:
Discussion:
Introduction:
-Today we are going to learn another characteristic of a Christian
Be A Cheerful Giver
-What do you think it means to be a cheerful Giver?
-To be generous
-To have a good attitude about giving things to other people
-To be willing to give our time, money and lives to God
Illustration:
Who has ever heard of the book of Proverbs? In Proverbs it says we are supposed to give to God from our first fruits. Who knows what this means?
Does it mean that we are supposed to save the fist fruit we eat during the week for God? Does it mean we should go to the store and buy fruit for God?
It means that when we give money we are supposed to first-before anything else give something to God. Who gets an allowance? When you get your allowance before you go spend it all on candy, God wants you to set some of it aside for Him.
In the Bible many people were farmers. They grew fruits and vegetables. Their fruits and vegetable were like their paycheck. God was saying to them -before you use your fruit from your farm for anything else I want you to give some of it to me- to Honor me.
Today if God was writing us He would say - before you spend all your allowance on candy I want you to set some aside for me, or before you spend you whole pay check on that new video game, I want you to set some aside for me.
Giving some of what we have to God-even if it is not a lot is a way we can show God how much we honor and love Him.
Bible Story:
Introduction: I want to tell you a story about someone who showed God how much they loved Him by what they gave to him.
Story:
One day Jesus was at the Temple in the place where people came to give their money. It was called the treasury. It was a courtyard with boxes where people came and put their money in these boxes. Jesus was watching what people were giving.
Jesus could tell their dedication to God by what they were giving. Not how much they were giving but by what they were giving. If a person has nothing but gives everything than that show their willingness to serve and give to God. If a person has a lot but gives almost nothing compared to what they have, then they really aren't willing to serve or give to God.
First Jesus watched a very rich man go up to the box, and give. He was like the second person. He had a lot of money. Even though it seemed like he gave a lot on money, he really didn’t give much compared to what he had.
Next there came a widow. Who knows what a widow is? Someone whose husband died. In the Bible widows could not just go get jobs so easily. So if you were a widow, you usually had very little money. Usually you had to rely on what other people gave you.
This widow walked up to the box where they put money and she dropped in 2 mites. A mite was less than a penny. So she gave less than 2 pennies to God. However, that was all the money she had. She gave everything she had to God. So she really gave more than the rich man did.
Even though the widow didn't give as much money as the rich man, the widow's offering made Jesus happy.
Conclusion:
You don't have to have a lot of money to give to God. God wants the attitude of our heart to be one that is willing to give everything to Him. Jesus is happy with whatever we give as long as we are willing to give to Him.
Pledge:
I promise to do my best to be a cheerful giver. I will not be greedy but generous. I am willing to give my time, my money and my life to God.
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