And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8
“What we give to our brethren in the exercise of charity is a deposit with the Lord, who, as a faithful depositary, will ultimately restore it with abundant interest. Are our duties, then, of such value with God that they are as a kind of treasure placed in his hand? Who can hesitate to say so when Scripture so often and so plainly attests it? But if any one would leap from the mere kindness of God to the merit of works, his error will receive no support from these passages. For all you can properly infer from them is the inclination on the part of God to treat us with indulgence. For, in order to animate us in well-doing, he allows no act of obedience, however unworthy of his eye, to pass unrewarded.”
John Calvin () in Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3.18.6
Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin is another book from the list in 25 Books Every Christian Should Read: A Guide to the Essential Spiritual Classics. It a lengthy important work of systematic theology that includes this section on giving.
The exercise of giving is rooted in the grace of God. His grace knows no limits, and, as Calvin notes in this classic work, every “exercise of charity is a deposit with the Lord, who, as a faithful depositary, will ultimately restore it with abundant interest.” And no act of well-doing will “pass unrewarded.”
As 2022 draw to a close, please do three things linked to your giving. Firstly, avoid year end keeping, as His eye sees everything you do. Instead, give more than your capacity because He is a faithful depositary. You’ll ultimately get it restored to you with abundant interest. Know that a reward awaits you.
I want to share a quick story on this. Yesterday, I said to my wife, “How much do we have to give at year-end?” She looked at the budget and shared a number. I replied, “How about if we give even more than that?” I suggested a number even hired. She agreed. I am thankful for a wife willing to give sacrificially.
Secondly, align your giving with Scripture and what it attests. That means show charity, or unconditional love in action, like the Good Samaritan. He did not give a handout that created a dependency; he gave a hand up and built a disciple. He helped get a hurting person on his feet with love in action.
On this note, please click here to make a year-end gift to GTP. As I stated yesterday, God has opened doors for work in a host of countries. We empower national workers to build trust and grow local giving, so they don’t need support from outsiders. This follows the pattern of the Apostle Paul.
Your year-end gift will advance GTP work in 2023 in Ukraine, Poland, Czeckia, Slovakia, Romania, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Brazil, Malawi, Argentina, Philippines, Bolivia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Zambia, and India.
Thirdly, see giving as a duty that you perform without hesitation. Assess the needs at your church and the charities you support. GTP is praying for another $86,179 by 31 December 2022. When we each do our part, and put to work what we have, our God sees and will reward each of us, and the reward will ultimately come with interest.