Seven Results of Generous Giving

Today were going to conclude our examination of second Corinthians chapter 9. Remember the Paul is writing to encourage the church at Corinth to fulfill the financial commitment they made to the project offering for the persecuted saints in Jerusalem. There generous commitment made a year before prompted a sacrificial commitment from the churches of Macedonia and now a year has passed and Corinth has not kept pace with their giving and is therefore in danger of failing to fulfill their commitment. Paul is coming in is bringing with him some from the churches of Macedonia. He recognizes that this could be a great problem great embarrassment if they have not fulfilled that which they committed themselves to do and so Paul devotes to chapters in second Corinthians to help them make good on their promise. Chapters 8 and nine.

Two weeks ago we took up the last part of chapter 8 exactly where we left off back in March when Kovic first, it last week we took up the first seven verses of chapter 9. As we covered five reasons to give generously. Today we take a verses eight through 15 and will examine seven results generous given the lot in this portion I could easily break it down into two or three messages but I would like to conclude here it's a good place to come to another stop. As we next Lord's day will be looking at our missions month theme text which is second Timothy 225 that they may know the truth of that will be our text for next Sunday sermon that will belong to.

We moving into December where we generally focus on text relating to the incarnation will be January before we come back to resume our study in second Corinthians. So I really wanted to finish up chapter 9 today so yes seven reasons or seven results rather of generous giving will try to cover them quickly, but the first one is going to be a little longer because it is the longest one in the first result of generous giving is that you will experience increased wealth verses eight through 11 3 1/2 versus the Paul devotes to that subject. It is actually an expansion of verse six, where Paul said with this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully and then he picks it up again in verse eight, when he says God is able to make all grace abound toward you that you, always having all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work.

Work down through these verses in just a moment so result number one is that you will in experience increased wealth of this is one of those things that if it were not in God's word, and so, so conspicuous in God's word so emphatic in God's word infected so repeatedly found in God's word that preachers might be reluctant to talk about it because we might sound like one of those shysters who is promising you great wealth if you will give to him and yet here it is.

It is a promise in the word of God, and last week we looked at it in terms of a reason to give those who so bountifully will reap also bountifully. It's a wonderful promise, but here in this section. It is couched more in terms of a result from our generous giving and if you give generously to God. God tells you that you will experience increased wealth and will break that down. We see first of verse eight what God is able to do. Secondly, in verse nine what God intends to do. And third, in verse verses 10 and the first part of verse 11 what God has promised to do under one would God is able to do again verse eight and God is able God is able to make all grace abound toward you that you, always having all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work God is able. We could put up.

Right there On that thought for a while. God is able and he surely is think about the power of God the greatness of God. The ability of God, the unlimited power and ability of God, then we have no difficulty talking about God being able to do anything except sin. Anything except contradict himself in his own character and so if we are talking about material resources.

Certainly God is able to increase them. We don't have any problem believing that everyone of us believe that to be true. We know that God is able to make all grace abound toward you and in the context he's talking about the grace of giving. God is able to make the grace of giving abound in your life. God is able to provide sufficiently so that you can be involved in giving it all things in all areas and all opportunities and all good projects of giving that come your way, that are an opportunity for you to give. Yes, God is able to give to you so that you can give to every good work. That's what this verse is saying God can provide for you to give generously, God is able to do that. Do you believe that amen God is able. Surely all of us believe that when it comes down to. Will God do that for me. That may be a different matter but we could start with this first thing and nail it down.

We know that God is able reminds me of that text.

I think in the Psalms is God able to provide a table of the wilderness, speaking about the children of Israel and their need for food in the wilderness and in God's promise to supply and the incredulity of some of those people about God being able to supply it. Where is God going to supply he's promising meet out here in the wilderness, is God able to furnish a table in the wilderness of the answer is yes yes yes God is able.

Don't doubt it. God is able. Amen. I believe that you believe that nail that one down and move on. God is able to do number two what God intends to do with this getting a little closer to home, nice to talk about a general terms, would God is able to do out there somewhere for other people. Nobody can do. But now, what does he intend to do and that's verse nine where Paul by the spirit of God quotes from Psalm 112 verse nine where he says, as it is written that sake clue that he is getting ready to quote Scripture as it is written, and here's the quotation he has dispersed abroad. He has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. This is a citation Word for Word in the Greek in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament Osama hundred and 12 verse nine. Now what is that what is in some hundred and 12 have to take my word for it. Some hundred and 12. The whole Psalm is a description of a righteous person. I'll just begin reading. I can't read that one could but I'm not going to read the entire Psalm delimiter show you how this all begins.

Praise the Lord blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in his commandment starts out talking about this blessed man. Sounds like Psalm one.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, here's another Psalm talks about the God blessed man burst to his descendents will be mighty on earth. The generation of the upright will be blessed himself talks about the blessings of his children. It talks about other blessings that are true in the lives of those who are righteous who believe in God, who submit to his word who follow his ways. There are certain things that are characteristic of righteous people in verse nine tells us that a righteous person is a generous giver when it says he has dispersed abroad.

That's not God. That's the righteous man of some hundred and 12 what it says he is given to the poor. That's not talking about God.

That's talking about the righteous man Osama hundred and 12 verse nine what it says. His righteousness endures forever. That again is talking about this righteous man. Commentators are not all agreed as to what that phrase mean means is talking about his eternal life in the rewards of his righteousness to go on through eternity, which certainly is true or is it saying that his righteous benevolence which seems to fit the context better is going to endure.

Basically to the end of his life upon earth to go on forever as long as he lives, because he is generous in his giving God is going to extend his ability to give to the very end of his life and in the whole context of that Psalm and and certainly in the context of second Corinthians chapter 9 that appears to be what Psalm is saying.

But this is telling us what God intends to do.

In other words, this is God's description of a righteous person. This is God's designed to work these characteristics in all of his people. This is that the development of righteousness within the lives of God's people. God does a lot of things in the lives of his people.

The out workings of grace that God gives to his people manifest themselves in a lot of different ways, and not all of them are found in Psalm 112, but the good many of the mark. But this is one of them.

This is not this is not something outside the realm of what God is doing what God designed us to do in the lives of his people.

One of the things that God designs to do in the lives of his people is to make them generous givers and to enable them to give generously. As long as they live. I didn't say it God's word says it, I wouldn't dare say it were not clearly told us in the word of God. So number one what is God able to do what he's able supply whatever you need to enable you to give generously number two what is God intend to do God intends to work the grace of giving in your life of your child of God. God intends for this expression of his righteous be manifested in your life, along with many other expressions of righteousness. That's what God intends to do. But then number three what has God promised to do.

Verses 10 and 11 because God intends to do it.

He's going to do it and here's what he promises now. May he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food supply and multiply the seed you have sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness while you are in rich in everything for all liberality in my version, we have to get to verse 11 before we find a clear statement of promise, but actually verse 10 I think. Properly translated is also statement a promise it's not translated that way. In my version it's translated my version more like a prayer, a desire to wish God.

They do this for you, but commentators are agreed that this actually is a declaration I read that first in the commentary by Charles Hodge and second Corinthians that he's dealing with the king. The old King James texted looks very much like this one of what looks like a like a wish or desire a prayer for God's people. But he said emphatically. This is, that's not what this is. This is the promise. This is a declaration of God's promise to do and therefore this is the way it is translated in both in these two translations are almost identical at this point, both the new American Standard and the ESV translated like this.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness, the God who provides seed for the farmer to sell in the earth, where does that seed come from.

We know not all farmers no believing farmers no we know, provides that seed God does God provides the seed to be so.

God provides bread for food. God will supply and multiply your seed for sowing the seed of giving back to verse six he who sows sparingly or he who sows bountifully. God will supply the seed you need to.

So to so bountifully in your giving and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched.

Verse 11 you will be enriched in every way, to be generous in every way. You will be enriched in every way, to be generous in every way way puts it in other words, God will increase your resources to enable you to give with increasing generosity. He does that for those who desire to give other question is how do we know if we truly desire to get how do we measure that desire to know if it's a strong desire to genuine desire and it's not really mysterious is not really simple. It's not not really difficult. It's not really subjective. We don't have to weigh the intensity do I want this hard enough. I want the strong enough that God sees that in will give me what is needed to make it happen know it's very very simple.

It is found in the evidence of the record of giving right now if you desire to give more.

You're already giving what you can tell me how much you will give when God makes you rich. If you are given anything. Now that you come on the evidence of your desire to give is that you are giving you are able, but each one according to his ability, you may not have much ability. If you have a real genuine desire to give you are giving you are giving you are giving what you can. You are giving what God has supplied what God says is for those who have a desire to give generously because it already giving generously as they are able, God will enable you to do more God will increase the seed of your sewing because the evidence of your desire to give is in your deeds, not in your words or thoughts, but to those who desire to give God promises the ability to fulfill that desire if that's what you desire God honors that desire. God loves that desire, God encourages that desire God enables that desire because we saw in the passage for last Sunday.

The Lord loves a cheerful giver doesn't loves a cheerful giver.

Therefore, if you desire to be one God's going to enable you to be one me like I don't know I don't what's the first result of generous giving you will experience increased wealth because number one of what God is able to do verse eight, number two what God intends to do. Verse nine and number three because of what God promises to do verses 10 and 11. All right, now we move on to number two. The others will go more quickly. Once a second result from generous giving you will multiply praise to God. That's the last part of verse 11 and in verse 12 and in verse 13 verse 11 while you are enriched and everything for all liberality which causes Thanksgiving, which causes Thanksgiving your liberal giving causes Thanksgiving through us to God for the administration of the service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God third verse 13 while through the proof of this ministry, they the ones who receive these gifts to glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men for this. They do what the first part of her say they glorify God. They give thanksgiving to God.

They give thanksgiving to God. Thanksgiving verse 11 Thanksgiving verse 12 and glorify God.

Verse 13 your giving produces Thanksgiving in the hearts of those who receive it. In this case, the Jerusalem saints your giving causes others to glorify God. The same people. Verse 13 they will glorify God. Those who are the recipients of your giving who also know the because of your liberal sharing with them.

This is on wonderful truth and when we need to understand is different levels of benevolence, secular benevolence has one goal to meet the needs of others. They want to help for people not to be poor. They want to help on hungry people not to be hungry, that there can be there can be the sky. There is this kind of benevolence the hearts of some people who don't know the Lord is a result of God's common grace in their lives. So the goal secular benevolence is to meet needs. The goal of false religious benevolence is to earn merit with God.

They give me needs to but to earn merit with God.

I give so I can earn eternal life. I give so I can gain there with God in some way that's false religious benevolence but for true God pleasing benevolence.

The goal is to bring greater glory to God. Why do you give to honor God.

Why do you give to give glory to God. Why do you give to increase thanksgiving to God. Why do you give to enlarge the glory that others give to God. It is a way of multiplying glory to God. That is a result of generous giving you will multiply praise to God, God honoring, giving helps accomplish the goal of giving glory to God, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God and whether you eat or drink, or whether you are giving you are doing it to the glory of God. When you give it a God honoring way it increases glory to God. Number three was 1/3 result of generous giving. The third result is you will minister to needs.

That's not irrelevant. It's true. Your giving helps make needs is not the highest goal which is to bring glory to God but surreal going to God honoring goal you are going to minister to needs verse 12 for the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding for many thanksgivings to God. Verse 13 while through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, for your liberal sharing with them all men. It meets the needs of the saints. This is what James and his epistle calls pure religion. James 127 pure and undefiled religion before God and the father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and their need pure religion and undefiled for God the father's this, to visit. That is just stop by and say howdy to visit together to help in a tangible way. Widows and orphans in their trouble in their needs and to keep oneself unspotted from the world so ministering to the needs of others is very much a result of your generous giving.

It's a good one. It's a good one. But what is revolt result number four that is this one you will validate your profession of faith your Christian. You say your Christian how do you show it. James deals with that in his epistle quite a bit. Don't just say it with your workshop with your life. Don't just tell me that you are Christian, but show me by the change to God is made in your life right and if you'll think about the book of James. You realize that giving is one of those big ways that James tells us to show that we are genuine Christians. I just read verse 27 of chapter 1 from the book of James, giving for the needs of widows and and orphans and so this is a validation. Your generous giving is a validation of your profession of faith your giving is proof of your faith. Verse 13 your giving demonstrates the sincerity of your faith.

Also, verse 13.

Your giving manifest God's grace at work within you. Verse 14.

Your giving is proof of your faith faith. Verse 13 while through the proof of this ministry, what ministry ministry of your giving to them. This benevolence offering for the persecuted saints in Jerusalem. What's it going to do. It's going to prove to them that you are genuine Christians that was a real issue in this day because of the Jew and Gentile barriers that that existed for so many centuries there were still Christians in Jerusalem who'd never met the Gentile Christian and wondered if they really could be such a thing. Yeah, the reports are coming back. Paul comes back from out in the Roman world and says God is at work among the Gentiles.

He saved the souls of many of them there are many believing Gentiles out there trusting the Lord Jesus Christ or save their lives or change they stop worshiping idols. They stopped living in immorality.

There are real Christians out there and there are isolated Jewish believers in Jerusalem who've never God more than 10 miles from home and they've never seen a Gentile Christian and they're saying is that really possible and then here comes a magnanimous gift of financial help to needy persecuted people from Gentiles proof, proof of their faith, your faith, Corinth, the ends proof of your faith. You are real Gentile believers in this will convince skeptical Jewish Christians if they haven't ever met a living Gentile believer in Christ before they're gonna know there is such a thing.

Because of the proof given by this ministries is a new American Standard Bible because of the service by which you have proved yourselves says the ESV your giving is proof of the genuineness of your faith, and it is furthermore verse 13 demonstration of the sincerity of your confession of faith closely related.

Verse 13 while the while the proof of this ministry rather through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession or profession your confession to the gospel of Christ, you made a confession of faith is there evidence when we talk about who should be received into the local church. We talk about those who made it with with the terminology is a credible profession of faith. Some have lost that word credible. Along the way somewhere just anybody Mexican restaurant of faith will assume it's true, and we will look for any evidence. Consequently, lots of people are brought into membership of Baptist churches and other churches who've never been born again. No evidence of the work of God's Spirit in their hearts they made some kind of a profession of faith which is clearly empty.

It has changed their lives. In no way, but here's one way here's one way not the only way. But here's one way you can demonstrate the credibility of your profession, your confession of faith in Jesus Christ. You have become a giver. People who hold on and you are writing?'s over there profession of faith.

What's wrong with you. Why haven't been given a liberal heart. Why hasn't your heart been changed like hasn't gone work.

This grace of giving within you. Why isn't this evidence of righteousness happening within you, you better check up our are you sure you been born again. Have you been truly saved or you merely have an empty profession of faith. Again, I don't think I would be willing to say things like this if it worked in the text that I dealing with what's there.

This is what the Bible says your giving is proof of your faith. Giving is demonstration of your sincerity, your giving manifest God's grace within you present gets down to the foundation of where it all comes from verse 14 and by their prayer for you who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Now these folks in Jerusalem haven't even met these Gentile Christians. Where are they saying the evidence of the exceeding greatness of God working in you. They've only seen it tangibly demonstrated in one way or will see it shortly tangibly demonstrated that one way when Paul shows up with the gift.

There it is the evidence of God's grace God has changed their hearts. God has saved their souls. God does have a people among the Gentiles who are who are as much the people of God as believing Jews. Here's the evidence of it.

Your giving manifest God's grace within you. Number five, result number five you will stimulate the prayers of others.

That's verse 14 and by their prayer for you, or by prayers on your behalf. Says an American Standard when you give in this way, those who are the objects of your giving start to pray for you. They include you in their prayers. It's wonderful. I think one of the most touching things that I can think of. Over the years has been when we have sent tangible support to the struggling pastors in Zimbabwe and we get back letters that say were praying for you think they can't do anything else for us though they they're doing the greatest thing for us.

They could send us a dollar.

And why should they were rich and therefore they can pray for us.

I got word that they were praying for us because of covert. There there really that they probably from the reports they hear. They think covert has just destroyed the whole country of America. It's that's with the news report sound like it's just in shambles. That means all you Christians are no doubt in deep trouble all your churches are in deep trouble. All my own mind, we are concerned for you were praying for you were praying for you were praying for you.

Thank you. It may be the prayers of the Zimbabwe. We are Christians or God is using to shelter us so that code with the very real hasn't really destroyed us, hasn't, why not because God in his kindness has kept it from it.

Why has he maybe because Zimbabwean pastors praying for us got here's the prayers of any of his true blood bought children, but I think he especially delights to get the prayers of the poor and the humble and the week in the needy cry out to him, don't you want in praying for you. I want them praying for me.

One thing I can do to stimulate their prayers is to give because God has enabled me to give PS enable them the to to serve in that way, they have other ways of serving. But God has enabled me to do that God has enabled us to do that as a church. So we do that and what is one of the results we read the prayers of humble Saints of God that most of us have never met.

I thank God I've had the privilege of meeting these pastors and many of the people, but you reap the prayers of God's people in other parts of the world that you've never met and that's a result, one of the results of your generous giving. That's a good one. Number six.

What else you will strengthen Christian fellowship and I base that upon just one word primarily verse 14 and by their prayers for you who hears the word long for you. They long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. They long for you. The tangible demonstration of your love produces a personal relationship that did not exist before they long for you. The new American Standard says they yearn for you without ever having met you. They nonthinking the courses applies to the Jerusalem saints who had met the Gentiles, but having gone down that road of Zimbabwean pastors.

I'm thinking about the Zimbabwean pastors, most of whom have never been more than 50 miles from home, most of whom have never been outside their country, most of whom haven't seen very many white people depends on whether the city route earlier you.

Most of them come into the city from time to time for conferences and so forth. Most of them have never met you. They don't know you personally and yet from time to time. Here comes a gift to help with the family to help with food with food relief. Here's the report, Stuart says beacon Baptist Church has sent $3000 to help with food. Beacon Baptist Church and sent several thousand dollars to to helping folks in your time of need and that makes you very real to them. Yeah you are you are real this this money didn't come from nowhere and obviously your real and they long for you. They yearn for you.

They would like to meet you.

They would like to fellowship with you they would like to to have the opportunity of interacting with you an opportunity that most of them will never have until we get to heaven… It's wonderful.

During those occasional times when some from the states to go over and talk to them and ministered to them and fulfill that desire, but they long for you. This tangible demonstration of your giving your your loving giving creates a desire for fellowship. It makes you real to them and it creates in them a desire for fellowship with you. They long for you, then number seven result number seven.

If you give generously, you will grow in your appreciation for Christ and that's best of all, that's verse 15, Paul concludes this.

These two chapters on giving with this wonderful statement.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.

What's that the gift of Christ. He gave the most God's gift is the greatest gift. It's here called and indescribable gift God's gift to us is so great that it cannot be adequately described God's gift to us is so valuable that there is no way to calculate its work God's gift to us has so many dimensions that will never explore the mall is one of the wonderful things about coming into the doctrines of grace.

It helps you understand how much richer is the gospel. How many more dimensions. They are to the gospel than you thought in your in your earlier days when it all seemed all boil down to about three sentences. Now you realize there's a whole lot more to it. What a great gospel. What a great Christ. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift God's gift is the greatest gift and God's gift is the greatest motive for giving that's why Paul ends this whole section on giving. With this statement above and beyond all the other things up. All is said about reasons for giving and results of giving says this is the greatest reasonable why should you give because of the gift that God gave the gift of his son were to be without that and it is because God gave you were able to give.

It is because God gave the we desired to give the gift he gave changed us gave us a desire. Our giving is a grateful response to the great gift which he gave to us in God's gift therefore provides the greatest delight in getting we do like to give because of what he gave to us who he gave to us. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. That's why we delight to give. That's why we don't give gradually, grudgingly, rather cheerfully, what because we think of this great gift that God is given to us. How can we respond grudgingly to that. How can we respond anything less than cheerfully to that God for his described indescribable gift and we recognize, therefore, the giving is a privilege of the giving is an act of worship.

Whatever increases our love and appreciation for Christ is paramount in our thinking, and God honoring giving does that got on her giving it some point draws our minds back to Christ in God's gift of Christ to Austin. That's why were doing this and that's why we want to do this better.

I'm not one to give a lot of personal illustrations.

As you know this when I probably have given but it's been a pretty good while ago and I'm sure some of you haven't heard it, but I want to tell you about is one area in my own life where he found this to be true giving to God as generously as is possible, produces rich return from God. When I first daughter was born 1975 Marty Nayar about his poor sport could be really and yet I already started thinking ahead. How will we be able to send this beautiful young gift of God.

This child to college, I started thinking about that had no money and no way of knowing how that would be done about that time in the mail came something from Duke Power Company. The only time it never came. I never saw before.

Since it was opportunity.

If you want to sign up for a way of buying Duke Power shares. Shares in the company monthly bank draft automatic withdrawal your bank account for everything that III I've only seen that once in my 47 years of being a do power customer came one time in the mail just at that time I said well I really can't afford it can hardly buy groceries but what was the minimum amount you can even do it is with as little as $25 a month okay will give $25 a month into the college fund. Joe Don is a little wee little baby. I knew that wasn't going to get her through college is best I could do was only thing I could do. Do what you can trust the Lord.

I can go through all the details.

I can remember all the details, but I can tell you this. Over the years that fund grew in ways that I cannot explain. I cannot explain. I'm pretty good with numbers and pretty good with finances and I can usually figure things out. But I cannot tell you how that little funding we as we were able to increase. We gave more to it but still how that little fund at the proper time help for daughters to go to college is not easy to send lotto families decide not to either decide not to her cannot send their children the way to a brick-and-mortar college it's too expensive that we wanted our children to have the same opportunity we had so I can explain how that fund helped for daughters to go to college and come out without debt.

Now they work to was waiting for the whole way we could this we work.

We were crunching this fund so tight it was squeak and every day, but somehow it ended before he got done with the with the four daughters. The first one set I'm to get married and we said all of a sudden realized hey, we not only have college. We got weddings we got for weddings we got for daughters how we can afford this now. The file college fund became the fund college wedding fund and weddings are cheap. We didn't have expensive weddings, but if Adam altogether, these added up to tens of thousands of dollars so tens of thousands of dollars with two college and tens of thousands of dollars. Would weddings on this little fund. We started out putting $25 a month into and when we got the last one done last college last wedding lock still money in here how that happened. Honestly, we felt like the widow who was poured oil out of her out of her cruise and miraculously just kept pouring where that come from where that come from what I cannot explain it. I cannot explain it but there was so now the college wedding fund became ready for this. The Miata fund kind of a desire I'd had for years, but that I probably never fulfill that hey is money left over by you, sports, and pay cash for enjoyment. Okay, that what is now emergency fund. The rainy day fund and there is more money in that fund today than we ever had. We had kids in college and weddings and so I is only one point way to explain, he who sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully and if you have a desire to give generously God's going to enable you to do that is going to give to you is going to give to those who give to others.

He's going to give to those who have a desire and show a willingness to give generously to others.

He's going to make that possible.

And you even get a few few benefits, financial benefits along the way that you can enjoy to that's just what God does.

I promise you that's his word.

That's what he does.

I've seen it work. I've seen him keep his promises in my life and he will and yours as well.

Now let me tell you with his usual pattern of growing and giving the usual pattern is you grow slowly and steadily, and increments. To begin with a small step of increased giving you launch out just give a little bit more than you're giving now settle how I can do that but I'm to try and trust God, see what happens. Time passes and an appropriate time you evaluate and say will look there. He did supply*I'm not worse off. I'm actually better off and so I can repeat this I give a little bit more God enabled me to do that. I do know how to do it now. With the passing of time. I see how I did it by his grace and so let's try it again. That's the way it works for most people, and I would encourage you to think along those lines, and I just remind you that our faith promise program is designed to help you grow in the grace of giving. It encourages right priorities. It's things down in the biblical order.

It encourages growth. It encourages yearly evaluation. How did you do over this last year with the commitment you made the year before. Did God keep you going and why don't you try to get give a little bit more and see what God will do this year. It encourages evaluation, encourages more growth ultimately ultimately what faith promise giving uses to bring glory to God. But secondarily, what faith promise giving is is to produce growing maturity and growing godliness in the lives of God's people said I thought it was primarily to supply dollars for the missionary that's their that's not the most important thing. This is to teach us grow in the grace of giving its it teaches us with a worthy object that were all interested in, and we really we agreed is something that we would like to give to, so it makes it very appropriate but it is there to teach us to grow in the grace of giving, which is producing the righteousness within us that God has intends to produce the lives of his children. It makes us fit the description of the righteous man Osama hundred and 12 verse nine that brings honor and glory to God.

We pray father, thank you for loving us.

Thank you for teaching us. Thank you for giving us great and gracious promises. And thank you for fulfilling them in our lives teaches the Lord to trust you. We pray in Christ name a man