“Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”<\/p>1Corinthians 16:2 KJV<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The command is to set something aside every week for God as we have prospered. I like the King James Version of this passage because it shows that GOD has made us prosper. Growing up, my parents taught me to set something aside every time we received money. We didn\u2019t have a job, but God had still blessed us with that money, so we always set something aside to give back to Him. I believe that if we are told to give, \u201cAs God hath prospered him\u201d, then we should lay a portion of our money aside for Him every time He blesses us with it. Not only does God expect us to give back when He blesses us financially, but He also expects us to give of our time in service to Him.\u00a0How often have we used the excuse, \u201cI just don\u2019t have time!\u201d\u00a0 When we look at things honestly though, how much of our time are we spending doing things like watching TV, or scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest?\u00a0What if we all challenge ourselves to do something for God before spending time on these things?\u00a0God must be prioritized in our time if we are truly trying to seek Him first (Matthew 6:33).\u00a0One final area of our lives where we must look for opportunities to give back to God is in using our talents to serve Him.\u00a0We all have talents, though we often doubt our abilities.\u00a0However, we must remember who gave us those abilities and use them in His service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Give From Your Heart<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”<\/p>2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Remember the Grinch from Dr. Seuss\u2019 How the Grinch Stole Christmas<\/em>?\u00a0The book begins by letting us know that the Grinch hated Christmas and everything about it.\u00a0He believed that by taking all the \u201cthings\u201d away from the Who\u2019s that he would take away the joy they felt during that season of giving.\u00a0What he learned was that the joy had nothing to do with the things themselves, but came from within.\u00a0Once he learned that truth, it is said that the Grinch\u2019s heart grew 3 sizes!\u00a0What about our hearts? Do we have hearts that find joy in giving or is there room for our hearts to grow?\u00a02 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that \u201cGod loves a cheerful giver.\u201d\u00a0We are not to give reluctantly or just because we have to, but we are to find joy in giving to God in all the ways mentioned above.\u00a0Start with simple, easy ways to give, ways that seem fun to you. Then, grow those acts of giving into something bigger! If you enjoy what you\u2019re doing, then it will help you give in a way pleasing to God.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This holiday season\u2026and beyond\u2026take the opportunities you have to give to others. It can be your time, presents, a meal, or even a simple hug. Remember how good it makes you feel and share that with others. Most importantly, we must remember to give to God. Give Him your time, your service, give Him your whole being. In doing that, we will all find the joy in life that comes with the true gift of giving!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by Halle Coble and Mindy Coble<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Think for just a moment about a time that you gave someone a gift whether it be for a birthday, Christmas, a \u201cGet Well\u201d gift, or a \u201cJust Because\u201d gift.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"WB4WB4WP_MODE":"","WB4WP_PAGE_SCRIPTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_STYLES":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FONTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_HEADER":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FOOTER":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-giving"],"yoast_head":"\n