Daily in the Word

by Dr. Paul Chappell

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness."

Romans 12:1-8

There's not a more rewarding way to spend your life than following God's will and being part of His plan.

Statistics of charitable giving in America show surprising trends. According to the results, giving is not tied to a person's amount of income, as most people had suspected. Mississippi, the union's 49th poorest state, ranked second in giving per household ($4,070). On the other hand, Massachusetts, fourth in per capita income, ranked as the union's 49th most charitable state, giving just $2,645 per family last year.

The mindset toward giving in our country is not what it should be. We should all be willing to give of our bounty to help others. Not only is this a good practice socially, but God has commanded it. God's desire is for Christians to give to His work through His local church. When approaching giving, keep in mind the following two commands God's given.

We must first give ourselves. More than God wants your finances, He wants your life. As He says in Romans 12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

God owns all the riches in the world. If He wants to accomplish something, He can do so without you. But He wants you to surrender your life and be part of the work He's doing in the lives of others. There's not a more rewarding way to spend your life than following God's will and being part of His plan.

We must learn the joys of giving. If you're like me, you enjoy opening presents on Christmas morning not to see what you got, but to see the reaction of those who open what you got them. Giving to others usually brings more happiness than getting from others.

The same is true when giving to God's work. The joy of seeing a soul saved and knowing you had a part through giving is a joy that cannot be matched. God describes the joys of giving in Proverbs 11:24-25, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." Those that give will receive more than they ever had.

God has given us a plan for how to be a part of the joys of His work and it includes giving to Him through our local church. But before you give financially, make sure you've given yourself to God. He wants to use you, but He's waiting for you to willfully give yourself to Him.

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Psalms 51-53 | Romans 2