Scripture
“Has anyone ever given anything to God, so that God has to pay him back?”
~Romans 11:35 (Job 41:11)
Quote
No one ever received anything from God on the grounds of merit. God gives because God is good. He is the source of everything.
~Aiden Wilson Tozer
Every thing is grace. There is universal grace, God makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust, [Matt. 5:45] and there is saving grace, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works so that no one may boast.” God is good to all because this is His nature. As Paul states in Romans 11, Everyone is guilty before God, all have sinned and therefore no one is deserving of God’s goodness, neither Jew nor Gentile.
In Romans 11:36 Paul states: “All things come from HIM {God}.” Every good gift is from above, they come down from our immutable God. We cannot give God anything that He has no first given to us. Our money, talent, time; all these are gifts He has given to us. Technically, we cannot give God anything because He has no needs. God is complete. He is not lacking in any area. He is totally self-sufficient. So when we give to God, we are not trying to repay a debt and we are not trying to put Him in our debt {impossible}; we are simply expressing gratitude and love. God’s will in our giving is that we give to Him by giving to others. This does not eliminate the tithe. The purpose of the Church is to help others come to know Christ and His particular or saving grace. I started giving as a young person because I realized that giving was my responsibility but now I see it more as a privilege.
By the way, don’t confuse universal grace with saving grace. The fact that God is good to you doesn’t mean you are going to heaven, He is good to everyone. You need a personal relationship with Jesus to go to heaven. God’s will is to clean you up before you enter the next world and He chooses not to do this against your will. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us. It’s the only thing that will cleanse us.
Everyone keeps asking me the same question: HOW DO YOU LIKE RETIREMENT? I tell them, “I don’t know, I have been too busy to think about it. I may have to go back to work to get some rest.” I have things around the house that I want to do but there has been no time. I am not complaining; there is more joy in helping others than in doing what I want to do. I want to thank those who prayed for me yesterday including Dr. Redfern and I covet your prayer for today. Do not forget to pray for Joe David each day. He is our spiritual leader and we need to lift him up daily.