Motivations of the Heart
Gtcotr/ws052726
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life.
How did God help? He gave ! Why did He give? Because He saw the need … What
would motivate you to give? Many
people stop short of realizing how much it cost God to meet our need. They
imagine it was easy. That is not the truth.
Sometimes there is just no other way that a need can be met unless someone gives
what they have to meet that need. In fact, there are three basic biblical motivations
for Christians to give. These three reasons are plainly detailed in the Bible,
both in the Old and New Testaments.
I am going to teach these three reasons in such a way I hope they will be easy
for us to remember. The three Bible reasons Believers are motivated to give are
to:
1. Meet the Need
2. Sow a Seed
3. Follow the Lead
First let’s talk about being motivated
to ‘Meet the Need’.
Again, based on the first principle of salvation, God was so motivated by love
that He looked down upon a world of lost humanity in need of a Savior and
decided to do something about it. God realized that He had in His possession
what it would take to meet man’s need. Sure, it would cost Him and cost Him
greatly … nonetheless God was moved to give out of what He had to meet the
need. And remember:
God did not give His extra Son, but His Only Son!
But the giving didn’t stop there. Truly God gave His Only Son but Mary was also
moved by the leadership of the Holy Spirit to give her Firstborn!
You see, sometimes we could be tempted to think that God, Who sees all needs
and loves all people, will surely do something to meet the needs of those who
cannot help themselves. That is a correct assumption, but it does not go far
enough into the equation. God will certainly meet real needs but, He will do it
through some person who is also willing to give and meet that need. God works
and even loves through others.
That’s what the scripture in 1 John means:
1 John 3:17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and
sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of
God abide in him?
This is exactly what Zacchaeus did in Luke 19:8. He was motivated by love to
give and meet the needs of the poor. Only one chapter prior to this, in Luke
18, we find Jesus taking time to explain to His disciples why a different
wealthy man refused to give anything to meet the needs of others. This man,
Jesus explained, never came to know the true riches God was willing to give to
him because He would not give to others. We cannot bypass people and rightly
imagine we have somehow given to God. God gives to people, through people.
This speaks to one of life’s basic principles in that:
God will seldom continue to give to you what He
cannot give through you.
A second Biblical motivation to give is to ‘Sow
a Seed’.
Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you: good
measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your
bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to
you."
Such was the case of the widow in 1 Kings 17. Also to note is the story of
Isaac who sowed in the land of famine and in that same year received a
hundredfold increase. You can read about his faith in Genesis 26.
Money behaves like
seed. This is one of the laws of God.
As well, remember God loves a cheerful giver and:
2 Corinthians 9:6 He who sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
The third motivation to give is to: ‘Follow the
Lead’.
The Apostle Paul provides several platforms for us to understand that it is
scriptural for church leadership to request offerings for special projects
which require funding from time to time. One of the accounts of such a request
to give is found in 1 Corinthians 16.
The history leading to this moment shows Paul was much occupied with raising
financial relief for the poor and persecuted Believers back in Jerusalem. He
evidently received a commitment from the Corinth Church while he was with them
in person, however, as of his writing his first letter to the Corinthian Church,
they had not been forthcoming with their offerings. Pledges and intentions are
great but there is nothing quite as helpful as someone who actually follows
through.
It seems that the Churches in Macedonia and Galatia had already sent some
relief and so Paul once again encourages the Believers in the Church at Rome
and Corinth to do likewise. This would not be the last time Paul mentions this
offering to the Corinthian congregation.
Now, after setting forth the Church doctrine, which he concluded with the close
of Chapter 15, the Apostle Paul directs his attention to encouraging the Church
to put a plan in place which would assist them in receiving this collection for
the saints. Paul begins:
1 Corinthians 16
1 ¶ Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the
churches of Galatia, so you must do also:
2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing
up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
3 And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear
your gift to Jerusalem.
4 But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.
Pleas from leadership which contain encouragements to give to a particular
project or vision were not uncommon in Paul’s day and even in earlier times.
We see Moses making requests for the Children of Israel to bring their gold and
silver to him so that the tabernacle in the wilderness could be constructed and
furnished for worship. Listen to what Moses said when he needed money to do
what he believed God told him to do.
Exodus 35
4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying,
“This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying:
5 Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart,
let him bring it as an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze…”
What were the results?
Exodus 35
21 Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was
willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering for the work of the tabernacle of
meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.
22 They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought
earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is,
every man who made an offering of gold to the LORD.
This offering was in direct response to Moses’ plea. Those who trusted Moses
and believed he was hearing from God, were motivated to participate. Many
hearts were stirred and everyone who was of a willing spirit followed Moses’
lead and brought the offerings he requested.
The response was so great that:
Exodus 36
6 So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout
the camp, saying, "Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the
offering of the sanctuary." And the people were restrained from bringing,
7 for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed
too much.
So, let me say it once again: The three major motivations to give are:
1. To meet the need
2. To sow a seed
3. To follow the lead
I hope this encourages you to connect your giving to God. I pray it motivates you to be a cheerful and liberal giver to God’s work on the earth.
May He give not only to you but also through you! Ask yourself: What would motivate me to give?
