Commissioned Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Q1. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5) Why is it so difficult to give when we are stressed by circumstances and bills and pressures? We fail to trust that God will provide for our needs. What can we learn from the example of the Macedonians and the poor widow? The Macedonians and the poor widow teaches us that in severe trials we are still to be generous to the work of the Kingdom. Their abundance in giving brings joy. They got caugt up in the joy of giving. How will this lesson affect your own giving? This lesson influences me to be generous in my giving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wifee Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 1a)When stressed &under pressure our focus is drawn away from the many blessings we have, as we naturally look at what we see, not the unseen,devil says is there not something to worry about?The more you have the harder it is to let go of possesions.Mark 10:25 B)M trusted God.They turned their focus to a joy of giving, not just within their means, but abundant giving. They know who the source of the true provider is.The widow gave all she had, giving out of her poverty.Luke 6:28 They didn’t want to miss out on the joy of being a blessing to others.Matthew 5:7 you are blessed when you show mercy/care. C)I’m prompted to not hold back,but give more generously,to help others more&&know blessing too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Q1. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5) Why is it so difficult to give when we are stressed by circumstances and bills and pressures? What can we learn from the example of the Macedonians and the poor widow? How will this lesson affect your own giving? It is hard to give when we are stressed by circumstances and bills because they have to be paid. People within the household must be taken care of. However, love for God and Kingdom work finds a way within the financially strapped to give to God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Q1. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5) Why is it so difficult to give when we are stressed by circumstances and bills and pressures? What can we learn from the example of the Macedonians and the poor widow? How will this lesson affect your own giving? It is hard to give when we are stressed by circumstances and bills because they have to be paid. People within the household must be taken care of. However, love for God and Kingdom work finds a way within the financially strapped to give to God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royk Posted January 27, 2014 Report Share Posted January 27, 2014 Q1. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5) Why is it so difficult to give when we are stressed by circumstances and bills and pressures? What can we learn from the example of the Macedonians and the poor widow? How will this lesson affect your own giving? First we seek the Lord and the peace He give us by surrendering to Him. This changes our life perspective about where to put our time and money. It is like being afraid and frozen in our actions as opposed to being in love with life and becoming fully integrated into being alive for Christ. What is poverty, but another form of fear, and another way of making God little and living in the shadow of darkness? in John 15 Jesus said "remain in me.... and your joy will overflow" Let's take a few slow deep breaths, thank God for life and do the next right thing today, to His Glory! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinstonY Posted October 2, 2014 Report Share Posted October 2, 2014 It is difficult to give when you are pressed by bills because we haven't the money to pay the bills let alone giving a tithe. Often our faith is weak and we do not believe God will provide. We learn that God will provide. I will probably increase my giving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouse2014 Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Q1. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5) Why is it so difficult to give when we are stressed by circumstances and bills and pressures? What can we learn from the example of the Macedonians and the poor widow? How will this lesson affect your own giving? In times of today it is very difficult to give when we are to give our tithes and support for the church and missions. Prices for food, fuel and utilities continue to rise rapidly. Raising children, supporting a family is very difficult, usually taking both spouses to keep a family afloat. Their are a growing number of charities that help people in areas of natural devastation and poor countries, these also want part of our charitable contributions. The Macedonian churches were a very poor and persecuted group in society. But, they found it in their hearts to give all they could to support the church in Jerusalem. Just as the poor widow in scripture gave two pennies, which was all she had to survive on, found it in her heart to give to the Lord. This lesson of giving should effect our own giving to the Lord and the poor in our churches. The giving by the Macedonians and the poor widow teaches us that with a pure heart we should give beyond our abilities, "for the Lord loves a cheerful giver". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krissi Posted September 18, 2023 Report Share Posted September 18, 2023 It's difficult to give because we don't trust God to take care of our needs. If we trusted God to function like social security -- a check a month -- then we'd be more likely to give away what we don't need, or better yet, give out of our need. Yet the truth is that most of us trust the government to be more faithful in it's provision than God. This mindset is hard to break. One way to break it is to give away whatever you get from the government -- if you are older and on a fixed income, for example -- rather than spend it. Then, rely on God to provide your necessities. Before "social nets" we depended on one another. Churches gave to their members who had need. Families rallied to support those who didn't have enough and even neighbors pitched in to help those who lived nearby. This was the norm, not the exception. It created a security in the church, not the state, for most people then were at least superficially Christian. So, in the past, if you were in need, your first act would be to pray. If you had great faith, you would not advertise your need but ask only God to provide; most Christians, however, let others know of their hunger or their need to raise a barn or care for an ill person. This created an atmosphere in which Christians had a sense of responsibility toward others. Even poor widows would give her two cents to help others! Increasingly, I think the solution to Christian need and giving includes NOT taking anything from the government so that we depend, again, on each other. Today, the Amish, among other Christian groups, practice this way of giving and taking. It's very honorable and, in my opinion, utterly aligned with the biblical view on giving. But it takes faith to take this step, to opt out of the government's programs and trust the church and family to meet our needs. Furthermore, the government makes it almost impossible to opt out of their programs. But it can be done ... and should be done, if we take our responsibility seriously to give to each other and meet each other's needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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