GENEROSITY

Giving to God is an important value to the Christian faith. We should seek to honor God by giving to Him. Giving is a form of worship, a way to put our trust in God, showing him His is far more valuable than money, or anything else!

1. God made everything, so everything is God’s.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” (Genesis 1:1) Everything in this world, from nature, to our bodies, to emotions, to our souls, have been created by God. God created and gave us our lives, so we should want to thank God in return and give back to Him.

Colossians 1:16, Psalms 121:2, and so many other scriptures speak of the goodness of God giving to us. But it’s not just stuff God gave, He gave His one and only son (John 3:16). God loves us so much that He gave away His son to die, so that we could have a relationship with God. In praise and worship, we should give back to God!

2) We want to think about God first.

God is constantly thinking of His people! The entire Bible is a story of God’s pursuit of mankind, so that they will pursue Him. God will bless us with what we need. 

Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “ Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” When we receive money, whether through being paid for a job, chores, birthday or Christmas money, we should first think of God and give to Him! God deserves our very best, not our last. Giving to God first shows Him we believe He is more important than anything else our money can do.

Malachi 3:10 claims, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” How wonderful is this! God is asking us to test him with our giving! When we give to God, He will provide for us, bless us, and meet our needs!

3) We give to God because we love God.

Finally, we should want to give to God because we love God! God has done, and will do, so much for us. He created us, He gave His son to die for us, He has a beautiful reward for those who trust in Him! Our giving represents our love for God.

LESSON FOR TITHING

Give your kid(s) ten pieces of candy (or ten $1 bills, or anything that is enticing!) Talk to your kids about how God asks us to give to Him 10%, or, one tenth of our money. This may sound like a lot, but it actually isn’t! Remember, we should give to God first, so, when we receive money, we should quickly want to give 10% to God. Take away one of the candies, or what you have given them. See! We still have so much left. Tithing is giving 10%, where generosity is giving extra!

LESSON FOR GENEROSITY

To help illustrate the idea of giving to God, grab some paper money (the more the merrier) and clench your fist tightly around it. Ask your kid(s) if you can give to someone in need, give to family, or give to God with your hand closed? Nope! What this means is that you believe getting, or receiving, is more important than giving. In order to give to God, to worship Him and praise him, we must do what? Open our hand! When we open our hand and give, we will be able to help others, give to God, and then receive blessings from God! In order to receive, your hands must be open. So, let’s always have the mindset to give to God, give Him our best and first, and show Him we love Him!