Bible Reading: Genesis 4 Memory Verse: Genesis 4: 3- 4 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering- fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering. Hello ladies and gentlemen! Good evening? How are you all doing? Today has been a tiring and long day for me. What about you? How was your day? Today, we are continuing with The Genesis Story. Today’s message is Part 11 of this series. How have the messages been so far? I pray that at least one of the messages have spoken to you and that the messages that are coming will also bless you. I have received so many overwhelming messages of encouragement and great testimonies from the daily dose I have posted so far. Thank you very much for your prayers and support, and most importantly for allowing God to speak to you through these messages. Hallelujah! Today we are looking at giving. But not giving to one another- though that is encouraged by God. We are going to look at giving to God wholeheartedly. When we are giving to God, there are so many ways to do it. It can be done through Offertory, giving of First Fruit, giving to the various ministries in the church and lastly, paying your tithe. A lot of people easily think that giving to God means paying your tithe, but that’s not the case. There are so many other things. As you give through all these avenues, the church is using the money to grow. This is then going up to God. When you give to God, He blesses you. Yup! He does. He sees the sacrifice you make to give, so He will replenish it. When it comes to giving the first fruit, a lot of Christians run away from it. They are very skeptical about it. Imagine having to give away your whole month’s salary at the beginning of the year? How would it be like? When people are chilling in January, you have given your salary to God. How would you pay the bills? How would you take care of yourself? It is a difficult thing to do but it is a necessary thing. Giving to God, through the First Fruit or any of the other avenues, is a token to God. God has the person who ensured your job for you? Would it be wrong to give Him a portion of it just to say thank you to Him? I don’t think it’s wrong? Do you? There are so many reasons why giving to God is important. Let’s look at a few. The first is that when you give, God acts on our behalf. In Malachi 3:10, God is telling us to bring all the tithes into the storehouse (which is the church), that there may be food in My house. The verse ends by saying prove me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Wow! This verse is telling us that if we give our tithe, God will open the heavens for us. If you are in any sort of problem or difficult situation, God will remember this sacrifice and fight your battles on your behalf. The second reason is that our giving creates moments of unlimited blessings. When you look at 2 Chronicles 1: 6-7, we see that Solomon offered one thousand burnt offerings to God. In verse 7, we see that God visits Solomon and says, “Ask what I shall give you.” When you give wholeheartedly and bountifully, God gives you moments of unlimited. The more you give the more He blesses you enormously. God blessed Solomon with wisdom due to his giving. After Solomon gave bountifully to God, God visited Him and told him to ask for anything. If Solomon had asked for buildings, God would have given him buildings. Solomon asked for wisdom and that was exactly what God gave him and even more. The most important thing about giving bountifully is the heart with which you give. Solomon gave the thousand burnt offering to praise God, he didn’t not have any other intentions. His heart was pure and directed to God. This is how He would bless you. A lot of Christians do the opposite and do not always get their blessing. Why not change your heart when giving? Observe a change when you do. When we look at Genesis 4, we see Adam and Eve’s children, Cain and Abel, gave some offerings to God. The Bible says that Cain brought fruits from his harvest and Abel brought fat portions of the firstborn of his flock. The Bible used the word “fat.” This was to help give a vivid description of how much Abel sacrificed. He chose the best among his flock “the firstborns” and gave it us a sacrifice to God. This is to show Christians that giving to God is not just giving anything. It is giving the best you have to Him. As we read on, the Bible says that the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering. This is to show you that God is pleased when we give our “best.” He favors you and blesses you accordingly. From this chapter, it is evident that God is saying that if you give Him scantily, he would bless you scantily. The Bible gives no sort of description of Cain’s offering, except that it was fruit. This goes to show the quantity and thought behind it. We see that God did not favor Cain. This is to show Christians that our priorities should be right. Would you not like to serve a God who would bless you more than you can ever imagine? If yes, then I would encourage you to invite Him into your heart by repeating this short prayer. Dear Lord, I come to you today as a sinner. I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus is your Son and He came on to this earth to die for my sins. Dear Lord, let your Son come and fill me. Lord, I ask that He cleanses me off my sins. I am ready to stand for you and profess your Name. Thank you Lord. Amen. If you said this prayer, congratulations! You are now part of God’s family. Heaven is jubilating by your welcome. Hallelujah! You have been given new life. Hallelujah! To do so, I would encourage you to get yourself a Bible- in a version that you understand. Read it constantly. By doing this, you would be able to know and understand God better; as well as grow Spiritually. I will encourage you to find a Bible- believing church to attend, so that you can fellowship with other Christians. To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, please develop a great habit of giving back to God no matter the situation that you are facing. Give God the very best and He would reward you immensely. - Have a wonderful night and let god inspire you. Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. I pray that you protect me and my family this night. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen. This is the end of the eleventh part of the Genesis Story. How did you find it? Please give us feedback on how this message (and previous messages) have spoken to you. Don’t forget to subscribe to get notifications once we post. Always remember to show love to everyone, as this is one of the most important commandments God left for us – “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In every situation, before you take a decision, remember WWJD (What Would Jesus Do). Shalom. PLEASE NOTE: TO SEND ME A MESSAGE KINDLY ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO THE MESSAGE OR SUBSCRIBE SO THAT I MAY BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO YOUR MESSAGES. GOD BLESS. I write these messages every day with inspiration from the Holy Spirit, please remember me in your prayers so that I can continue to diligently serve God. Amen. Shalom.
