New Believers: 7 Steps for New ChristiansShembull

Day 6: Give to God

Money is such an important topic in the Bible.  It is the main subject of nearly half of  the parables that Jesus told.  Also, one out of every seven verses in the New Testament deals with the topic of money. To give you an idea of how this compares with other topics, Scripture offers about 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 on faith, and more than 2000 verses on money! 

You may be wondering what money has to do with your faith. The answer is - a lot! Now that Jesus Christ has come into your life, He wants to be Lord (to be in command) of every aspect of it...that includes your finances. Martin Luther astutely observed, “There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the conversion of the mind, and the conversion of the purse [or the wallet].” When we experience this “conversion of the purse” and give freely of our finances to the Lord’s work (to our church, a missionary, or a ministry), we will make the best investment possible—an investment with eternal dividends. With that in mind, here are some questions to consider about wealth and giving. 

• Do you love money? (see Proverbs 10:22)

• Why should you give to God? (see Malachi 3:8-11)

• How should you view material wealth? (see Matthew 6:19-34)

• How much should you give? (see Mark 12:41-44)

• How generous do you need to be? (see 2 Corinthians 8:1-15)

• What are the benefits of giving? (see 2 Corinthians 9:6-14)

• Can you enjoy wealth? (see 1 Timothy 6:6-19)