Go ahead, the greatest sacrificial giver. He made sacrificial giving a scriptural principle when He gave us His only Son, Jesus Christ, as an expiatory sacrifice to redeem lost humanity. The Sons of God became sons of men so that the sons of men might become sons of God. God gave what He had most precious: His possessions, the best. It was a gift that cost Him dearly, but with this sacrifice, He was able to bring the whole world back to Himself. It was a sacrifice that cost God immensely. It was motivated by love. John 3:16 says;

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“

Jesus also gave in a sacrificial way. He gave Himself to us. He died in our place and gave us abundant and eternal life. His coming to earth cost Him His throne, His crown of glory, and His life. His gift was motivated by sacrificial and selfless love. Though He was rich, Jesus became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9).

The Macedonian Church made sacrifices, and Paul advised the Christians in Corinth to follow their example. Indeed, even though the Macedonians themselves were poor, they gave more than was expected of them. They gave out of generosity and not reluctantly. They begged Paul to take their money and use it to help their fellow Christians (2 Corinthians 8: 1-5).

The basic lessons that God wants you to learn about sacrificial giving and practice regularly are:

(1) It’s not truly a sacrificial gift if it doesn’t cost you something and doesn’t hurt you. (2) Don’t give leftovers and expect God to give you treasures. (3) Anything worth giving is worth giving well. (4) The more you give, the greater you become. (5) Give sacrificially out of love and generosity, not as a reluctant obligation.

Beloved, poverty will become a thing of the past in your life once you replace greed and selfishness towards God with sacrificial giving. Change your attitude towards giving today, and heaven will reserve pleasant surprises for you. Life doesn’t get better by chance; it gets better by change.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Father, I thank you for being my best example of sacrificial giving, in the name of Jesus.
2. Lord Jesus, I thank you for the greatest gift of yourself.
3. Father, teach me to give out of love and generosity, in the name of Jesus.
4. Henceforth, Father, give me the right attitude for giving, in the name of Jesus.
5. Powers hindering me from giving sacrificially, die, in the name of Jesus.
6. As I give sacrificially to the Lord, I command the spirit of poverty assigned against me to die, in the name of Jesus.
7. Heaven over my life, hear the words of the Lord, be opened by fire, in the name of Jesus.

This text is an excerpt from the book “Living on top life of the mountain daily devotion 2024” written by Dr DANIEL OLUKOYA.

We invite you to read the following article “The Sacrificial Gift (3)“.