Text: Luke 8:1-3
Memory verse:
”And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.“ ‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I once read the story about the response of a little girl as the offering basket was passed in a church service. She took the basket, put it on the ground, and stood inside it. When the usher asked what she was doing, she innocently responded, “In Sunday school, I learned that I was supposed to give myself to God.”
Funny? Yes, but she has been taught the basic principle of giving. This is what the Macedonians did, according to our memory text and the women in our main text.
We lie when we say we have given ourselves to the Lord, but our possessions are not given to Him. It is logical that he who owns a slave should control his possessions.
When you realize that your life is not your own, you will not think that your possessions are yours. Surrendering part becomes easy when we’ve already surrendered the whole.
You have to experience the grace of God through Jesus Christ before you can give acceptably and generously. The Macedonians gave, having first experienced this grace and then provoked by Christ’s example of sacrificial giving (2 Cor 8:9; 1 Pet 2:21). Unbelievers have not experienced this grace and can’t participate in grace giving!
Reversing the steps by giving one’s possessions first to the Lord will cause harm rather than good. This is because we will be tempted to think that the giving of our possession is enough and that this will somehow make God pleased with us. This is a deadly religious trap! No gift can satisfy God’s righteous demands except the humble surrender of our lives. In fact, external giving will build religious pride (Matt 23:23).
Sometimes, the idea of tithing can make one misunderstand the stewardship of God’s financial resources. You may think that, as long as you have given God’s 10% share, you can spend the remaining 90% as you want to. No, if you have truly given yourself to God, then He owns 100% of what you have, and you are His steward. As a steward, your Master will call you someday to give account of what you did with His resources (Rom 14:12; Matt 18:23).
Friends, it was easy for the Macedonians to follow the instructions of the apostles, having given themselves first to the Lord. A man who hasn’t surrendered to the Lord can’t submit to a man. The extent of your submission to your spiritual leaders is an indication of your surrender to the Lord.

Prayer points
1. Father, please help me to be faithful as a steward of Your financial resources, in Jesus’ name.
2. Father, I surrender the totality of my life to You, and I refuse to hold back anything from You, in Jesus’ name.

Today’s declarations
1. Since I gave my life to the Lord, my possessions become His, and He uses them as He wills.
2. I submit to my spiritual leaders because I first surrendered to God.

Contact: pastor@thf.org.ng