Sabbath School Lesson for February 24-March 2, 2018
If there’s one word that describes God as well as “loving”, it would be “giving”. Love is meant to be shared, given to others. Therefore God encourages His people to not only return one-tenth (tithe) of their income to support those in ministry, but to also give lovingly and sacrificially above and beyond that amount, as we are blessed, to benefit other aspects of His work.
Giving generously is something Christians should do naturally. It flows from the heart that sees the sacrifice Jesus made in our behalf. Whether the giving comes in the form of money, time, or talent, all are called to reveal God by giving freely to show our gratitude for salvation.
Remember This: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ “ John 3:16 NKJV
We can never out-give God. He has given us His best, His own Son. Our offerings are paltry in comparison to His, but He honors our gifts when they come from a heart of love. As God’s children, we should stand out as giving and generous people. The word “selfish” should never be used to describe a Christian. It just doesn’t reflect the God we serve.
Sunday: “Where Your Treasure Is”
Treasures have a way of dictating how we think and feel. They fiercely or timidly tug at our hearts, and whether good or bad treasures, they have a tendency to control our thoughts and actions.
It’s part of good stewardship to guard the Master’s riches, making sure they are stored in the right places for safekeeping. This is why it is important for us to store up treasures in heaven. There is no safer place for them really. No rust, decay, threat of theft or loss occurs there. But the kind of treasure that heaven accepts differs vastly from those here on this dying planet.
Therefore we must ask ourselves not just where our treasure is, but what it is. Our focus should be on those things that matter to God, not to man or any other worldly interest.
Discussion Questions:
Read Matthew 6:16-21. What kind of fasting would be considered a heavenly treasure? Is our manner of giving important to God, the same as it is for fasting?
Read Matthew 6:19 and Proverbs 23:4, 5. Why is it important not to strive to be rich?
Read Hebrews 10:34 and 2 Timothy 1:16. What kind of benefits come to those who help those in need?
Monday: Stewards of the Grace of God
Often we think of stewardship as consisting mainly of how we manage our material possessions. But God is really looking for people who will be stewards of His grace. The most important blessing of God to us is His grace that sent His Son to die on Calvary for our sins.
When we have received this aspect of His love in our lives, it comes with the ability to extend it to others, enabling them to taste of God’s precious gift, and accept it for their own. How important it is for us to properly manage God’s grace, and not hoard it to ourselves. We must diligently deliver God’s grace in the most productive way possible to reach as many as we can.
Discussion Questions:
Read Ephesians 2:8 and 2 Timothy 1:9. Why is God’s grace considered a gift?
Read 1 Peter 1:12. Why are angels interested in what goes here, and what do you think amazes them most?
Read 1 Peter 4:10 and Romans 12:6-8. What are some ways we can be good stewards of God’s grace?
Tuesday: Our Best Offering
Why, we might ask, is it important to give God our first and our best? If our gifts are a measure of what He’s given to us, then our best will represent our acknowledgment that His gift is the best of all.
Besides His example in giving the best, our gratitude demands that we return only the most perfect, complete offerings that we can afford. This is what Mary did when she anointed Jesus’ feet at Simon’s house one day. Although she initially got criticized for her unorthodox gift, nothing mattered to her except that she give Him the very best she had, and Jesus graciously accepted her humble act of gratitude, as costly and unusual as it was.
Mary’s story reminds us that we shouldn’t give, in order to receive, but we should give because we have received. We are merely giving back a portion of what God has freely given to us.
Discussion Questions:
Read Luke 7:37-47, 8:2 and John 12:1-8. Why was Mary’s gift so meaningful for her Master?
Read Leviticus 22:19-21. Why were even free will offerings required to be of the very best they had available?
Read Numbers 18:29. Why does God consecrate, dedicate, or bless our free will gifts? And does this have something to do with the fact that these gifts must be perfect?
Wednesday: The Motives of the Heart
Probably one of the stories that best illustrates that motives do count in our giving was the one in which a widow gave only two mites. But in Jesus’ eyes, this paltry amount was more than the lavish bestowals of all the others who had contributed that day. See Luke 21:1-4.
Even in this case, we find that it wasn’t the amount of the gift or even the proportion of her livelihood that it represented, but the heart of gratitude and praise that accompanied her donation. This was confirmed when we read in 1 Corinthians 13:3, which says, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor…but have not love, it profits me nothing.” NKJV
Jesus was able to read this poor widow’s heart that day. He understood that to her, this sacrifice was actually an expression of her love and devotion to God. The motive for the giving was more important than the gift itself. It was the best she had, but was also given with the best motive she could possibly have.
Paul was aware of this principle of giving from the heart. He saw how it contributed to the Christian cause. Their sacrificial giving led to more equality among the brethren during the early church period. Everyone had their needs met when this principle was applied. He affirmed that “a willing mind” led to their unselfishness in giving. It actually helped expel their innate selfishness and allowed them to grow more like Jesus. See 2 Corinthians 8:8-15.
Discussion Questions:
Read Luke 21:1-4, Mark 12:41, and Proverbs 21:2. How does this story remind us that we are not to judge others?
Read 1 Corinthians 13:3. How important is the size of a gift, or even the proportion of our income that it came from? How are we to measure the true worth of the widow’s gift then?
Read 2 Corinthians 8:8-15 and 1 Corinthians 7:6. What does Paul mean by saying that he speaks “not by commandment”? How is our sincerity and willingness a more accurate measurement of the gift than the amount itself?
Thursday: The Experience of Giving
Since so much of Jesus’ character was shown by His giving nature and acts of kindness, we find that we are closer to Him, and closer to being like Him, when we also exhibit the same unselfish tendencies.
This doesn’t come naturally, for we are born with a carnal nature that is basically self-seeking and self-serving. Replacing a hard heart of selfishness with one that reflects God’s love only comes with a lifetime of practice. But with earnest efforts at being more giving, we find that with time, it transforms our heart entirely into one that naturally projects God’s love everywhere.
Paul tells us that we reap what we sow (1 Corinthians 9:6). Sowing generosity then brings us more of this important character trait. God loves a cheerful giver (verse 7), even more than a generous giver. Remember the seeming generosity of those temple worshipers, as compared to the widow’s generosity. It was not the amount of the gift that counted, but the cheerful heart of the one who gave it.
Giving brings us closer to God by increasing our trust in Him. We must believe that He will take care of us, even when we feel impressed to give extravagantly to certain causes. God is our Provider and can take care of us, even when the world sees our gifts as costly and unnecessary.
We must be prudent in giving, but most of all we must be willing to give all, if needed. It was unfortunate that the rich, young ruler didn’t understand this aspect of giving and turned away from the invitation to follow Jesus. See Matthew 19:21.
Discussion Questions:
Read 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7 and Deuteronomy 15:7. What does it mean to have a willing heart? How does giving soften our hearts?
Read James 2:10. How do acts of giving , or any kind of good works, increase our faith? What does giving have to do with our faith?
Read Psalm 34:8 and 1 Peter 2:2, 3. What is it that He wants us to taste? And how does giving cause us to trust God more?
Summary
Some of the thoughts worth pondering this week were…
- We are stewards of God’s treasures. We must study to know what those treasures are, and how they differ from earthly treasures. (Sunday)
- God’s grace is our sweetest treasure, and we must learn how it can be shared with others, in order for us to keep it ourselves. This means giving our very best, because that is God’s gift to us. (Monday)
- The widow’s gift reminds us that we should give because we have received, not in order to receive. (Tuesday)
- More than the amount of the gift, or even the sacrifice it caused, is the motive of the person’s heart who gave it. (Wednesday)
- Even when we aren’t asked to give all our worldly possessions, we must be willing to do so. (Thursday)
Final Words
One of our most important duties as a Christian is not only to love others, but to develop a giving nature, which encourages this love.
The word “cheerful”, which is used to describe a giver that God loves (2 Corinthians 9:7), is a Greek word from which we get the word “hilarious”. This particular Greek word is used only once in the New Testament. It signifies the happy, joyful nature one must have in order to please God with our gifts.
Fostering unselfishness can help us cope with feelings of depression, guilt, and many other kinds of negative thinking that plague us. If done properly, benevolence (or giving) can truly make us the cheerful Christians that God desires His people to be.
What has your gratitude done for you this week?
Next Week’s Lesson: The Role of Stewardship
To read the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly or see more resources for its study, go to https://www.absg.adventist.org/
All Outlook blogposts by Teresa Thompson, are at http://outlookmag.org/author/teresathompson/
