Now, listen to me carefully. I give to my children because I love them; I give to my grandchildren because I love them; I give to my wife because I love her; I give to my husband because I love him—but don’t talk about giving to GOD!I’m going to tell you something my friend. That man [or woman] better not only do some serious thinking, he’d [she’d] better do some serious praying. You…tell…me…that you love God, and you love the church, and you don’t like to hear a man talk about giving? Now, you just think for a moment. And yet, you say you love God?! How in the world can you love GOD when you say, “I despise hearing someone talking about GIVING to God?! Now, I just don’t like to hear a man talk about giving…not to God. If you want to talk about giving to my grandchildren, that’s fine. If you want to talk about how a husband ought to give to his wife, that’s great. Talk about it all day. Or a wife giving to her husband, that’s fine. But don’t talk about giving to GOD!”

Now, I’m going to tell you, my friend, there’s something seriously wrong here. And yet, this man says that’s the most disbelieved verse in the Bible. I DENY IT!! I say it’s the MOST BELIEVED verse in the Bible!! And when we truly love God, one of the highlights of worshiping God is that joy of giving as God has prospered me.

When I sit down during the week and think how good God has been to me and how God has blessed me and how God has called upon me and said, “I want you to give back to My cause, that the hungry may be fed and the naked may be clothed and that the world may hear the Gospel—I just want you to give as I’ve prospered you,” and then tell me that a man would resent hearing an individual talk about that…. And then to think about, in years gone by we’ve fired men for talking like I’m talking about [giving] now! It’s a sad thing. When we truly love God….

But somebody says, “Brother Black, that’s just your preaching…ha, ha.” Oh? Turn with me to 2 Corinthians, the 8^th chapter, and let us see what Paul said about it—see if Paul taught like this. 2 Corinthians, the 8^th chapter—I want you to read it, because if I quote it, you might not believe it. But surely you will believe if you are reading it. Turn to 2 Corinthians, the 8^th chapter, and verse 8, and remember this, that every…word…in chapter 8 is talking about giving. Every word in chapter 9 is talking about giving. Chapter 8 and chapter 9 of 2 Corinthians both—every word is talking about giving. Notice what Paul said in verse 8: “I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.” Brother, that’s strong preaching, isn’t it? Paul said, “You say you’re sincere in living the Christian life?” He said, “Then prove it!” Prove it how? By giving—that’s what he’s talking about—“Prove the sincerity of your love.” Every verse in that chapter is talking about giving.

And he didn’t stop there. Listen to me again, and I’ll read verse 24 of the same chapter: “Wherefore shew [show] ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love….” You say you love God? Paul said, “Prove it!” What’s he talking about? He’s talking about giving—the whole chapter’s about giving.

So, these are some of the things that motivate us to give. These are some of the things that enter into our heart, and when we give of our means on the Lord’s day.

And now, the next thing we want to know about Luke 6:38—What does giving do for ME?Well, Number 1, giving shows where my priorities are. Every man has top priorities in life. And if I should pass a piece of paper down to each [of you in each] pew and ask you—not to put you name on it—but just state what your top priority is in life, and then fold that piece of paper up and turn it in, what would it [your top priority] be? Would it be your home? Would it be your work? Would it be your social life? Would it be pleasure? Or, would it be the Lord’s work? What would be your top priority? The way I give SHOWS where my priority is, and we’ll talk about it in the next lesson, how God demands the first of our LOVE, the first of our LOYALTY, the first of our WORK and the first of ALL—the FIRST!

So, the way I give shows where my priorities are. And when I get my check and get everything that I want and desire, and if there’s something left over, after I’ve taken care of every thing—every worldly thing that I can think of—if there’s a little left over, I’ll give God some of that. Now let me ask you—you’re intelligent people—do you believe that’s giving God top priority, or [is that] giving yourself top priority? These are things we need to think about seriously.

And then, again, the way I give is a good spiritual barometer of my life. You know, we have barometers to tell us about the weather. If you were to come to me and say, “Brother Black, I would like for you to write my biography.” And if I were to agree to it, you know the first thing I’d want have to really know who you are and what you are and the kind of person you are? I’d say, “I’d like to have your bank book. I want to see those stubs. I want to go through those stubs, because I can learn a great deal where your interest was, what you’re really concerned about, where all your money went. That would help me in knowing what kind of a person that you are.” So, the way I give is a good barometer of my life.

Now, in the conclusion of our lesson, why is it some do not give as God has prospered? We’ve talked about, first, why we should give; and we’ve talked about what giving does for us. Now the question: Why is it, then, that some still don’t give as God has prospered them? Well, I want to give you some reasons.