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Hello everyone,  I'm dedicating today's post to our favourite steemchurch mices and our lovely friends @sniffnscurry and I will like that we learn from this and apply it to our personal lifes.  

 Giving is an indescribable gift in and of itself. The world cannot understand this as they do not enjoy giving for the most part; they enjoy getting. The Christian’s way is backwards, getting much more joy out of giving than receiving. Jesus Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Thus, in giving we truly receive.

2 Corinthians 9: 6-7 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

  Below are the principles of giving that will help us to grow when we live a life that gives. 

Principle#1: The Lord Jesus expects and requires us to give.

 Jesus said to His disciples, "when you give" not "if you give" ( Matthew 6:2 )! Hence, Christian giving is not optional, but rather essential. We often hear folks say: "in the Old Testament they had to give, but not in the New - now we only give if we want to." This is clearly not Jesus' teaching. He expected all His followers to be givers. Christians will give. Are you giving?

Principle #2: Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

~ 2 Corinthians 9:7

God doesn’t want us to give back to Him begrudgingly, out of a sense of duty, or to draw attention to ourselves. He wants us to give with the same attitude He has when He gives to us— an attitude of love. He also wants us to give because our hearts trust in God’s goodness and provision.

Principle #3: We Should Give As We Have Been Given

Remember, God doesn’t expect us to give what we don’t have. There is no place in Christian giving for competition or comparison to others. Each Christian’s giving is a very personal experience—based on his or her financial ability. From the earliest days, God has made allowances for the financial disparity between His people. In Old Testament days, the better-healed Jews were expected to bring a sacrificial lamb, while poorer followers were permitted to bring less expensive doves and pigeons.

Principle #4: we are to give according to our ability  

We can’t give what we don’t have, and we are not to put our families at risk of not having a home to live in or food to eat. God understands that life costs money. We must meet our debts and expenses so as to keep a good testimony before men. What good does it do to give to a charity and then fail to pay a bill or bounce a check? We do more good for the kingdom by living in balance and following God’s leading over time.

Principle #5: We are to give Purposely

A fifth principle of giving is found in 2 Corinthians 9:7a where Paul says, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind…” One with a made up mind has come to terms with a heart purposed for giving. This entails planning ahead by deliberately thinking through our giving in advance even before the act is carried out. Yet we ought not to forget that there exists an act of freewill giving that was experienced in the old Testament —giving that flows freely and spontaneously from a thankful heart. People gave of their time, talents, and finances, not out of a sense of duty or in anticipation of a promised blessing, but out of a grateful life given by a generous God 

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5 lessons learnt from @sniffnscurry  

this mices gives  generously 

they give liberally 

Not grudgingly 

Not giving out of compulsion 

*they give out of free will 

In giving, motivation is crucial. There are many WRONG MOTIVES FOR GIVING which includes :

(1) Pride. If you give to be honored by men for your great generosity, you are giving for the wrong reason. Giving is to be done in secret before God ( Matt. 6:1-4 ). Naming buildings or putting up plaques in honor of donors violates this principle.

(2) Guilt. We should not give because we feel guilty about having so much. If we’re not being good stewards of what God has entrusted to us, then we should repent and give from the right motivation.

(3) Greed. Luke 6:38 , “Give, and it will be given to you,” is wrongly used to motivate people to give so that they will get. Jesus is not promising that if you give, God will give you more in return. He is stating the principle that if you are a generous person, others will be generous toward you. But you may give and be impoverished because you gave.

(4) Pressure. Responding to high-pressure tactics of Christian fund-raisers is another wrong motive. We are not to give “under compulsion” ( 2 Cor. 9:7 ).

In conclusion, Since our giving is never to be done for human acknowledgement or praise, the only One left to please is God. And, He doesn’t care how many dollars you give compared to anyone else. Paul says it well in 1 Corinthians 16:1,2. 

giving is a blessing, but that in is a Kingdom of God principle for our lives. To have the full blessings and happiness of the Lord we need to live a life of giving. Our God is the greatest giver.

Thanks for your time.

Special thanks to the steemchurch ever lovely friends @sniffnscurry and to the great leader of the steemchurch  @sirknight, my lovely friends and apostle  @dwayne16 @jaff8 @abiye@druids @safeydinho and the likes. Thanks to all parishioners who have been feeding the member of the steemchurch with the blessings and benefits of Christ. God bless you all