September 12, 2025
After this week’s review of Jesus’ remarkable teaching on giving in Luke 12:13-34, how are you feeling? Warned? Admonished? Encouraged? Comforted? Inspired? Convicted? Me, too!
Let’s summarize what we learned about obstacles to giving, reasons Jesus offers that motivate us to overcome, and actions that show we have overcome.
Obstacles to giving:
- Greed (Luke 12:15)
- Selfishness (12:16-21)
- Self-sufficiency (12:16-21)
- Worry (12:22-31)
- Fear (12:32)
Reasons we can overcome these obstacles to giving:
- Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions (12:15)
- We cannot take our possessions with us when we die (12:20)
- Life is more than food and the body more than clothes (12:23)
- Worrying does not add a single hour to your life (12:25)
- God provides us with everything we need when we seek His kingdom (12:29-31)
- God has given us the kingdom (12:32)
- Our possessions that we store up are vulnerable to destruction (12:33)
- Our possessions that we give up are safe from destruction in heaven (12:33-34)
Actions to prove we have overcome these obstacles to giving:
- We are rich towards God instead of storing up treasure for ourselves (12:21)
- We do not worry about food or clothes (12:22)
- We do not set our heart on what we eat or drink (12:29)
- We do not run after things the world runs after (12:30)
- We seek God’s kingdom (12:31)
- We do not let fear control us and our priorities (12:32)
- We give up our possessions and give to the poor (12:33)
- We treasure God’s kingdom and seek it above our own desires (12:34)
We all know that giving is a good thing. Yet giving is complicated for all of us. Let’s allow Jesus’ words to challenge and encourage us. As His body, let’s demonstrate our faith in His promises by imitating God’s lavish and cheerful giving.
We will wrap up this week with even more encouragement about giving from the Bible.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. …
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8, 10-11
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What obstacles to giving are most difficult for you to overcome?
- What reasons can you use to overcome these obstacles?
- What evidence is there in your life that you have or have not overcome these obstacles?
- Take some time to seek God individually and with your church family. Ask each other what holds you back from giving to God and how you can better glorify God through the grace of giving.
Church Reading Plan:
- Today, September 12: 2 Samuel 7; 2 Corinthians 1
- Saturday, September 13: 2 Samuel 8-9; 2 Corinthians 2
- Sunday, September 14: 2 Samuel 10; 2 Corinthians 3