Foundations | Essential Practicing for a Growing Christian Life | Session 3
Listen to the full message here.
Everything we have has been entrusted to us by God.
Our time. Our abilities. Our opportunities. Our possessions. Even the money in our bank accounts.
In Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus tells the parable of the talents, reminding us that what we possess is not ultimately our own. We are stewards of what God has placed in our hands, and one day we will give an account for how we used it.
That is the heart of Christian stewardship.
Stewardship touches every area of life, including our finances. The question is not simply, How much should I give? A better question is, What does the way I handle money reveal about my relationship with God?
The Principle of Kingdom Giving
Proverbs 3:9–10 says:
“Honor the LORD with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”
These verses show us that Kingdom giving is about much more than money. It is an act of worship, trust, and participation in what God is doing.
Kingdom Giving Prioritizes Jesus
“Honor the LORD with your possessions.”
The word translated honor carries the idea of giving something weight or value. In other words, what we honor is what we treat as important.
That makes giving a spiritual issue before it is ever a financial one.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Look at where your time, energy, and money go, and you will learn something about what matters most to you.
Kingdom giving intentionally says, Jesus and His priorities come first.
We can say that Christ is our highest priority, but our financial decisions provide tangible evidence of what we truly value.
Kingdom Giving Presumes on Jesus
Proverbs tells us to honor God with the first produce of the harvest.
For an agricultural society, this required real faith. The firstfruits came at the beginning of the harvest. A farmer could give God the first and best portion, but there was no guarantee yet of what the rest of the harvest would produce.
Giving the firstfruits was therefore an act of trust.
The same principle applies to us. Kingdom giving isn’t about seeing what is left at the end and deciding whether we can spare some of it. We give first because we trust God with what remains.
Jesus tells us not to be consumed with worry about what we will eat, drink, or wear. Instead:
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” — Matthew 6:33
Giving puts action behind our declaration of faith. It says, “God, I trust You more than I trust my money.”
Kingdom Giving Promotes Jesus
In the Old Testament, firstfruits were also part of God’s provision for the Levites and priests who carried out the work of worship and ministry.
That reminds us of another important truth: Kingdom giving accomplishes Kingdom work.
Today, faithful giving provides for ministers and ministries. It helps meet needs. It supports missions. It creates opportunities for the gospel to be proclaimed.
At First Baptist Lafayette, our mission is to glorify God by reaching Acadiana for Christ. Ministry requires resources, and when God’s people give faithfully, they become participants in that mission.
Our giving helps make ministry possible here in Acadiana and allows the gospel to be carried far beyond us.
Giving isn’t simply funding an organization. It is investing what God has entrusted to us in work with eternal significance.
Kingdom Giving Prompts Jesus
Proverbs 3:10 follows the command to give with a promise:
“Then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”
This is not a promise that giving will make us wealthy. Scripture does not teach that generosity is a transaction in which we give God money so He will make us financially rich.
Instead, we can trust that God knows our needs and faithfully cares for His people.
And His blessings extend well beyond a bank account.
Giving protects us from greed and pride. It loosens money’s grip on our hearts. It increases our dependence upon God. It redirects our passions toward Christ and His Kingdom.
And through it all, we learn that God can be trusted.
We sometimes ask, “How can I afford to give?”
Kingdom stewardship turns the question around:
How can I afford not to?
The Practice of Kingdom Giving
The Bible not only teaches why we give; it gives us practical principles for how we should give.
Paul writes:
“On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he is prospering.” — 1 Corinthians 16:2
And in 2 Corinthians 9:7:
“Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.”
From these passages, we see four characteristics of biblical giving.
Kingdom Giving Should Be Personal
Paul says “each person” should give.
Giving is a personal act of obedience. It isn’t something we do because someone pressured us into it or because we are trying to satisfy a religious rule.
Each believer must prayerfully decide before God how he or she will give.
And that giving should be willing.
The word translated cheerful in 2 Corinthians 9:7 carries the idea of gladness. God isn’t interested merely in extracting something from us. He wants generosity to flow from hearts that genuinely desire to participate in His work.
Kingdom Giving Should Be Planned
“Each person should do as he has decided in his heart.”
Biblical giving is intentional.
Rather than waiting for an emotional moment or giving only when we happen to have something left, we decide ahead of time that generosity will be part of how we manage what God has entrusted to us.
Kingdom giving should be a clear-headed decision flowing from a heart that loves God.
It belongs in our plans and our budgets because God’s Kingdom belongs among our priorities.
Kingdom Giving Should Be Proportional
Paul also says our giving should be “in keeping with how he is prospering.”
God does not entrust the same resources to everyone. Biblical generosity recognizes that reality.
The question isn’t how our giving compares with someone else’s. The question is what faithful stewardship looks like with what God has entrusted to us.
As God provides, we prayerfully consider how we can use that provision for His purposes.
Kingdom Giving Should Be Practical
Throughout the New Testament, the generosity of believers accomplished real things.
It provided for people in need (Acts 2:44–45; Acts 4:32–35). It cared for widows and others in distress (James 1:27). It supported those who devoted themselves to preaching and teaching the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:13–14; 1 Timothy 5:17–18). And it helped send missionaries to carry the gospel to new places (Acts 13:1–3; Philippians 4:18).
Kingdom giving still does those things today.
It supports ministry.
It cares for people.
It sends missionaries.
It reaches communities.
It proclaims the gospel.
And every believer has the opportunity to be part of it.
What Does Your Treasure Say?
Christian stewardship ultimately brings us back to one of Jesus’ simplest statements:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” — Matthew 6:21
Our finances can easily become something we hold tightly because money gives us a sense of security and control.
Kingdom giving teaches us to loosen our grip.
We recognize that everything we have came from God in the first place. We give Him our first and our best. We trust Him with what remains. And we use what He has entrusted to us to participate in what He is doing.
Take an honest look at your own financial stewardship.
Does your giving reflect the priority of Jesus in your life?
Are you giving God your firstfruits—or your leftovers?
Is your giving personal, planned, proportional, and practical?
We have the opportunity to honor the Lord and participate in work that matters for eternity.
The question isn’t simply what we are willing to give.
The deeper question is:
Do we trust Jesus enough to put His Kingdom first?
