CHAPTER ONE
EMBRACING OUR GIVING GOD
From Genesis to Revelation, God clearly reveals that He always provides for His people
and that financial blessing is His will. The prosperity He has planned for you to enjoy is
abundant provision, both materially and spiritually, enabling you to fulfill your divine destiny.
God doesn't want you to view Him as stern and uncaring. He wants you to embrace Him as a
loving and giving Heavenly Father who wants to bless His children in every way--including
financially. From the time Israel became a nation, God expressed His desire to bless His people.
He declared:
Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them,
that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware
unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also
bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine
oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto
thy fathers to give thee. (Deuteronomy 7:12-13)
Does this sound like a God who wants His people to live in poverty? No! It is God’s plan
for you to have sufficiency in every area of your life, and that includes your finances.
Sufficiency doesn't necessary mean wealth--although God blesses some people in this way. But
it does mean that your personal and ministry needs will be met.
Note that in this passage God declares, "...if you hearken to these judgments". To what
judgments is God referring? He is talking about the principles revealed in His Word, and this
includes His plan for divine provision--not a scheme for selfish extravagance, but a plan for
supernatural provision of your needs.
HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE GOD?
How you perceive God has a tremendous impact on your finances. It will affect how you
view material blessings, how you give to God and others, and how you perceive the rich and the
poor. As you begin this study on divine provision, you must decide the answer to this question:
How do you perceive God in terms of His generosity?
The Bible reveals that God is an extravagant giver. Everything we know about Him
reflects a lavish, divine generosity. Examples of His giving surround us in creation, redemption,
and in the gifts of our family and friends, our personal abilities, and our world.
Jesus said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
(Matthew 7:11). Jesus reminded people that God was their Father and--like all fathers--He loves
to bless His children with gifts. Then Jesus pointed out that, unlike human fathers, God will not
5
,promise and then fail to deliver. God’s generosity to His children is far greater than that of your
natural parents or even yourself as a parent.
The Bible describes God in two major areas which illustrate His amazing generosity. It
identifies Him as Creator and as Redeemer. God is the One Who gives both material life and
spiritual life.
These titles reveal the essence of God, and throughout the Bible He is worshiped in both
of these roles. In Revelation 4:11, the elders sang, "Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory
and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created." In Revelation 5:9, they sang: . . ."Thou are worthy to take the book, and to open the
seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nations ..."
The Bible repeatedly celebrates God’s twin gifts of creation and redemption--His
material and spiritual giving:
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and
hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before
all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who
is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the
preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having
made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself
by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (1 Corinthians 1:12-
20)
Verse 16 praises God because "...by him all things were created" and verse 20 for ..."
having made peace through the blood of his cross." These are His twin gifts of creation and
redemption.
THE GIFT OF CREATION
The biblical record starts with a description of God’s gift of creation. Genesis 1:1 opens
with timeless words that introduce us to our God: "In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth." Christians may disagree over details about creation, but the basic truth is plain: God
existed before the world and everything came forth from nothing at His command.
Genesis 1:29 records God’s first words to humanity were, "...Behold I have given you..."
These words reveal God’s nature at the outset of His relationship with mankind. He is a giver,
and creation is one of His greatest gifts to us. God blessed Adam and Eve with all that was
needed in order for them to prosper:
6
, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face
of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it
shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to
every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green
herb for meat: and it was so. (Genesis 1:27-30)
The story of Noah’s ark highlights the diversity of the Creator’s giving. A massive ocean
liner, so to speak, was needed to preserve a sample of all the known species. Whenever God
gives and whatever He gives, there is endless variety. Why are there so many species of birds
and insects? Why is every snowflake and fingerprint unique? Why are there so many differences
in the appearances of individuals? It is because God is such an extravagant giver!
Psalms Chapter 104 provides a guided tour of God’s gift of creation
Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with
honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest
out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who
maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his
angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it
should not be removed for ever. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the
waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder
they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the
place which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass
over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. He sendeth the springs into the valleys,
which run among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses
quench their thirst. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which
sing among the branches. He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied
with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the
service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad
the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's
heart. The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath
planted; Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies. He appointed
the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is
night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after their
prey, and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together,
and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until
the evening. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the
earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping
innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan,
whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give
7
, them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine
hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away
their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are
created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of the Lord shall endure for
ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works. (Psalm 104:1-33)
When people think about God as Creator, they often assume that His creative work ended
in Eden, but God’s extravagant giving through creation still continues. Psalm104 moves between
what God did at creation and what He still does for creation. Verses 27-29 show that the ongoing
existence of all creation depends on the Creator’s extravagant, continuous giving. Verse 30
makes it clear that God’s creative giving is ongoing: "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are
created ..."
Right up to the end of time as we know it, God will continue to create--including the
great creative act spoken of in Revelation 21:5 where God declares "... Behold, I make all things
new ..."
THE GIFT OF REDEMPTION
Old Testament sacrifices and offerings were vital in the lives of the Israelites. God used
them for generations to prepare His people for the day when Christ would offer His life as the
only sacrifice sufficient to cleanse mankind's sin. These sacrifices and offerings were necessary
because without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. The Old Testament system
was as a reminder of their need for a Savior who would someday die once and for all for the sins
of all mankind.
Centuries later, God sent Jesus to the world as His greatest gift to mankind. He gave His
only Son willingly as a sacrificial offering for our sins:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
God sent Jesus to earth in the form of human flesh, to take our sins upon Himself, to shed
His blood, and to restore us to full fellowship with Him. Jesus shed His blood willingly. No one
took His life from Him, but He laid it down of His own free will:
Hence, when He (Christ) entered into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offerings You
have not desired, but instead You have made ready a body for Me (to offer); In burnt
offerings and sin offerings You have taken no delight. Then I said, Lo, here I am, come to
do Your will, o God; (to fulfill) what is written of Me in the volume of the Book. (Hebrews
10:5-7, TAB)
Because of this one perfect sacrifice, man was forever set free from sin.
8
EMBRACING OUR GIVING GOD
From Genesis to Revelation, God clearly reveals that He always provides for His people
and that financial blessing is His will. The prosperity He has planned for you to enjoy is
abundant provision, both materially and spiritually, enabling you to fulfill your divine destiny.
God doesn't want you to view Him as stern and uncaring. He wants you to embrace Him as a
loving and giving Heavenly Father who wants to bless His children in every way--including
financially. From the time Israel became a nation, God expressed His desire to bless His people.
He declared:
Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them,
that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware
unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also
bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine
oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto
thy fathers to give thee. (Deuteronomy 7:12-13)
Does this sound like a God who wants His people to live in poverty? No! It is God’s plan
for you to have sufficiency in every area of your life, and that includes your finances.
Sufficiency doesn't necessary mean wealth--although God blesses some people in this way. But
it does mean that your personal and ministry needs will be met.
Note that in this passage God declares, "...if you hearken to these judgments". To what
judgments is God referring? He is talking about the principles revealed in His Word, and this
includes His plan for divine provision--not a scheme for selfish extravagance, but a plan for
supernatural provision of your needs.
HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE GOD?
How you perceive God has a tremendous impact on your finances. It will affect how you
view material blessings, how you give to God and others, and how you perceive the rich and the
poor. As you begin this study on divine provision, you must decide the answer to this question:
How do you perceive God in terms of His generosity?
The Bible reveals that God is an extravagant giver. Everything we know about Him
reflects a lavish, divine generosity. Examples of His giving surround us in creation, redemption,
and in the gifts of our family and friends, our personal abilities, and our world.
Jesus said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
(Matthew 7:11). Jesus reminded people that God was their Father and--like all fathers--He loves
to bless His children with gifts. Then Jesus pointed out that, unlike human fathers, God will not
5
,promise and then fail to deliver. God’s generosity to His children is far greater than that of your
natural parents or even yourself as a parent.
The Bible describes God in two major areas which illustrate His amazing generosity. It
identifies Him as Creator and as Redeemer. God is the One Who gives both material life and
spiritual life.
These titles reveal the essence of God, and throughout the Bible He is worshiped in both
of these roles. In Revelation 4:11, the elders sang, "Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory
and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created." In Revelation 5:9, they sang: . . ."Thou are worthy to take the book, and to open the
seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nations ..."
The Bible repeatedly celebrates God’s twin gifts of creation and redemption--His
material and spiritual giving:
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and
hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before
all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who
is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the
preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having
made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself
by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (1 Corinthians 1:12-
20)
Verse 16 praises God because "...by him all things were created" and verse 20 for ..."
having made peace through the blood of his cross." These are His twin gifts of creation and
redemption.
THE GIFT OF CREATION
The biblical record starts with a description of God’s gift of creation. Genesis 1:1 opens
with timeless words that introduce us to our God: "In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth." Christians may disagree over details about creation, but the basic truth is plain: God
existed before the world and everything came forth from nothing at His command.
Genesis 1:29 records God’s first words to humanity were, "...Behold I have given you..."
These words reveal God’s nature at the outset of His relationship with mankind. He is a giver,
and creation is one of His greatest gifts to us. God blessed Adam and Eve with all that was
needed in order for them to prosper:
6
, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face
of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it
shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to
every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green
herb for meat: and it was so. (Genesis 1:27-30)
The story of Noah’s ark highlights the diversity of the Creator’s giving. A massive ocean
liner, so to speak, was needed to preserve a sample of all the known species. Whenever God
gives and whatever He gives, there is endless variety. Why are there so many species of birds
and insects? Why is every snowflake and fingerprint unique? Why are there so many differences
in the appearances of individuals? It is because God is such an extravagant giver!
Psalms Chapter 104 provides a guided tour of God’s gift of creation
Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with
honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest
out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who
maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his
angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it
should not be removed for ever. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the
waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder
they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the
place which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass
over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. He sendeth the springs into the valleys,
which run among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses
quench their thirst. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which
sing among the branches. He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied
with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the
service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad
the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's
heart. The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath
planted; Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies. He appointed
the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is
night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after their
prey, and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together,
and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until
the evening. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the
earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping
innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan,
whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give
7
, them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine
hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away
their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are
created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of the Lord shall endure for
ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works. (Psalm 104:1-33)
When people think about God as Creator, they often assume that His creative work ended
in Eden, but God’s extravagant giving through creation still continues. Psalm104 moves between
what God did at creation and what He still does for creation. Verses 27-29 show that the ongoing
existence of all creation depends on the Creator’s extravagant, continuous giving. Verse 30
makes it clear that God’s creative giving is ongoing: "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are
created ..."
Right up to the end of time as we know it, God will continue to create--including the
great creative act spoken of in Revelation 21:5 where God declares "... Behold, I make all things
new ..."
THE GIFT OF REDEMPTION
Old Testament sacrifices and offerings were vital in the lives of the Israelites. God used
them for generations to prepare His people for the day when Christ would offer His life as the
only sacrifice sufficient to cleanse mankind's sin. These sacrifices and offerings were necessary
because without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. The Old Testament system
was as a reminder of their need for a Savior who would someday die once and for all for the sins
of all mankind.
Centuries later, God sent Jesus to the world as His greatest gift to mankind. He gave His
only Son willingly as a sacrificial offering for our sins:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
God sent Jesus to earth in the form of human flesh, to take our sins upon Himself, to shed
His blood, and to restore us to full fellowship with Him. Jesus shed His blood willingly. No one
took His life from Him, but He laid it down of His own free will:
Hence, when He (Christ) entered into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offerings You
have not desired, but instead You have made ready a body for Me (to offer); In burnt
offerings and sin offerings You have taken no delight. Then I said, Lo, here I am, come to
do Your will, o God; (to fulfill) what is written of Me in the volume of the Book. (Hebrews
10:5-7, TAB)
Because of this one perfect sacrifice, man was forever set free from sin.
8
