Concerning Giving

What is your most valuable possession? Which of your properties is most precious to you? What do you have that seem too big for  the one who gave up His life for you? Do you realize that the moment you deem anything too precious to give to the Lord, you are into idolatry?
The kind of giving that is acceptable to God must be predicated on the understanding of the Lordship of Jesus.
A man is saved and becomes a christian by accepting Jesus as his Saviour, however the christian life can only be lived by a continuous submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The revelation of the Lordship of Christ will not only make you see His absolute authority over your life but it will also incite you to first give yourself to Him and then your possession.

The Macedonian churches exemplified it
"Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;  How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.  For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;  Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.  And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God."
(2 Corinthians 8:1‭-‬5 KJV)

And Paul also
"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,"
(Philippians 3:7‭-‬8 KJV)

It is of no use to talk about christian giving until you have understood what it means to submit to the Lordship of Jesus.

Giving (your time, money,and other possessions in the name of the Lord) becomes effortless once you understand that you were bought by the precious blood of Jesus and He now reserves the right of ownership over your life and over what you have.

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:19‭-‬20 KJV)

The understanding of the Lordship of Jesus Christ is key not only to sincere giving but also to all-round successful christian living.

Changed Inside-out (1)

When a man receives Christ, two forms of change happen to him; while the first change is instantaneous and absolute, the second change, which is renewing of the mind, is progressive and continues throughout the man's sojourn on earth.

At the instance of the new birth, a man receives a brand new spirit, born of God; the literal description of this spiritual phenomenon is  that the dead spirit which a man had before he met Jesus goes into extinction and it is instantly 'replaced' by a new spirit.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)

The new creation is the spirit, the real man, not his soul or his body.

There is such a thing as being born of  God. It is actually birth of a new spirit. It is not a change of religion, it is a change ("replacement") of spirit.

Every being reproduces after his/her/its kind; God is a spirit (John 4:24), and He only gives birth to spirits:

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

 (John 1:12-13 NKJV)

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (I John 5:4 NKJV)

This is the first change that happens to a man and it is this change that makes him a citizen of heaven: it is being "born again" which the Lord talked about in John 3:3:

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”" (John 3:3 NKJV)

Peter explains same:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (I Peter 1:3-5 NKJV).

It is not refurbishment or renovation of the old spirit, it is rather "...[the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5 AMP).

If you have accepted Jesus as your savior by believing the gospel, you have the recreated human spirit (RHS) am  talking about. The RHS is the fountain of righteous living (righteous acts) and the foundation for the second change (i.e. renewing of the mind).

You can control Anger (2)

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32 NKJV)

You are at a weak and vulnerable point when you are in anger;  you can hardly make a good decision when angry. The strong man is not he who can vent his fury with lousy words and shouts. Real strength lies in the ability to put your emotion under control especially when you have seemingly justifiable reason to be angry.

Ever considered how the story of Jesus' birth would have taken entirely  different turn if Joseph had rashly exposed Mary's supposed adultery; He acted in wisdom:

“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

(Matthew 1:19-20 NKJV) 

Wisdom and patience are siamese. If only you will be patient, you will begin to see other sides to issues and you will be able to make informed judgement. There are certain assignments I believe God cant trust you with until you have passed certain tests of patience. 

Jesus never spoke or acted rashly, He spoke the right words in season.  There were times He didn't even speak at all. Proverbs 29:20 says:

“Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” 

Jesus was never caught apologizing for speaking wrong words because He didn't speak "them".

If you are born again, the same Spirit of Jesus that made Him live such an excellent life on earth is in you. Don't give excuse that you cant control it, the truth is that you can control it, if you will renew your mind. There is a world of difference between who you were in the flesh and who you are right now, in the spirit, in Christ.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV). 

Thats who you are right now; once you begin to think and act accordingly, you ve started renewing your mind and the result is the lifestyle full of wisdom and strength which is typical of Jesus. understand?

You can Control Anger (1)

“Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.” (Ecclesiastes 7:9 NKJV)

Beware of anger, don't excuse it or explain it away under any guise. Nearly in all cases, if not all, anger is a manifestation of self-centeredness; anger grows up and increase its compelling influence over your heart, not only when you express it but mostly when you condone it by giving excuse for it; why claim you are not angry when you still want to get even with people who offended you, why should you pay people back in their coin, why should you rejoice at your "enemy's" downfall.

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.” (Proverbs 24:17-18 NKJV)

You cant be given over to anger and still be walking  in wisdom concurrently, "for anger rests in the bosom of fools.” 

There is wisdom in refraining from anger; He that has control over is temper is stronger than he that controls a city and has no rule over his heart.

you have what it takes to put your temperament under control because you have the nature of God in you. Be wise!

Happy? Praise!

"...is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” (James 5:13 NKJV)

Before you throw a party to commemorate your achievement, before you place that call of 'good news',  even before you stand in front of the congregation to give the testimony;  calm down and ponder. 

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:16-17 NKJV)

“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.” (John 3:27 NKJV)

Beyond the the sophisticated security system of your street, remember  "Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.”

You didnt just buy that car nor build that house because of your financial discipline and good saving culture, for "Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it"

Before you talk about the smartness of the driver when you escaped from an accident, remember no one can preserve except God.

Remember all these and give God thanks; give Him thanks privately before you publicize it. Acknowledge Him sincerely as your ONLY source and sustainer. And if you must throw a party for the goodness you have received, why not through a 'worship party'. 

Service of songs should not only be done during funeral; we can have collection of songs that talk about the greatness of God; and call friends and family together for a time when every participant is ministering to the Lord as they behold His majesty and splendor. 

Every other thing including food in such gathering will be an addendum. God would be exalted and the name of Our Lord Jesus would be glorified. how about that?

Suffering? Pray!

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray."  Period!
Affliction should not be an excuse for rage, neither are you excusable if you have to go for counseling on every matter of your life.
When the believers were persecuted in the book of Acts, they did not throw tantrums under the guise of 'holy anger' nor did they engage in verbal assault. ALL they did was to PRAY.
“And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,... And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
(Acts 4:23-24, 29 NKJV)
In the multitude of godly counsel there is safety. I would have made some detrimental mistakes in life if not for some godly counsel I got at the nick of time. I have sought counsel many times and I will still do, yet, I know that, the believer's life is not meant to regulated by external guidance.
Seek counsel when you need to, but more importantly do what the bible says... Pray!
Most of the things we do as humans are habitual, you can thus develop an habit of prayer.
If you will form an habit of making prayer your first resort, in most circumstances, it ll end up becoming the only thing you have to do get direction/guidance.
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” (James 5:13 NKJV)
got it?

Beware of Pride (3)

Sense of unworthiness before God is pride, though it mostly appear as a shade of it. You cant get access to God nor win His approval by talking down on yourself before Him.
If you are not born again, access to God is simply by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
If you are a believer, you already have uninterrupted access to Him and you already have His approval.
See what the Bible says about you:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have ACCESS by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2 NKJV)

“according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and ACCESS with confidence through faith in Him.” (Ephesians 3:11-12 NKJV)

“And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have ACCESS by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”
(Ephesians 2:17-19 NKJV)

If you still want to keep your sense of unworthiness after seeing these scriptures, then, I have no apology for saying you are proud.
You are proud because you are exalting what you know about yourself above what God says about you.
God, the most holy God, says He has granted you eternal access freely, through the blood of Jesus, and you are insisting its not so. Are you more righteous than God?
You can not align with the tax collector in the parable of Matt. 18:9-14.  The tax collector was right to have called himself a sinner because as at the time the death of Jesus that brought us the gift righteousness and access to God was still in the future.
After Jesus died and rose again, we received the very life of God that makes us worthy to stand in His presence unashamed - This is grace.
He qualified the unqualified; He discharged and acquitted the guilty because Jesus paid the price.

“Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light.” (Colossians 1:12 AMP).

“Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” (Romans 3:24 NLT)

Blessed?