[Queendavidson]

The Power of Giving: Four Principles from the Life of Abraham

Giving is one principle that can unlock doors of prosperity and great wealth. We are called Christians because God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation and redemption. Therefore, the importance of giving in the life of a believer cannot be overemphasized. In this essay, we will examine four principles on the power of giving, using Abraham as a case study.

1. Giving involves sacrifice.
Many times, when we give, we prefer to give what is comfortable and easy for us to part with. Although there is nothing wrong with this, sacrificial giving can demonstrate a deeper level of faith and commitment to God. Abraham demonstrated this when God asked him to offer Isaac, his only son of promise, whom he had received at an old age. Abraham was willing to give what was most precious to him because he trusted God (Genesis 22:1–18).

2. Giving should be done willingly and not out of compulsion.
There is little value in giving when it is done grudgingly or under pressure. Abraham demonstrated willing giving when he gave a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek, the priest of God. Scripture does not record that he was forced to give; rather, he voluntarily gave a tenth, demonstrating his love and honour toward God (Genesis 14:18–20).

3. When we acknowledge God as our source, we can give regardless of our circumstances.
Abraham understood that God was the source of his blessings. After Abraham rescued Lot, the king of Sodom offered him the goods, but Abraham refused to take anything from him. He declared that he had lifted his hand to the Lord, the Most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth, and that he would not take anything from the king, “lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich” (Genesis 14:21–23). Abraham wanted it to be clear that his prosperity came from God and not from man. This understanding enabled him to trust God even when he was asked to surrender Isaac, knowing that God remained his ultimate source.

4. Giving requires obedience to God’s word.
Abraham obeyed God’s instruction to offer Isaac, even though it was a difficult demand. His obedience demonstrated genuine faith. God ultimately provided a ram in Isaac’s place and reaffirmed His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 22:9–18). This shows that God’s instructions are not intended to destroy us but to develop our faith and position us for His purposes.

Abraham’s life teaches us that giving involves sacrifice, willingness, dependence on God, and obedience. His example demonstrates that giving is not merely about what leaves our hands but also about the faith, love, and trust behind the giving.

[Queendavidson]

One significant point I gathered from Chiamaka’s essay is about Paul and Silas praising God from prison( Acts 16:25) . It’s interesting to note that they were beaten an were still held bound and despite their circumstances they chose to praise God and the prison gates shook and all chains fell off.
Paul and Silas didn’t wait for God to cause their release before they praised;after all,they were captured doing the work of God but they chose to praise God and the result shook even the foundation of the prison.

Our praising God before we see answers should be born out of the revelation of the abilities of the one we serve whether or not we get answers.

[Queendavidson]

Why Is It Important to Praise God for Your Answers Before You See Them?

Prayer is simply communication, conversation, and fellowship with God. It is born out of the love of God and should be approached with the consciousness of what God has already accomplished for us through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. Through prayer, we communicate our desires, needs, thanksgiving, and concerns to God, trusting that He hears us and responds according to His will.

Conversation naturally involves a response. When we communicate with our fellow human beings, we expect the other person to listen and respond. In the same way, when we communicate with God through prayer, although we do not see Him physically, we believe by faith that He hears us and that He answers our prayers. First John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.” Therefore, our confidence in prayer should not depend only on what we can see with our physical eyes.

Praising God before we see the manifestation of our answers is an important expression of faith. It means thanking God because we trust His ability and faithfulness even when the evidence of the answer has not yet appeared. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please him.” When we praise God in anticipation of an answer, we demonstrate that our confidence is in God rather than in what we can see. Faith enables us to believe that God is working even when we cannot yet see the result.

Praise before manifestation also shows that we trust God’s character. Anyone can give thanks when the answer to a prayer has already become visible, but praising God while waiting demonstrates confidence in His faithfulness. Abraham is an example of someone who trusted God’s promise before seeing its fulfilment. Romans 4:20 says concerning Abraham, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Abraham gave glory to God while he was still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled.

Furthermore, praise helps us maintain the right attitude while waiting. Sometimes, when answers to our prayers appear delayed, it can be easy to become discouraged, doubtful, or anxious. However, choosing to praise God reminds us of who He is and what He has already done. Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” This shows that our praise should not be dependent on our circumstances.

Our praise should therefore not be tampered with whether we have seen the answer to our prayers or not. We praise God because He is God, because He is faithful, and because He deserves our worship. Philippians 4:6 teaches us to present our requests to God with thanksgiving. This shows that thanksgiving should accompany our prayers, even before we see the manifestation of what we have asked for.

Finally, praise is part of our identity and responsibility as God’s children. Psalm 150:6 says, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD.” God deserves our praise at all times, not only when He gives us what we desire. Therefore, praising God before seeing the answer is an act of faith, trust, thanksgiving, and worship. It demonstrates that our confidence is in God’s ability and faithfulness rather than in visible circumstances. When we praise Him while we wait, we acknowledge that He has heard us and that our lives remain in His hands, regardless of what we see at the moment.

In conclusion, praising God for our answers before we see them is important because it demonstrates faith and total trust in God. It reminds us that prayer is not merely about receiving things from God but about fellowship and relationship with Him. We can confidently pray, believe, and give thanks, knowing that God hears us and that He remains faithful.

[Queendavidson]

Service is not related to our state of birth or circumstances rather a deliberate choice we make. We can see this facts as we compare and contrast the service rendered by Rebekah to Abraham’s servants and Joseph to Potiphar I’m Egypt.
Rebekah’s service recorded in Genesis 24 was not born out of compulsion but a willing heart. She was a free born so had her own will and choices to make and her actions that followed when she was asked my Abraham’s servant for water showed that of kindness and generosity . She had a heart that was willing to help even when she did not know who and what the servants intentions were and she definitely was not looking for any reward in returns or applauses. When Abraham’s servant asked for water in verse 17 you will see that she offered water without hesitation and further in verse 19 she offered to give his camel drink also this showing her eagerness to serve. Rebekah would have chosen to refuse to offer the help she offered because she did not know who she was rendering the help to but was willing, eager, kind and generous to turn away from the stranger asking for help.
Now we look at the life and services of Joseph in Potiphar’s house as a slave. We find the account of Joseph’s service in Potiphar’s house in Genesis 39. Unlike Rebekah who offered her service to Abraham’s servant out of the kindness of her heart, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and bought by Potiphar hence he did not have a choice or right but he served still as unto the Lord as seen in Genesis 39:9b.
Joseph served with integrity and excellence that his master entrusted everything to his care and like Rebekah he served not expecting any reward in return.
Joseph’s services was dutiful but he served with integrity, faithfulness and love for his God even in the face of temptation from his master’s wife. Rebekah on the other hand was spontaneous and served from the tenderness of her heart.
The actions of Both Rebekah and Joseph portrayed good qualities of service unto God and unto man,theirs was not that of eye service and their stories are inspiring and worth emulating as we give our service unto humanity.

[Queendavidson]

In Ephesians 2:8-9 we see that we are saved by grace through faith and not of good works lest any man should boast ( paraphrased). Our salvation is not as a result of good work and self efforts it is purely by grace through as stated in Ephesians 2:8-9.
Good works are the fruits of salvation every believer must have to be good witnesses into Christ, though these good works are not the means of salvation but the outcome of our faith. If you read further to verse 10 in Ephesians 2 it says” For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which the God prepared in advance to do”. This shows that God himself commands and expects these works from us. As Christians, we posses fruits especially when we keep renewing our minds and these fruits are what people see and are drawn to us and Jesus. Just like when Jesus’disciples were first called Christians in Antioch it was their actions and works that made the people link them to Christ,their good works mirrors Christ’s character.
Good works is the demonstration of the salvation we freely received by grace through faith. Good works is one of the ways to show God’s love(Agape) to others. Matthew 5:16 buttress that fact,it reads; “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven”. This is like the command received in Ephesians 2:10. God has given us salvation freely therefore, we ought to constantly exhibit the fruits of the spirit as admonished in Galatians 5:22-23, these fruits are evidence of Christ’s presence thus witnessing Christ to the unbelievers.
In conclusion,just as we must bear in mind that salvation is a free gift we received by faith through grace( Galatians 2:8-9) we must also know that faith without works is dead. James 2:26kJV “For as the body without the spirit is dead,so faith without works is dead also”. This works we are talking about is not born out of self efforts and flesh but born out of the fruits of the recreated spirit and these works that stem out of a relationship with Christ Jesus are witnesses for Jesus.

[Queendavidson]

In Ephesians 2:8-9 we see that we are saved by grace through faith and not of good works lest any man should boast ( paraphrased). Our salvation is not as a result of good work and self efforts it is purely by grace through as stated in Ephesians 2:8-9.
Good works are the fruits of salvation every believer must have to be good witnesses into Christ, though these good works are not the means of salvation but the outcome of our faith. If you read further to verse 10 in Ephesians 2 it says” For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which the God prepared in advance to do”. This shows that God himself commands and expects these works from us. As Christians, we posses fruits especially when we keep renewing our minds and these fruits are what people see and are drawn to us and Jesus. Just like when Jesus’disciples were first called Christians in Antioch it was their actions and works that made the people link them to Christ,their good works mirrors Christ’s character.
Good works is the demonstration of the salvation we freely received by grace through faith. Good works is one of the ways to show God’s love(Agape) to others. Matthew 5:16 buttress that fact,it reads; “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven”. This is like the command received in Ephesians 2:10. God has given us salvation freely therefore, we ought to constantly exhibit the fruits of the spirit as admonished in Galatians 5:22-23, these fruits are evidence of Christ’s presence thus witnessing Christ to the unbelievers.
In conclusion,just as we must bear in mind that salvation is a free gift we received by faith through grace( Galatians 2:8-9) we must also know that faith without works is dead. James 2:26kJV “For as the body without the spirit is dead,so faith without works is dead also”. This works we are talking about is not born out of self efforts and flesh but born out of the fruits of the recreated spirit and these works that stem out of a relationship with Christ Jesus are witnesses for Jesus.

[Queendavidson]

Service is not related to our state of birth or circumstances rather a deliberate choice we make. We can see this facts as we compare and contrast the service rendered by Rebekah to Abraham’s servants and Joseph to Potiphar I’m Egypt.
Rebekah’s service recorded in Genesis 24 was not born out of compulsion but a willing heart. She was a free born so had her own will and choices to make and her actions that followed when she was asked my Abraham’s servant for water showed that of kindness and generosity . She had a heart that was willing to help even when she did not know who and what the servants intentions were and she definitely was not looking for any reward in returns or applauses. When Abraham’s servant asked for water in verse 17 you will see that she offered water without hesitation and further in verse 19 she offered to give his camel drink also this showing her eagerness to serve. Rebekah would have chosen to refuse to offer the help she offered because she did not know who she was rendering the help to but was willing, eager, kind and generous to turn away from the stranger asking for help.
Now we look at the life and services of Joseph in Potiphar’s house as a slave. We find the account of Joseph’s service in Potiphar’s house in Genesis 39. Unlike Rebekah who offered her service to Abraham’s servant out of the kindness of her heart, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and bought by Potiphar hence he did not have a choice or right but he served still as unto the Lord as seen in Genesis 39:9b.
Joseph served with integrity and excellence that his master entrusted everything to his care and like Rebekah he served not expecting any reward in return.
Joseph’s services was dutiful but he served with integrity, faithfulness and love for his God even in the face of temptation from his master’s wife. Rebekah on the other hand was spontaneous and served from the tenderness of her heart.
The actions of Both Rebekah and Joseph portrayed good qualities of service unto God and unto man,theirs was not that of eye service and their stories are inspiring and worth emulating as we give our service unto humanity.

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