Something amazing happens when we give; it is not only that warm and happy feeling we get when we are a blessing to others; it goes much deeper than that. The Bible gives us many beautiful examples of generosity in action and it is full of promises for those who give with a joyful heart. Giving is a wonderful component of our relationship with God because whether we realize it or not, many times our giving depends on our trust in Him.
“Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. (2 Corinthians 9:7-8) You see, it is easy to praise God with our giving when things are going well, when we don’t lack anything and what He is asking from us is relatively easy, but when He starts addressing the things that are hindering our growth, then it gets hard. Many times we put our trust in money, beauty, time or knowledge instead of God; we hold on so tightly to these things that we can’t open our arms to receive everything God has for us.
Being generous is not about giving the leftovers or the surplus; it is about giving what God asks us to give, even when we think we don’t have enough. It is an opportunity to witness God’s loving power as He multiplies and does amazing things with what we give.
Dave Martin said: “God, make me a distribution center of your blessings” Don’t you love this image? Everything we have has been given by God for a reason; have you ever asked yourself why some people have so much and others so little? It seems unfair, but then again, God knows what He is doing and even if we can’t understand it, we need to do our part and bless those around us as God directs us. God loves to use us as a channel for His blessings, remember what He said to Abraham “I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others.” (Genesis 12:2)
In Ecclesiastes 11:1 we read “Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later.” And in Proverbs 11:24 we see that “it is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything.” Still God knows how hard it is for us to let go, especially of money, so He puts it very plainly for us to understand “Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth – except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers! (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11) Money is not bad, but trusting that money will solve everything and make us happy, that is the problem.
There is someone out there needing what we can share, and we can give so much more than we realize. Most likely it will interfere with our schedule and it will take an effort, but we can be sure that whatever “trouble” we have to endure as we give to others, will be returned to us in blessings. “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving – large or small – it will be used to measure what is given back to you.” (Luke 6:38) Don’t you just love this? Isn’t it exciting? Pay close attention to the words God is using to illustrate how much He wants to bless us… full measure, pressed down to make room for more until it overflows… I like that! A constant flood of blessings, a continuous process of giving and receiving. “The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25)
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