The Benefits of Giving

“Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit [the increase, the blessings] that abounds [credited by God because of your giving] to your account.” (Philippians 4:17)

If we want to please God and be blessed we must give because God’s nature is to give. “For God so loved the world that He gave” (John 3:16). “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). All of God’s creation gives – the sun gives light, the plants give food, the animals give meat, the clouds give rain, the wells give water. By giving we please God as we imitate the Creator whose very nature is love and love gives.

Our carnal mind may tell us if we give we will have less and may not be able to meet our needs. But in God’s economy, giving is not a zero-sum game. In fact, Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. The more you sow, the more you reap. Sadly, when it comes to giving, some people will stop at nothing. Martin Luther said, “I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost them all, but what I have given into God’s hands I still possess.” Only through the eyes of faith and obeying God’s Word can we see that by giving we actually bless ourselves and when we fail to give we are the ones with the most to lose (2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Malachi 3:8-10, Luke 6:38).

You know God wants you to give money to your church, temple and other ministries that spread the Word. But fulfilling your duty is one thing, and getting excited by it is another. In fact, you may not be giving as much as God would like you to, because you’re just not very motivated. How do you find the cheerfulness God says in the Bible that He loves to see when people give? Pursue the treasure God wants you to have. Here are some ways you can discover joy when you give:

* Realize that investing your money in earthly things will provide a temporary payoff at best. Money and possessions themselves won’t satisfy you, and often end up possessing you rather than vice versa, because they demand so much time and energy to maintain. When you die, you will leave it all behind. For the life of me, I have never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul.

* Understand that investing your money in eternal ways is guaranteed to pay big dividends, because God has promised to bless gifts faithfully consecrated to Him and use them in ways that bless the givers and others. You simply cannot outgive God.

* Acknowledge that it is God who has given you the ability to create wealth, and that all your money is ultimately His for the earth is the LORD’s and all its fullness (Psalm 24:1). Commit to managing that money as effectively as possible, relying on God’s wisdom as you meditate on His Word. You are called to master your money by using it wisely for God’s glory, not to let money master you. Is money your god or is it your servant?

* Don’t wait until you feel like giving to actually give. Give till it hurts. Sow in tears and reap in joy. When there’s a NEED, sow a SEED. Give out of obedience because God wants it done. After you give, the God of the harvest will send you joy, and that joy unspeakable and full of glory will motivate you to keep giving. Giving is the only the evidence that the cancer of greed has not consume your soul. Unlike what Gordon Gekko said in 1987, greed is NOT good.

* Remember God’s generosity – Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and the many blessings God has poured into your life. Seek to express your thankfulness to God by tithes and offerings into ministries that feed you the Word as an act of worship and honor, and allow His love (chesed) to flow through you to others as you act in generous ways. God will then fill your barns with plenty and overflow your vats with new wine (Proverbs 3:9-10)

* If you truly value God’s work on earth, you’ll give financially to support the ministries that teach and preach the Word of God for the harvest is ripe with billions of lost souls- Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, pagans, atheists, hedonists, agnostics needing salvation, not to mention the one billion nominal Jews and Christians who dont really KNOW God who are living outside the circle of blessing.

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