by Pastor David Speas
I have found that, in life, I usually receive in proportion to my giving. This truth was reinforced in a conversation I had earlier this week. A person in our church was sharing how they'd been experiencing a newfound vibrancy in their walk with the Lord. Of late, God's goodness has seemed more personal. They have been experiencing more joy. They are optimistic about the future. They love their church...
I walked away from that conversation encouraged. And then it hit me, "Wait! They have been giving more lately!" I don't think their joy was a coincidence!
Isn't this what Jesus predicted in scripture? Acts 20:35b says, "You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Guess what? When we give little, we get little. But when we give more, God makes up the difference with His blessing. Just look at your own life! What did God do for you personally when you started tithing? Weren't you blown away by how God supplied? I found I couldn't afford not to tithe. I wanted to bless God and He blessed me! What happened when you started having weekly devotions? Didn't God become more personal and real? Didn't the preacher start preaching better messages? ;) Didn't you start to sense His grace more in day-to-day living? We know God never changes. The change was in you! You were giving and God blessed you by giving back. What has regular church attendance done for you? It has stabilized me spiritually and given me a heart for God and others. It has helped teach my family selflessness. It has giving me wholesome friends. And I could go on. The point is:
Whenever we get serious about giving, God gets serious about blessing.
Too many people don't give b/c they've bought into the world's lie. They think getting is the source of happiness. So they don't give thinking, "If I give, there might not be enough for me!" When, giving is the very thing that would bring them lasting happiness!
I want to make a challenge for you today. Find a way to be generous this week! Maybe it's as simple as a kind word or text (yes that counts as giving). Maybe it's something bigger like taking someone out to eat or tithing your paycheck for the first time. The point isn't the act. The point is that you are taking the words of Christ and His example to heart when He said, "It's more blessed to give than to receive!"
Watch and see if you don't end up receiving the bigger blessing!