The Truth About Giving
"You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. 'For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.' And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
For years I have struggled with giving simply because we live on a very tight budget. I would see the bills that needed to be paid and various other needs that I knew were coming up and I would think we just didn't have enough as it was to give anything more. Let me tell you God is such a patient God! He convicts us over and over about areas of our lives we need to change and submit fully to Him until we finally surrender our will to His and learn to take a leap of faith, or sometimes just simple baby steps of faith! God gently lead me to a place of knowing that if I said I trusted Him like I said I did then I needed to trust Him with providing for all our needs. I needed to step out in faith and give right where we were with whatever we had and stop waiting for us to be in a better place financially to start giving. I also knew that more than anything He wanted me to do this as a means to stretch my faith in Him and that He wanted me to do so out my love for Him and others and not out of obligation. I remember the first time I gave something when I wasn't sure how we would make it to the next pay day but I was genuinely excited to see how God would provide. And let me tell you He provided more than I gave! YOU CAN NOT OUT GIVE GOD! We not only had enough til next pay day we had a little extra. And it has been that same way every single time we give, whether it be to our church or to someone in need, God is always faithful to take care of our needs. It has become something exciting to me, rather than something scary! I look forward to obeying the Lord and seeing Him meet others needs and watching for how God will provide for our needs as well. And that is ALL God's doing, not mine. He is growing me from the inside. He's showing me time and again how much I can trust Him. He's made something I feared doing, something I now get so excited about and actually look for opportunities to give. He's made me into a truly cheerful giver!
"Give and you will receive . Your gift will return to you in full- pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." Luke 6:38
As I was going about my day yesterday I was talking to God, like I do so often, and it dawned on me why God wants us to give. God wants us to give not because He needs our money and resources to meet needs because God doesn't "need" anything from us, He's perfectly capable of doing any and everything. He wants us to give, and do so cheerfully, because He wants us to live a selfless life and also because He wants to stretch our faith in Him. He wants us to fully trust that He will take care of us and we don't need to hoard what we have for ourselves. We miss out on being apart of God's work when we live life with clenched fists. He wants us to live life open handed, inviting us to join Him in His work, helping others and watching them realize how much He loves them and knows their needs and has brought someone along to help them out when they needed it most. There is no better feeling than realizing you were God's answer to someone's prayer. God can and will meet their need with or without you, but to join God in His work and purposes is priceless. Nothing compares!
"Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ can work through me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
If like me, your weakness is learning to give freely and sacrificially, this verse tells you that all you need is God's grace. He knows your weakness. He surely knows mine and one being the weakness of trusting Him to take care of my needs and being willing to give sacrificially. I am applying this verse to my life and "boasting" or rather openly sharing about a weakness of mine that God has worked in and is working in. He is making something that was once a weakness of mine into a strength for His glory! Amen!
I challenge you to give God your weaknesses. He already knows what they are and you know ways He's been calling you to Himself to turn whatever that weakness is over to Him. Let His grace fill the weak spots in your life. Let His power work in those places in your life and watch what awesome things He will do!
For years I have struggled with giving simply because we live on a very tight budget. I would see the bills that needed to be paid and various other needs that I knew were coming up and I would think we just didn't have enough as it was to give anything more. Let me tell you God is such a patient God! He convicts us over and over about areas of our lives we need to change and submit fully to Him until we finally surrender our will to His and learn to take a leap of faith, or sometimes just simple baby steps of faith! God gently lead me to a place of knowing that if I said I trusted Him like I said I did then I needed to trust Him with providing for all our needs. I needed to step out in faith and give right where we were with whatever we had and stop waiting for us to be in a better place financially to start giving. I also knew that more than anything He wanted me to do this as a means to stretch my faith in Him and that He wanted me to do so out my love for Him and others and not out of obligation. I remember the first time I gave something when I wasn't sure how we would make it to the next pay day but I was genuinely excited to see how God would provide. And let me tell you He provided more than I gave! YOU CAN NOT OUT GIVE GOD! We not only had enough til next pay day we had a little extra. And it has been that same way every single time we give, whether it be to our church or to someone in need, God is always faithful to take care of our needs. It has become something exciting to me, rather than something scary! I look forward to obeying the Lord and seeing Him meet others needs and watching for how God will provide for our needs as well. And that is ALL God's doing, not mine. He is growing me from the inside. He's showing me time and again how much I can trust Him. He's made something I feared doing, something I now get so excited about and actually look for opportunities to give. He's made me into a truly cheerful giver!
"Give and you will receive . Your gift will return to you in full- pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." Luke 6:38
As I was going about my day yesterday I was talking to God, like I do so often, and it dawned on me why God wants us to give. God wants us to give not because He needs our money and resources to meet needs because God doesn't "need" anything from us, He's perfectly capable of doing any and everything. He wants us to give, and do so cheerfully, because He wants us to live a selfless life and also because He wants to stretch our faith in Him. He wants us to fully trust that He will take care of us and we don't need to hoard what we have for ourselves. We miss out on being apart of God's work when we live life with clenched fists. He wants us to live life open handed, inviting us to join Him in His work, helping others and watching them realize how much He loves them and knows their needs and has brought someone along to help them out when they needed it most. There is no better feeling than realizing you were God's answer to someone's prayer. God can and will meet their need with or without you, but to join God in His work and purposes is priceless. Nothing compares!
"Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ can work through me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
If like me, your weakness is learning to give freely and sacrificially, this verse tells you that all you need is God's grace. He knows your weakness. He surely knows mine and one being the weakness of trusting Him to take care of my needs and being willing to give sacrificially. I am applying this verse to my life and "boasting" or rather openly sharing about a weakness of mine that God has worked in and is working in. He is making something that was once a weakness of mine into a strength for His glory! Amen!
I challenge you to give God your weaknesses. He already knows what they are and you know ways He's been calling you to Himself to turn whatever that weakness is over to Him. Let His grace fill the weak spots in your life. Let His power work in those places in your life and watch what awesome things He will do!
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