Better to give

Someone sent me an e-mail the other day and he mentioned that many people do not actually realize that giving is not “from” you but actually “for” you. He said that since he realized that important concept, his life has improved. He is entirely accurate in his statement. The Bible states that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Too often we give something and the entire event is viewed from the wrong angle. The Bible has much to say about giving and not only to the church but to others. We are instructed to be cheerful’ givers. If we grudgingly “cough up our tithe” we lose the blessing from it.

I can honestly say that I now am exceedingly glad for the opportunity to give and am very much a cheerful giver. Such was not always the case. Actually it took quite a while for me to understand God’s purpose for giving as laid out in the Bible and unfortunately I missed out on it and the blessings that are showered down with it for quite some time.

When you think about it God has all of the world’s resources at it His beck and call; in fact He has all of the resources in all of creation within His reach and can order an army of angels to fetch it for Him whenever He chooses. He doesn’t need our minute contributions. He does not need “us”. Just the opposite, we need “Him”! It is for our good that He commands us to give.

Giving is not just an idle suggestion. Consider the days of the Pentecost. All of the congregation pooled their resources and divided it among each other. Two people held out and both lost their lives instantly. Hmmm pretty harsh, their punishment in part was for trying to deceive God, (How dumb is that?). Consider also that the Bible clearly states that if we do not tithe we are robbing God. I don’t know about you, but I am not prepared to rob God.

More is in the Bible about the blessings that we receive from giving than for punishment for not giving. I only mention the latter to make a point that God is serious about this important aspect of our lives. I have found that one cannot out-give God. The more I give, the more comes back to me. God wants our obedience more than anything and He blesses those who love Him enough to obey His commands and try to live our lives as he has instructed us to live. I know it sounds like a paradox, but get serious about giving more away and watch your wealth increase.

Luke 11:28
Blessed are those who hear the word
of God and obey it.