Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 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. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” For God is the One who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
2 Cor 9:6-10
In the natural world if you plant sparingly you also reap sparingly. If you sow generously you reap a generous harvest. Farmers don’t plant just a few seeds, they plant lots in the hope of a bountiful harvest. As in the natural so in the spiritual. Sow generously. When it comes to giving don’t let anyone tell you what to do. No-one can force you to give something you don’t want to give. Well at least they shouldn’t be able to. You must decide for yourself how much to give. Don’t respond to pressure and above all don’t give reluctantly. God is not pleased with you going through the motions. It does not attract His blessing. God loves someone who gives cheerfully and abundantly with a heart full of gratitude to Him for what He has provided and delight for the one to whom you are giving or the cause to which you are giving. Now that attracts God’s favour.
God will generously provide all you need. You will always have plenty left over to share with others. I don’t know how it works because the mathematics of it don’t compute. There have been many times when we have seemingly not had enough to give but when we have given there was always enough in the “pot” to provide our needs even though we have given much of it away. I don’t understand it but I know it works. In fact we are in the midst of exactly that right now. Simply because I paid attention to the things I was writing in Bible Gems. Well actually because God said, “See what you have written, now do it.” I said five Gems ago “Don’t give to those who are likely to give back to you; give to those who can’t give to you.” That day I was reminded of a situation of a poor family who didn’t have enough to pay for a second operation for their daughter. God said to me, “you could pay for the operation. You wrote that today, you can be the one to pay for the operation.” We did it with a grateful heart to be able to bless others. And it doesn’t really matter that we need to pull in our belts to enable it to happen. We will rejoice in plenty or in lack. Both situations are fine and acceptable in God’s hands.
The deeds of those who share freely and give to the poor will be remembered forever. Not only that but He will provide for you by increasing your resources and then producing even more open handedness through you. It can get addictive when you feel the buzz of being God’s hand or channel of blessing. But there are those who say “Tithing doesn’t work. They say those who give their tithe or offerings on top of that end up worse off. Tithing is not a general principle to be applied by everyone. It just works for the Levites, the priests; the pastors and missionaries.”
Ponder it for yourself. More tomorrow.
YOU CANNOT OUTGIVE GOD! We have lost the giving game for the last 30 years. It is not a cliché it is true.
Anon
The tighter you squeeze, the less you have.
Thomas Merton
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.
Mahatma Gandhi