July 5, 2020 SOWING
2 Corinthians 9:6, 9:10 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”
Proverbs 11:24-25 “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessings will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Do we get the message? It is a good thing, it is wise, and it is God’s desire for us to be givers. The natural man, and even many professing Christians, believe that getting and accumulating is the thing to do. The prevalent viewpoint for many is to ‘get all we can and can all we get.’ There is no clearer example of how the ways of God are different from the ways of the world when it comes to giving. Being logical is good, but when it comes to giving, logic may be a stumbling block for us-unless our ‘logic’ is based on the ways of God. Logic tells us that if we give, we will have less, whereas God says that when we give, we get, and when we withhold, we have less. Don’t misunderstand; to save and prepare for the future and to be wise with our finances and possessions is a good thing and it does not violate God’s word. This is where we can easily get into error; even though we may make financial plans for our future, we must truly trust God for our future; our plans and preparations is no guarantee for the future-our plans can be derailed and never come to pass. When we talk about giving, we normally think in terms of money, however, we can give of our time and other resources at our disposal. Giving is a heart; if we give only because we ought to give, then we lose the blessings that come when we give from our heart. Unlike the world, when we as believers give, we are to give without expecting a return-with no strings attached. We are not called to give to everyone nor to meet every need we see; we are to give as the Holy Spirit prompts us to give-that is the key point. Undoubtable there will be times when we are not sure that it is the Holy that is prompting us to give, or is it just a thought we have. I think that in those times, it is good to go ahead a give and trust God to use it for good; God loves a cheerful giver; err on the side of giving rather than withholding. An awesome promise in the opening verse above is that God will supply seeds for us to sow and will enlarge the harvest of our righteousness-we will not run out of seeds to sow! And, when we give freely, we become richer! And, when we bless others, we will be enriched, and when we water, we will be watered. Who would not want to be a giver?!
Psalm 34:10 “The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.”
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 13:5 “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.’”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed