Does giving to God make a dent in your finances, your time, your priorities?
Does your giving give you an opportunity to rely totally on God believing Him for your provision?
Our family (like many families) has often been on the receiving end of giving. I'm thankful for every gift we've ever been given, but there are two ways people give. And no one is fooled.
For a few years a lot of men at Shannon's work decided to empty their freezers of all the meat they and their families didn't want so they could go hunting and refill them. Let me tell you -- I didn't want the meat either! But they told themselves they were doing a good deed. They were giving meat to a "family in need" and there is that mentality that people take upon themselves I think to make themselves feel good that "beggers can't be choosers."
We weren't begging but they wanted to get rid of it so that's that.
Then on the other hand we once had a family give us a boxful of really good beef. Wow -- we were so touched because that meat had been processed by the family and had cost them. They were giving us a good gift that really blessed us. It was a gift with dignity. It was a gift that was given with a loving heart that gave to bless and for no other reason.
What kind of giving do we do with God?
Do we give Him the leftovers? Do we give Him stuff we really don't want anyway? Do we give the bare minimum so we can say to ourselves, "I'm doing my part."
What about giving way more than you think you can "afford" and watch God meet your lack with such overflowing generosity that you will be speechless?
He is your provider whether you acknowledge it or not, but it is so exciting to have to wait on Him and see how He will come through. It is an opportunity for witnessing. It is an opportunity for your faith to explode. It is an opportunity to teach your kids or whoever is watching you that God will indeed come through. We need not worry (that's a sin anyway). We need not strive for finances. We need not kill ourselves with exhaustion to provide -- - that is the world's. way.
Choose God's way. Give so it hurts this week. Give so you have to wait on Him to make up the difference. Don't worry -- He knows every single bill you have and even ones you might not know about. He's not worried or fretting about any of it. Jump into His giving game and have fun. Seriously -- it is the way He calls us to live. And when we do, we give Him opportunity to prove