And So, I Continue . . . . . .
That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. Psalms 26:7 KJV
Proverbs 11:24-25 ~ 24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. 25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
What is Solomon telling us? What can we learn from giving in these verses? If I give of all that I have, I can never give enough away. That is the answer to great joy. When we share of the blessings of God with joy, we definitely glean the blessings. I'm sure you have heard the statement, "You cannot outgive God." It is so true! When we are generous in giving, it blesses others, we get to share what God has given us; giving of our bounty, and many times out of our needs, God will return the gifts over and over again. Others who believe in our work, our service to the Lord and been generous to us, if not in finances, definitely in prayer, support and love. We have learned that through our giving, we become wealthier and richer in the blessings of God.
On the contrary, however, there are those who hoard, have big bank accounts, lots of things, and never give or give sparingly. In all of their hoarding and greed, they actually remain poor and get poorer. They remain in need of basic resources. This is why the liberal soul will be made fat or full; they will become prosperous. As we fill others, so will we become filled! We also know of others who have much, could relieve the misery of others, give sparingly and live like paupers because the number in the bank is all they are truly interested in. They even give to missions and other works they believe in but will not TITHE at all. Believing their giving the way they want to is good; it is I can't deny that, but it is not Biblical. Tithing taught in the Old Testament is still being practiced by many Jews today. They give 10% of their substance. That's it. But we find in the New Testament another verse that pretty much knocks the 10% out of the park. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
This verse is a "game changer". It clearly says ". . . as he purposeth in his heart, . . ." and you might say, "that is why I only give 10%. God hasn't revealed to me to give more, and anyway I have 3 kids and it takes all I have to meet their needs...." Well, I want you to know that God doesn't need our "gifts", he wants our hearts. When we give from the heart, there is no limitation to the blessings we can give to Him, through our local churches, but also to others. And when we give over and above, believe me, we get the benefit of giving and the recipient gets the benefit of our giving. It is an honor to serve the Lord God in giving. How can you not honor the One Who blessed you? Give from the heart, ". . . for God loveth a cheerful giver."
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
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