This morning we continue our series entitled, “The Power of Fellowship.” I received great responses from the prayers and declarations provided yesterday. Even people who do not have school-aged children were excited to pray for other people’s children as they go off to school. The prayers were shared and re-shared on social media all day. This is yet another example of what I am teaching in this series. We were designed to be social beings. We were designed by God to connect with one another. So much so, that when we connect with others, especially when we are giving or being generous towards them, it does something for us, on the inside, that is hard to explain.
During my recent Missions trip I posted several pictures of what we were doing on social media. Under one of the pictures I posted the following caption:
“Missions work is rewarding. God is too big of a God and His assignment for our lives is too big of an assignment for us to just be consumed with self. Your life will never be truly fulfilled until you start giving a portion of it away!”
Today I will focus on the latter portion of that statement. Something special happens when you give. You can give your time, talent or treasure, and when you do, you get a level of internal fulfillment and satisfaction that causes you to want to do it again.
In the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul quoted Jesus when He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). Another translation reads, “You will have a greater blessing when you give than when you receive.” I will discuss this over the next few days.
So what does this mean to you today? I will share a few reasons why there is a special blessing associated with giving.
1. When we give we act like God.
a) Paul said that since we are God’s children, we should imitate Him and attempt to be like Him (Eph 5:1). Our God is a giver. He gives freely. He gives by grace. He gives solely motivated by love. As His children, we were designed to be like Him. When we give, with a pure heart, with no strings attached, we are acting like our Daddy. We are imitating our heavenly Father.
b) God so loved the world that He gave (John 3:16). You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. Love gives. God is love. If we truly want to be like Jesus, we’ll give. We will give our time, talent and treasure.
2. Giving makes you happy.
a) Like I said earlier, you get a certain level of fulfillment and internal satisfaction from giving that you rarely get any other way. I believe it is connected to my first point, that giving makes you like God. When we give we are acting like our creator and it does something for us, on the inside, that few things in this world can provide.
b) When you give a portion of your life (in time or money) to someone else, you are able to connect with them, if even for a moment, in a very special way. When you walk away from someone, after being a blessing to them, you walk away with a connection that deep down on the inside you know you were born to make. You were designed to connect with others and generosity is one of the special ways to do it.
3. Giving is an example of your trust towards God.
a) God said, “The silver is mine and the gold is mine.” (Hag 2:8). He also said, “Everything belongs to me. The animals in the forest and the cattle on a thousand hills belong to me.” (Psalm 50:10). When you truly believe God owns everything that He has placed a portion of His resources in your hands, you are not concerned about giving, because you trust God. You know that He will replenish whatever He leads you to give in an abundant way.
b) When you give freely you are expressing your trust in God. You know God is your source. Resources can come and go, but THE source will always be there for you. Conversely, those who hoard do not trust God. They do not see God as their source. They live with a lack mentality. They have a fear of running OUT instead of faith in running OVER. This fear keeps them from becoming the men/women God has called them to be. Because you will never maximize your purpose or potential until you start giving your life away!
I have much more to say about this. But I will stop here for today and pick this up tomorrow.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I believe Your Word. I know there is a greater blessing associated with giving than receiving. Since You are a giver, and You are my Father, I imitate You. I live like You on this planet. You give freely and so do I. I give my time, talent and treasure. I am blessed TO BE a blessing. You are my source. When You lead me to give resources, I do so freely, because I trust You. Resources can leave my hands, but the source, which is You Father, will never leave my heart. I do not live with a lack mentality. I do not live with a fear of running OUT. I live by faith. I have faith for running OVER! Therefore, I live my life focused on BEING a blessing to others and in so doing, I represent You on this planet. I am a picture of what heaven looks like, because I am a giver! I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
