Learning to Give

It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything. The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will be refreshed themselves. (Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT)

Everything we have is given to us by God: our lives, families, jobs, food, everything. At the beginning of time, God gave Adam life, the necessities to sustain life, and gave him Eve to share it with. God is still giving. God gave His only Son to die on a cross for our remission of sins. He continues to give His love, provisions, blessings, healings, and forgiveness. He richly blesses us at a continuous rate, not because we earn it or deserve it but because He loves us.

Giving is a way to express love. When we love, we want to give. We want to perform acts of compassion. We want to give friendship and loyalty.

Giving benefits everyone involved. This could be blessing someone with our time, talents, finances, love, attention, and/or prayers. The possibilities are limitless. We get blessed when we give and the person receiving gets blessed by what we give. It's a win-win situation.

Luke 6:38 explains if you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving- large or small - it will be used to measure what is given back to you.

The duty of a good steward is to give oneself to and for the service of our Lord. It is important to give freely, not expecting anything in return. Don't be greedy or selfish. Give cheerfully, with love. It is also important to be consistent with giving for this will be pleasing to the Lord.

If you have been blessed financially, give of your finances to help benefit someone in need. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or support missions. Use what the Lord has given you to make a difference. —Cindie York