Free Giving
I’m still learning to be a giver. I’ve definitely learned that I can’t out-give The Lord. He is the Ultimate Giver. He gave His One and Only Son so that I could have my relationship with Him restored. I have hope through His Giving. I believe that my giving often blesses me as much as the recipient of my gift. I’m thankful that the Giver of Life is teaching me how to give.
King David understood the value of giving. He made an egregious mistake and disobeyed the Lord. The Lord gave him three options for punishment and they were all pretty hard. David fell on the mercy of God and asked for mercy. He was told to go to a certain threshing floor to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. So he went and the guy who owned the threshing floor was honored to have the king there. He tried to gift all that was needed for the sacrifice, but David responded with words I needed to hear. Check this out…
24 But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’
So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. 25 David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. (2 Samuel 24:24-25 NIV)
I am never more like God than when I give.
I want to give generously to the Lord. He owns it all. He simply makes me the manager of all that He’s blessed me with. I can’t possibly out give the Giver of all good things. I can honor Him with my giving. I believe giving starts deep inside my heart and works it’s way out to my hands and feet. I trust the Lord to help direct my giving. I must fight the urge to be self-centered and cling tightly to the things the Lord has blessed me with. I have to be very discerning about where the Lord wants me to give. I believe that my giving begins with the church and my tithing. I can work from there. When the Lord’s resources connect with a heart devoted to Him, great work can happen as a result of determined giving. My giving costs me something – I must surrender it all to Him, I will still be blessed for sure.
Pressing On!
Dwayne