My prayer for you for today is that by receiving God’s
love and grace so freely you will be encouraged to give and also give more of
yourself for His glory, in Jesus Name.
2
Corinthians 9:6-9
Remember
this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one
who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in
your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to
pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." And God
will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you
need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,
"They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever."(Psalm 112:9)
"They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever."(Psalm 112:9)
The gift of giving. It is been said that it is far more satisfying
and uplifting to give than to receive, yet we give so reluctantly. We hold back
on giving, I think, because of a fear (again created by an ever present enemy)
that we will not have anything left for ourselves. I believe that we must give
but give what you can, I think it is not what we give but the way we give. Paul
writes in 2 Corinthians 8:12” Whatever you give is acceptable if you
give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don't have.”
I believe giving eagerly is what will show Jesus in you
and not what you give. Jesus made the remark about the poor widow that gave all
she had compared to the wealthy people that gave out of their abundance. Jesus
said that in the little she gave, she gave more than what the rest gave even if
the value was so much less. Remember, whatever you have you did not give it to
yourself. I said in an earlier post that the ability to work is a gift from
God. Your arms, legs, eyes and yes your brain was given to you before birth. You
did not get those by yourself, so yes everything you have and are is a blessing
out of God’s great love.
To me the greatest challenge in giving is not a few cents
you place in a poor man’s hand but in giving of yourself. Now hear this: 2
Corinthians 8:5” They even did more than we had hoped,
for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as
God wanted them to do.”
I love that: Give yourselves to the Lord! Now I guess I can
write days on this specifically but let me try to summarise: It all started
when God spoke, He created the heavens and the earth. He matched the right
cells to start your birth and formulated you into the person you are by giving
you “life” first and then adding all the nice stuff, your arms and legs and
eyes and hair, your smile, your voice and your talents. You are a work of art
changed and made more perfect every day. By giving yourself to the Lord and
accepting Him in your life it will all start to fall in place as your picture becomes
more perfect. When your relationship with God is your primary goal you will be
able to give eagerly, because you will follow His example and His direction.
You will know when to give and what to give and this gift will magnify and
glorify God. You will not only be blessing other but you will be blessed too - "For God loves a person who gives
cheerfully." And God will generously provide all you need. Then you
will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
Give a little more of you, give a little more love, a
little more patience, a little more joy, a little more laughs, a little more
kindness, a little more time and little more Jesus.
Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus. You remain in
my prayers.
Cheers
