BE A GIVER TO OTHERS
IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE…..JESUS CHRIST
THE GOD OF MY UNDERSTANDING WILL NOT FILL A CLOSED FIST WITH GOOD THINGS. GOD IS A GIVER, AND YOU ARE NEVER MORE LIKE GOD THAN WHEN YOU GIVE…… Author Joel Osteen.
WE OFTEN WANT GREAT BLESSINGS AND THEY ARE MOSTLY MATERIAL THINGS, BUT THERE ARE MORE THAN MATERIAL THINGS THAT WILL TRULY MAKE US HAPPY. WE ASK THE GOD OF OUR UNDERSTANDING FOR THE GREAT BLESSINGS BUT WE THINK THAT THERE IS A CATCH.
WELL THERE IS A CATCH INDEED, WE MUST DO SOMETHING…… BETTER YET….. WE MUST “BE” SOMETHING. GOD IS IMPLYING THAT WE WILL NOT BE BLESSED SIMPLY SO WE CAN LIVE LAVISHLY OR SELF-INDULGENTLY. WE WILL BE BLESSED “TO BE” A BLESSING. INDEED, UNLESS WE ARE WILLING TO “BE” A BLESSING, GOD WILL NOT POUR OUT HIS FAVOR AND GOODNESS IN OUR LIVES. WE WILL RECEIVE FROM GOD IN THE VERY SAME MEASURE THAT WE GIVE TO OTHERS.
YOU MAY THINK THAT YOU HAVE NOTHING MUCH TO GIVE, PERHAPS NOT. BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR ATTITUDE. YOU MUST BE FAITHFUL IN THE LITTLE THAT YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOU WILL BE BLESSED WITH MORE. THIS IS NOT JUST MATERIAL THINGS THAT YOU CAN GIVE BUT I’M TALKING ABOUT YOUR TIME, GIFTS, TALENTS, AND ENCOURAGEMENT TOWARD OTHERS. WE ALWAYS ASK GOD, “WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BLESS ME?” WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO ANSWER MY PRAYERS OR “WISH LIST”? BUT IF WE’D LISTEN MORE CAREFULLY, MAYBE WE’D HEAR GOD SAYING, “WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO START BEING A BLESSING?” “THIS IS MY WISH LIST”
GIVING IS A SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLE. YOU MAY PREFER TO SAY, WHATEVER I GIVE AND SPEAK TO THE UNIVERSE, WHATEVER YOU GIVE OUT OR ASK FOR WILL BE GIVEN BACK TO YOU. YOU MAY CHOOSE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN SPEAK TO THE UNIVERSE AND THE UNIVERSE WILL GIVE IT BACK TO YOU, THAT WILL WORK TOO! IT’S BEEN PROVEN OVER AND OVER!
BUT I CHOOSE TO SAY THAT THE GOD WHO MADE THE UNIVERSE WILL GIVE TO ME WHATEVER I DESIRE IN MY HEART! THEN I MUST BE CAREFUL WHAT I ASK FOR!
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE LAW OF RECIPROSITY? IT WORKS, EVEN THE SCIENTISTS WILL AGREE WITH THIS PRINCIPLE…… IF YOU GIVE A SMILE, YOU WILL RECEIVE SMILES FROM OTHERS…… IF YOU ARE GENEROUS TO PEOPLE IN THEIR TIME OF NEED, GOD WILL MAKE SURE THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE GENEROUS TO YOU IN YOUR TIME OF NEED. INTERESTING, ISN’T IT? WHAT YOU MAKE HAPPEN FOR OTHERS, GOD WILL MAKE HAPPEN FOR YOU. WHEN YOU HELP THE POOR YOU ARE “LENDING” TO GOD THE BIG BOOK SAYS, AND YOU MAY BE THINKING, WELL, IF I HAD MORE MONEY, I WOULD GIVE MORE. NO, THAT’S WHERE WE MISS IT. WE HAVE TO START RIGHT WHERE WE ARE. WE MUST BE FAITHFUL WITH WHAT WE DO HAVE, THEN GOD WILL TRUST US WITH MORE. WE MAY NOT HAVE A LOT OF EXTRA MONEY TO GIVE, BUT WE CAN BUY SOMEBODY’S DINNER EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. WE CAN GIVE SOMEBODY A KIND WORD. WE CAN GO OUT OF OUR WAY TO PRAY FOR SOMEBODY IN NEED. WE CAN SPEAK WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT OR GIVE A HUG TO SOMEBODY WHO NEEDS ONE AND IT CAN REALLY MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN SOME FOLKS, JUST A HUG OR KIND WORD WILL GO A LONG LONG WAY!
NOW IS THE TIME TO DEVELOP AN ATTITUDE OF GIVING. BELIEVE ME, THE CLOSEST THING TO THE HEART OF THE GOD THAT I BELIEVE IN, IS HELPING HURTING PEOPLE. GOD ALSO LOVES LOVES IT WHEN WE SING (TO HIM) AND WHEN WE PRAY. HE LOVES IT WHEN WE COME TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE HIS GOODNESS. YOU SHOULD TRY IT SOMETIME. BUT NOTHING PLEASES GOD ANY MORE THAN WHEN WE TAKE CARE OF SOMEONE WHO IS HURTING. JESUS SAID, “IF YOU GIVE AS MUCH AS A CUP OF WATER TO SOMEBODY IN NEED, I SEE IT AND I’M GOING TO REWARD YOU” HE ALSO SAID, “INASMUCH AS YOU DID IT TO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE MY BROTHERS, YOU DID IT FOR ME”.
SOMEBODY NEEDS WHAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE. IT MAY NOT BE YOUR MONEY; IT MAY BE YOUR TIME. IT MAY BE YOUR LISTENING EAR. IT MAY BE YOUR ARMS TO ENCOURAGE. IT MAY BE YOUR SMILE TO UPLIFT. WHO KNOWS? MAYBE JUST PUTTING YOUR ARM AROUND SOMEBODY AND LETTING THEM KNOW THAT YOU CARE CAN HELP BEGIN TO HEAL THAT PERSON’S HEART. MAYBE YOU CAN GIVE A RESCUING HUG. DO YOU THINK?
JOHN BUNYAN, AUTHOR OF THE CLASSIC BOOK “THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS” SAID, “YOU HAVE NOT LIVED TODAY UNTIL YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE WHO CANNOT PAY YOU BACK.”
LET’S MAKE A DECISION THAT TODAY WE WILL BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SOMEBODY THAT WE CAN BLESS.
AND MOST OF ALL BE THANKFUL, BE IN AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE! IT’S AMAZING HOW OUR ATTITUDE CHANGES AND THE BLESSINGS FLOW BACK TO US WHEN WE ARE TRULY HUMBLE AND THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING GOOD THAT COMES ALONG OUR WAY. I AM EVEN THANKFUL FOR THE NOT SO GOOD THINGS THAT HAVE COME MY WAY BECAUSE THEY GAVE ME A CHANCE TO LEARN SOMETHING TO KNOW THAT I CANNOT DO THIS ON MY OWN BUT THAT I NEED A GOD OF MY UNDERSTANDING WHO SENDS SPECIAL PEOPLE INTO MY LIFE TO COME ALONG BESIDE ME FOR SUPPORT AND STRENGTH. I WOULD HATE TO THINK THAT I HAD TO TRUDGE THIS ROAD OF MY DESTINY ALONE! OMG HOW TRAGIC THAT WOULD BE. I AM A “BLONDE” BY NATURE AND I NEED A BIT OF INSTRUCTION ONCE IN A WHILE. DON’T LAUGH, YOU NEED IT TOO! LET US ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER AND GIVE TO OTHERS SO THAT WE CAN BE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING.
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