“The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will be watered himself.” Proverbs 11:25 MEV
God obviously wants us to be generous; He has much to say about giving. In Proverbs 19:16 we are told that when we give to the poor we are actually lending to the Lord and He will pay us back! Proverbs 11:24 encourages us to, “Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything” (NLT). (See also Prov 22:9, 28:27).
Moses gave instructions to the children of Israel that they should be generous to any poor person among them and adds that God would bless them for that (Deut 15:7-11). We also learn that the “godly are generous givers” in Psalm 37:21. When we give, we are following God’s example. In John 3:16 God gave out of love and that should be the motivation for our giving too.
In order to become a giver, we must become aware of the needs of others and then obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit (James 2:15,16 and Matt 25:31-45). When we are generous, we know that God will take care of our needs (Phil 4:19) and give us even more than enough (2 Cor 9:8).
Notice in all the above scriptures that we have to give first and then God responds (See also Luke 6:38, 2 Cor 9:6 and Eccl 11:1). When feeding the multitudes it wasn’t until someone gave the small amount of bread and fish that God set about to multiply it (John 6:5-13, MK 6:35-44).
Finally, don’t forget that “God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or do without) a cheerful (joyous, prompt to do it) giver (whose heart is in his giving) (2 Cor 9:7 AMPC).
Let’s be that person today!
Norman and Jean Rawlings were born in England, educated in the USA, and have lived in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada for over 50 years. They have four children, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Both longtime Christians, they are now retired (“refired”). Norman served as a Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Saskatchewan, and Jean worked as a Speech and Language Pathologist. They serve as ordained senior care pastors at Bridge Ministry International Church in Saskatoon. Committed to teaching God’s Word and helping others grow in Christ, they minister through leadership, teaching, and writing. They have authored two books: The Life Changing Light of God’s Word (2022) and On the Way: Basic Christian Training (2014). More information can be found at www.onthewayinlove.com.
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Books by Norman & Jean Rawlings:
Correct, No gift is small if it comes from heart.
Your friend – His servant,
Isaac Otieno