92. Give To Be Financially Secure. Psalm 37:21

When you have truly learned, absorbed and taken on board this lesson you will be well on your way to having a relationship with God similar to that which Abraham, Joseph, Mary Magdalene and The Apostles had with Jesus their God. Our desire for financial security can discourage us from giving. Because each dollar we give away feels like it’s no longer available for our protection. But in reality, the opposite is true. Your sense of security and freedom actually increases when you give, because your giving is in reality a declaration that your security rests some place other than the bank or your own earning capacity. Giving is an act of confidence in God, and it’s the only way to overcome financial insecurity. Think of all the things in life over which you have little or no control. Illness, accidents, loss of job, economic conditions, floods, earthquakes etc. No wonder people are insecure! They live bound, fenced and boarded by insecurity. The Bible says “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”(Proverbs 11:24-25) To the rational mind it sounds counter-intuitive, but to the kingdom mind it makes good sense. Paul writes; “A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a large harvest.” think about it this way, if you and your neighbour both were planting a lawn, and you were skimpy with the seed, while your neighbour was lavish with his seed, you would get a patchy, thin lawn. It all depended on how generously each of you scattered your seed. Generosity always brings a bigger harvest. Paul says each of you must make up your own mind as to how much you give. But don’t feel sorry that you must give, also don’t feel you are forced to give. God loves people who give generously from their hearts with genuine love, if genuine love is not there, you are better off not giving at all. (a.) Because it’s giving under perceived compulsion, and (b.) You will think God doesn’t love you or will punish you if you don’t. Neither of those can or will happen, but you probably wont get the rewards attached to genuine, generosity. “God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have enough to do all kinds of good things for others” says Paul (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). If you give generously. In your hand a dollar will never be worth more than a dollar. But when you sow it into God’s Kingdom, it begins a harvest you can reap when you have a need. Giving is truly the key to financial success. Remember, God wont ask you for what you don’t have, but sometimes He will ask you for the thing you really want to keep. Why? To see if there is anything you value or depend on more than Him Abraham was tested like nobody else! But he passed the test and was blessed. Imagine God says to you “Take now your son, your only son… whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you”(Genesis 22:2). Can you envision the questions that would swirl through your mind? Little wonder why Abraham was called the “Friend of God” (James 2:23).And spiritual Father of those who believe (Romans 4:L11) And when that test was over, God said this; “Because you have done this thing, and not withheld...your only son… I will bless you and...multiply your descendents as the stars of Heaven and as the sand is on the seashore. And in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed because you have obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:16-18) So what is God asking of you? Are you wrestling with it? Are you withholding what He wants, or are you all in? Isaac was the hardest seed Abraham ever had to sow. But that seed produced a harvest of blessing greater than anything Abraham ever thought possible. When you say yes to God, you will experience a whole new level of blessing to your life. Try it and see. In (Romans 8:32) The Bible says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things.” One author gives this analogy. Suppose a man comes across a child being beaten up by a gang of thugs. He dashes into the mob, rescues the boy and takes him to hospital where the youngster is nursed back to health. He learns the child is an orphan; he pays for the treatment and adopts him as his own. Gives him his name and takes him home. One night months later the Father hears his son sobbing into his pillow. He goes to him and asks about the tears. “I’m worried daddy about tomorrow, Where will I get food to eat? How am I going to buy cloths to stay warm? And where will I sleep?” The Father was sad and rightfully troubled, “Haven’t I shown you? Don’t you understand? I risked my life to save you, I gave my money to treat you, you wear my name I’ve called you my son. Would I do all that and then not meet your needs?” Be honest now think, did God do all that, so you would fret? Would He teach you to walk just to watch you fall? Would He be nailed to that cross for your sins and then disregard your prayers? Come on! Is Scripture teasing us when it says in (Psalm 91:11) “He has put His Angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go.” You know better, don’t you?... So stop worrying and stand securely on His promise that “He will graciously give us all things.” Our attitude in giving plays a big part in exercising our faith. When we give with the thought of helping others and pleasing God. Then, when God blesses us with gifts, He reminds us that because we gave and blessed others, now He is blessing us; and this helps to deepen our relationship with Him and hear His voice more clearly, why? Because one more barrier to our relationship with Him has been lifted. We are saying to God “I put nothing before you In my life, not even my money.” Slowly you will learn to be completely dependant on God and His security for your life. That is a wonderfully freeing experience. Because you will lack nothing, yet have everything. One day will you wish you had given more. The film “Schindler’s List” Tells of one man’s efforts to make the most of a desperate situation. As the director of a munitions factory in Poland. Oscar Schindler used his position to save many Jewish lives, by employing them in his factory, thus rescuing them from the gas chambers. However keeping them employed was costly, little by little he liquidated his personal property to keep his business afloat. At the end of the story the Nazis are defeated, and the full impact of Schindler”s efforts is revealed. As the dead are counted and the living stagger back to freedom. In one scene, Kneeling by the railway tracks that had carried thousands to their deaths, Schindler had a startling realisation he could have saved a few more! Overwhelmed with regret, he remembers keeping the few personal assets he still owned. If only he’d have known when the war would end, he would have done more. Now it was too late. Oscar schindler is credited with saving more Jews in World War 11 than any other single person. But interestingly all he could think of was what he didn’t do. He wished he had done more. A powerful lesson in Schindler’s story is this:- Even joyful givers will look back and wish they had done more, there are also others who gave less than they could have, or who never gave at all. Imagine their thoughts as they stand before God, giving an account of how they used their resources to be rewarded accordingly. “God loves a cheerful giver” So perhaps we should ask God to show us how much and where to give, also to make us cheerful givers. Thank you for reading How financial security can and will be achieved when we sow our finances into God’s Kingdom. Please talk to Him about this very important subject. Asking for the guidance of The Holy Spirit Always remembering Almighty God is never outdone in generosity. God Bless our giving. Phaline.