S70P1 – The happy giver: sow and reap

Pro. 22:8-9

He who sows injustice will reap trouble, and the rod of his wrath will fail. He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.

He was not a man of means, but he also was not poor.  His life was one taken day by day and week by week.  Each paycheck was precious.  One would not find in his home expensive collectibles or fine art.  His life was simple but manageable, and he always had just what he needed.  It was this lack of excess which caused him the doubt whether he could bless others by giving.  He would not have considered himself a selfish man, but he could not think about being generous without expecting that it would cause him to be in need.  Even so, he gave what he could when he could.  Eventually, what started as a little here and a little there progressed until he found himself giving more than he even thought he had, yet he never was in want.

It should be no surprise that we reap as we sow with regard to our generosity.  There are several fundamental truths which drive this.  One truth is God’s trustworthiness.  Many people forgo giving to others because they think that they then will be without.  It takes only a little wisdom for us to realize that God would not ask us to be generous unless He also makes it possible for us to do that.  We can trust that giving will not be a disservice to us because it is God’s will.  The second truth is God’s full ownership of all.  When we give, we are not giving out of what we own.  We are giving that which belongs to God and only has been entrusted to us.  Giving is not a loss because what we give never was ours.  God is really just letting us be the conduits of his own generosity.

God blesses the happy giver because the happy giver places himself or herself in God’s hands completely.  The blessing given by God is really just the natural consequence of allowing him to take control.  That control includes our provision.  When we allow ourselves to be used by God to exhibit his generosity, that generosity finds us as well.  When we trust God, He proves his trustworthiness.  When we confess that it all belongs to him, He allows us to have a share in that.  He can trust the steward who recognizes who the owner truly is.  That is the person who will behave according to the owner’s wishes and not his or her own. Father, give us the trust and humility necessary to give generously regardless of our circumstances and to be good stewards of your wealth.