Today's devotional reading for:

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023

On Giving and Receiving

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

— 2 Corinthians 9:6

When you have an opportunity to give away money, what’s your attitude? Do you give generously, with a happy heart? The Bible tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. It also says that we shouldn’t give grudgingly or from compulsion. But many people do just that. They look on their giving not as sowing but as throwing, such as the man who put a dollar in the offering plate and afterward sang with all his might, “When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain.” Do you have a similar attitude toward giving away your money?

God honors those who give generously. A man named William decided to give ten percent of his income to the Lord. As he grew more wealthy, he increased his giving to twenty percent of his income, then to fifty percent. Eventually he gave away one hundred percent of his income. Who was this man? William Colgate. Of the millions of people today who brush their teeth with Colgate toothpaste, very few know that this man succeeded because he obeyed the law of sowing. 

Other successful men followed this principle, too, such as Mr. Heinz of Heinz Ketchup and Mr. Kraft of Kraft Foods. Although we might not have as much wealth as those gentlemen, we still need to obediently and faithfully give tithes to the church and offerings to those in need. Often we have good intentions but fail to come through when we have opportunities to give. But we can trust that when we give, God will give back to us abundantly. He has promised that He will do that very thing.

Years ago I tested God’s promise by increasing my giving as I had the opportunity. I now give back one hundred percent of my salary to the church. In every one of those years as I increased my giving, God increased my income and opened the windows of Heaven. I ended up with more money than I would have had if I had held on tightly to every penny.

Let me make it clear: God doesn’t need our money. He doesn’t command us to give because He needs it. He commands us to give because we need to trust God’s provision. Money is nothing to God except an index to our souls. Our giving shows how much we trust God to provide for us. Do you believe that God will take care of all your needs? If so, then give what you can expectantly and gladly, believing in God’s generosity and faithfulness. Remember, no one could ever outgive God.

D. James Kennedy Ministries

“There was a man, some called him ‘mad.’ The more he gave, the more he had.”
Anonymous