Empowered to give (1)
2022-06-23Psalm 37:21 NIV
Sometimes we might feel nervous, or even fearful, of giving. Especially when we’re giving money. We can think of money as security and protection, and as soon as we give it away, we lose our safety net. But actually when we trust God, the opposite is true. Our sense of freedom and security increases when we give, because giving is a declaration that our security rests in something other than our bank balance and our potential to earn more.
Giving is an act of confidence in God. The more we’re willing to trust Him and give when He nudges us, the less insecure we’ll feel about giving. 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 NIV). It might sound counterintuitive to us, but from God’s perspective it makes sense.
Paul wrote: ‘”A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a big harvest.” Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don’t feel sorry that you must give and don’t feel that you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give. God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others’ (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 CEV).
In our hands, a pound will never be worth more than a pound. But when we sow it into God’s kingdom, it’ll begin a harvest that has the potential to bless so many people in ways we couldn’t have imagined. So if God prompts you to give, take a step of faith, trust Him to meet your needs, and sow confidently into His kingdom.