Giving To Get

Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.

2 Corinthians 9:6

IN HIS FIRST working years, Glenn could barely afford to give 10 percent of his income to his church and to other organizations he supported. He found, though, that God always rewarded his faithfulness—he never lacked money to pay for his family’s needs.

Over time, he found more and more needs coming his way: a missionary couple who lost several supporters and were short in their finances, a parachurch organization that had helped Glenn in his college years so he felt an obligation to donate to it, and several situations in his own church to which he wanted to respond. His 10 percent grew to 15 percent and then 20 percent. His wife felt he gave too much, but it seemed that God always blessed them for their sacrifices.

Then one year, three missionaries Glenn supported visited his church. They all gave testimony to how the church’s resources and those of people in it had kept them from having to stop ministering. Now they were seeing a great harvest come in after years of work.

God doesn’t always reward givers in monetary or tangible blessings or by showing them the results of their sacrifices. But the promise is always true: the more you give, the more harvest there will be—if not now, certainly later.