Before Receiving

Read: Luke 6:37-38

Give, and you will receive. . . . The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. Luke 6:38

IN WORD

Most people, even those without a solid faith foundation, have little trouble asking God for things. Human beings are wired to receive. But giving doesn’t come quite as easily, even though we were originally wired for that, too. Our fears and insecurities instill in us a desperation to get what we can whenever we can get it. And we spend much of our lives trying to grab as much as we can.

Jesus doesn’t condemn our need to receive, but He offers us a better way. When we live in a me-centered environment, we may get some things but we lose a lot more. But if we can shift to a we-centered environment in which providing for others’ needs is as important to us as providing for our own, we end up getting more than we give. It takes an intentional and radical change in perspective, but the rewards are worth it. Generosity—materially, spiritually, emotionally, and more—is like sowing seed into fertile ground. Eventually, there’s a rich harvest.

That doesn’t mean we give simply in order to receive. We give because we genuinely want to help other people out and are concerned for their well-being. But if we can invest in other people’s abundance, God demonstrates how interested He is in investing in ours. He loves a magnanimous spirit because it’s a reflection of who He is. When we enter into a generous attitude, we have entered into heaven’s environment. And we experience heaven’s fruit.

IN DEED

Learn to give—not because you are focused on getting something out of your generosity, but because it reflects the heart of God and the culture of His Kingdom. Invest yourself in others. When you do, you will find that others invest in you at a greater level. God Himself will honor your generosity by giving you greater experiences of His own.

ADDITIONAL READING: 2 Corinthians 9:6-9

A man there was, though some did count him mad; the more he cast away, the more he had.

JOHN BUNYAN