GOD is a giving GOD. the world is a gift. everything you have is a gift from GOD. if GOD were not a giver, you would not even be here. neither would i. when we give we are most like GOD. we need to learn to give. the more i give, the more i'm like GOD. GOD is a giving GOD. romans 8 tells us what HE's done for us and what HE's made possible. none of us could repay these kind of things.
one pastor told of when he was a freshman in college. he had never really given by faith before. he had two big bills and it was getting to the end of the semester. he had a $500 bill he owed the college and a $10 bill he owed a friend and he had $50 in the bank. no savings, just a checking account. he said he was reading in luke 6.38 (niv), give and it will be given unto you pressed down full measure. for the measure you use it will be given back to you, and other verses that say you cannot out give GOD.
he then claimed those verses and then went down wrote a check for $50 and closing out his bank account and he sent that money – he said i'm going to give this money away, seek ye first the kingdom of GOD and HIS righteousness and all of these other things will be added unto you. matthew 6.33 (kjv) – so he sent this $50 to the american bible society in new york. why he picked them he had no idea. he just thought it was a real spiritual organization. so he wrote a check for all he had – the $50 and he wrote a little note that said, “use this the way you can. please pray for me because i'm giving to meet other people's needs and in return i'm believing (as the scripture says) that GOD will meet my own needs.”
about a week and a half later, he got invited to speak in a church in the la area. he was there for three nights and he spoke to the youth. at the end, the pastor stood up and said, “we want to take up a love offering for this poor college student.” he hadn't told them what his needs were. he sat there, not knowing what was going to happen and they took up an offering. the offering was $565. that meant he took $500 and paid off the college, $10 and paid off his friend. that left $55 for tithe. exactly what he needed.
he said, “do you think that made a believer about giving of me? that was the very first experience in my life where i learned to give where i didn't have it to give.”
listen i have seen that happen over and over in my life. it's thrilling to see it. i could give you example after example that has proven the fact that when you have a need, you plant a seed. GOD's ways are not our ways. we think the way to get is to grab. GOD says the way to get is to give. that's what trust is all about.
GOD will give us a life without limitation.
just a thought from the front porch…
1 comment:
Nice site bill
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