Blessed in Giving!

‘...It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35 NCV

Wendy Pope writes: ‘When God calls me to give, I don’t always feel like I’m being blessed. Perhaps you’ve had a similar experience. He prompts you to prepare a meal for a family hit by illness, and after a long day you’re barely able to prepare one for your own family. Or when you’re exhausted, He nudges you to go get your friend’s children because she needs a break. No matter what the situation, when God calls us to give…we come out blessed…His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. He has the master plan, and all we need be concerned about is doing what He asks without complaining. You may question His reasoning when [He] nudges you to take your rude co-worker to lunch…or teach your child’s Sunday school class and give the teacher a break. The bottom line is, whether we think it or not…it means something to eternity and to the person we’re giving to. Basically, without Jesus I’m a selfish person. I wonder what kind of blessing I’ll get…money, a new car or a finer home? I’m ashamed of those thoughts, but they came from an infant Christian who didn’t understand that the blessing…is a closer walk with the greatest Giver who ever lived.’ Do you sometimes give out of obligation, or guilt, or to gain other people’s approval? Giving is the true measure of our love for God, and He always blesses us when we do it. So, ‘…don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure…’ (2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT), do it with a willing heart.