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~ Blessed
vs. Shameful Giving ~
Ye have shamed the counsel
of the poor,
because the Lord is his refuge.
Psalm 14:6
Having experienced it, I would first
like to share that the following verse is totally true.
Give, and it shall be given unto you;
good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running
over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same
measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you
again. Luke 6:38
For those who have an ongoing heart of
giving, your goods will gradually increase until boxes have
been pressed down to fit more in them. Bags need be shaken
to hold more. You will have to work at 'shutting your
drawers' so that nothing hangs out. Closets will be filled,
and your house and garage become so full you will begin
to look for more people to give to and consider whether
looking for a larger house would be a desirable option
... because you can not out give God! And even if you do
get a bigger house and give away most of what you do not
need, so as to not have to move it, your house will still
get filled again, as blessings keep coming; often in the
most unsuspecting of ways. So, it is true that there is
prosperity in serving God.
Even so, the greater joy is in knowing
you are helping to make a difference through the hearts and
lives of those you touch; the remainder being further
blessed to both bless and have a testament of God's
faithfulness. And, no giving is too small as God does not
ask of you more than is yours to give.
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However, if you have ever known
someone who would give the shirt off their back, you might
be in awe (especially if you have been a benefactor)
until you have seen the people who conned them and 'get to
know' their family, and observe the food having been taken
out of children's mouths to feed others. Then, you might
have a change of mind concerning their awesomeness. And
when such martyrdom in giving has become a lifelong pattern,
you may also notice their adult children not serving God for
fear of having to live in further poverty. In such
case, one's childhood memory is not that different than if
their parent had been a gambler.
So, what went wrong? Glad you asked.
:-)
You have heard it said that God is a
jealous God? Well, when we try to be another's God or think
we know more than God, in how to meet another's need,
neither our giving or their receiving can be blessed.
When following God's leading, we never
experience loss by giving. When we have two coats and have
not yet seen a need, we can ask God to show us who might be
blessed by such extras (Luke 3:11).
And, sure, we can feed them for the
moment, for the opportunity to minister to them; if that is
what God is calling us to. But, God may have meant to feed
and give warmth to their spiritual body. And the extra coat
we are not to 'keep to ourselves' may be as was with Peter.
He was using nets for his catch, from the left side of the
ship, and a fisher's coat to cover his own nakedness; sin.
Yet, Jesus saw Peter's need and offered him to
become a fisher of men as love covers all sins (Proverbs
10:12b).
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The important thing, upon seeing a
need, is to report for duty; to seek God for instruction.
And whatever God's answer is, that is what "we" are to do;
no more and no less.
What thing soever I command you,
observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish
from it. Deuteronomy 12:32
But, what we are not called to do is
to give away our blessings, as those are God's gifts to us.
Neither are we to interfere with the work God is trying to
do in others. If we 'cave in' to pleas for help (when they
need to be looking toward God), we are agreeing to be
their graven image (Isaiah 44:17) wherein our giving has
then become shameful (Psalm 14:6).
God does not bless beyond that
which people can yet receive, leaving them to think they
would have any less need for Him. If the measure of giving
would cause the receiver to place their faith in anything
beyond God, they are not yet ready to receive more than the
need of the moment. And, if God is preparing them for
greater things, He may want them to learn to trust Him
'moment by moment'.
God is more interested in meeting the
needs of hearts wherein He can then further bless.
By the same token, when God places a
burden upon our heart, that is Him calling us (not someone
else) to meet that need (Deuteronomy 6:3), to both be and
experience a blessing; but only when that call comes from
God (being He knows the true need of all hearts). And when
we look first, for where God might show us a need, then
listen for His response, we can rest assured that it is Him
sending us wherein we are guaranteed not be duped in
our following (1 John 2:27). And in seeking God for our
steps, we observe that God sends in the most unsuspecting
directions wherein it is a joy to play even a small role in
God's shaping other's lives at the potter's wheel.
When solutions are not so obvious, we
seek the LORD for further instruction (Proverbs 2:6).
Perhaps 'within our testimony' is just the 'word of hope'
needed, we happen to have the necessary tool of information,
or are somehow being called upon to be their friend; if only
to be the smile in their, otherwise, dreary day.
So, when need is not met the way hoped
or expected, it may be that we are only called to hold their
hand and remind them 'God can be trusted' and, by our own
testimony of God's love, we 'know' God always answers in
time. And so, we can then be the needed light.
My yoke is easy, and my burden is
light. Matthew 11:30
And when our giving becomes spiritual,
our blessings become spiritual; equipping us with all the
more spiritual blessings to give. Luke 16:10-12
Give, and it shall be given unto you;
good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running
over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same
measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you
again. Luke 6:38
So also is the resurrection of the dead
... There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living
soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 1
Corinthians 15:42-45
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Have we not all one Father?
As the Father hath loved me,
so have I loved you.
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another
... as I have loved you.
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As long as I was in the world, I was
the light of the world. He that followed me did not walk in
darkness, but had the light of life. He that believed on
me, the works that I did he did also; and greater works
did he do; because I went unto my Father.
And now, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set
on an hill cannot be hid. John 9:5, 8:12, 14:12, Matthew
5:14
If my people, which are called by my
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
© 2007 by Joyce C. Lock
http://iam.homewithGod.com/glimpsesofgod/
To help avoid SPAM, please do not publish my e-mail address.
Thank you!
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