Give
Luke 6:38 (TPT)
38 Give generously and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.”
·The nation of Israel had to learn this in a very personal way. Their waywardness and failure to do what God instructed them to do often placed them in a position where they would not have His blessings.
The Lord gives principles in Scripture to serve as warnings and as an encouragement.
1.The principle of sowing and reaping.
Every farmer or gardener understands the meaning of this principle: We reap what we sow, more than we sow, and later than we sow.
·The principle applies to everyone, both Christians and non-Christians.
·This principle is irrevocable; there is no escape, either for the believer or for the unbeliever. It is a law of life.
2. You reap WHAT you sow:
Galatians 6:7 (KJV)
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Galatians 6:7 (NLT)
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.
Galatians 6:7 (TPT)
Make no mistake about it, God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest.
Did you notice how Galatians 6:7 begins? It says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked.”
Herein lies the root cause of the careless and indulgent lifestyle of many people. They They either do not believe the truth, or they think they will somehow be the exceptions to God’s laws.
Matthew 7:12 (NLT)
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets."
Proverbs 3:9 (TLB)
Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines.
3. Giving is a heart issue.
John 3:16 (NLT)
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
·Our redemption is centered around the fact that God GAVE!
The Word of the Lord says –
·He’s the God who gives breath to all creatures.
·He is the one who gives you power to be successful.
·He gives you rest from all your enemies.
·He blesses you with bountiful harvests and gives you success in all your work.
·His breath gives you life.
·He gives you songs in the night.
·He gives power and strength to his people.
·He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him.
·He gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.
·He gives us the fruit of the Spirit!
·He gives us encouragement.
·He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ!