I Can’t Out-Give God

In Luke 6:38 it says, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (NLT)

When I give from a heart for Jesus, my goal isn’t to get a blessing. But the truth is that God will bless me.

I can’t out-give God. When I learn to be generous like God is generous, he promises that I'll end up with more. This is God’s economy.

Sometimes it seems like God is saying: “Let’s see who can out-give the other. You give to me and to other people, and I’ll give to you—and we’ll see who wins.”

And God always wins! He says over and over in Scripture that I will end up with more if I learn to be generous. Sometimes those blessings will be material. But sometimes they’ll be the spiritual blessings that come from a generous heart.

Jesus says, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38 NLT).

What is Jesus saying here? Imagine I go to a market to buy grain. I bring a burlap sack and pay to have the whole sack filled. As the shop owner is pouring grain, I press it into my sack. Then I gently shake the sack so the grain settles down even more. I want to fit the maximum amount of grain.

Jesus is saying that God’s blessings are the same. When I give generously, he’ll give so generously that I’ll have to make room for more.

He gives in full measure—and then some—when I learn to be generous like him. The way I give to others is the way God will give to me. He wants me to be generous because he wants me to be like him. I can’t become more like Christ without learning to give generously.

This is one of the most important decisions I will make: Is my life going to be about giving away what God has blessed me with? Will it be marked by a joyous desire to grab hold of God’s promises as I let go of the things of this earth?

“The amount I give will determine the amount I get back.” I determine how much God blesses my life.

Jesus used the picture of measuring grain in a basket to ensure the full amount. If I treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, however, these qualities will come back to me in full measure. I am to love others, not judge them. 

Store Up Treasure by Giving It Away

In 1 Timothy 6:18-19 it says, “Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven—it is the only safe investment for eternity!” (TLB)

My generous giving is a premise to one of God’s generous promises. He promises that when I give, I’m not really losing anything. God is actually storing it up in heaven.

I know that God has a bank account for me in heaven because Jesus mentioned it five times— and if God mentions something five times, he must really want me to get the message. Jesus used the repeated command to store up treasure in heaven because he wants me to understand that it’s the most important thing I can do with my treasures here on earth.

So when I give to God or I give to somebody in need, I’m not losing anything. My treasure is actually growing! Only in the kingdom of God am I storing something up by giving it away.

It’s important for me to plan for my future. But even more importantly, I need to start thinking about my eternal bank account in heaven—because that one’s going to last forever!

How do I fund that eternal investment? How do I store up treasure in heaven? Jesus says, “Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home” (Luke 16:9 NLT).

Any money that I give in the cause of Christ, I’m actually investing in eternity. If I invest in other people so that they have a relationship with Jesus, then one day I’m going to get to heaven, and I’m going to hear, “Thank you! I’m here because of you. I'll be your friend for eternity!”

I can’t take it with me, but I can send it ahead. So I need to store up my reward in heaven by being generous with everything I’ve have so that others can hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Since I’ve been blessed with wealth, I need to thank the Lord. I shouldn’t be proud and I shouldn’t trust in my money. I should use my money to do good, be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share. No matter how much money I have, I want my life to demonstrate that God controls the wealth that he has placed under my care.   

Learning to Express Love With Our Time

In 1 John 3:18 it says, “We must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words.” (GW)

We all have different amounts of energy, wealth, and talent, but we all have the exact same amount of time: 168 hours a week. We can always get more money, but we can’t get more time. We only have a certain number of allotted days, so we need to decide: What is our time worth?

What I’m learning is that the most valuable thing I can give someone is my attention. When I give attention to somebody, I’m saying, “You matter to me. You are valuable. You are worth listening to. You are worth my time.” 

Jesus said that the essence of relationships is not what we do for each other or the things we give to each other. The essence of true, loving relationships is how much we give of ourselves to another person.  The best expression of that love is time.

The Bible says in 1 John 3:18, “We must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words” (GW).

There are many men who say “I don’t get it. I give my family everything they need. I’m a good provider. We live a very comfortable life. What more do they want?”

What they want: They want you!

Only I/We can give them our time. Nothing can compensate for time—no amount of gifts, money, or clothes. Kids don’t need things; they need parents. Another video game is not the answer. They need us!

How do we find more time for the people who love us and that we need to love? One suggestion: Turn off the TV, and put away your cell phone. It’s amazing that people will scroll through social media instead of making friends in person. They’ll watch reality shows about somebody else’s family instead of working on the reality of their own family.

Ephesians 5:2 reminds us, “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God” (NLT).

Love means giving up my/our agenda for their agenda. It means we give up our time for their time. It means we give up our preferences for their preference. It means we give up what we’d rather do right now to do what they’d rather do right now.

That is a sacrifice. That is love.

This verse gives us an example of how to "give up our lives" for others--to help those in need. This is strikingly similar to what James teaches us; “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17 NIV).

 

How clearly do my actions say I really love others?  Am I as generous as I should be with my money, possessions, and time?

I’m challenged this week to pay focused attention on those that I interact with. Giving of my time and focus uses my time, but it’s one of the best ways to invest it.  With my Financial Coaching practice I get to do this in consultations. I can serve those who need more focused attention and hope. This means giving up slack time or TV/movies.

 

Why I Pray Is More Important Than What I Pray For

James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (NIV)

God wants to bless my life and then watch me bless other people’s lives with the same benefits he gives to me. In fact, one condition for answered prayer is a willingness to use God’s blessings to help those less fortunate.

Proverbs 21:13 says, “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered” (NIV). God is saying that, if I ignore those around me who are in obvious difficulty, it doesn’t make sense to expect him to bail me out of my own difficulties.

God wants me to be like him, and God is love. One of the ways I prove I have love is that I’m willing to be generous toward others. The principle of stewardship is repeated throughout Scripture: God blesses me so that I might be a blessing to others.

For instance, I might ask God for good health, but what am I going to do with that healthy body after I’ve got it? Am I praying just to help myself, or am I praying so I can help other people too? When I ask God to bless my business or career, am I willing to give back a portion of what God has blessed me with?

The Bible says in James 4:3, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (NIV). Motive is important in prayer. Why I pray is more important than what I pray for.

Is it possible to pray for the right thing with the wrong motive. Not that I should never pray for my own personal needs. Jesus says to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 ESV). But I have to check my motives. Am I willing to share my blessing with others, or am I going to hoard it all for myself?

God is not interested in simply satisfying my selfishness. The conditions of prayer are that I have an honest relationship with God, a forgiving attitude toward other people, and a willingness to share God’s blessings with others. God loves me, so he’s teaching me how to pray in an effective way.

The Best Investment I’ll Ever Make

In 1 Timothy 6:18-19 it says, “Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven—it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” (TLB)

Generosity is an investment. Luke 16:9 says, “Use your worldly resources to benefit others” (NLT). In the end I can’t take it with me. This was pointed out to me recently. Did you know that mortuaries sell burial suits? They’re for people who want to be buried in a suit but don’t have one. Do you know what the difference is between a burial suit and a regular suit? There are no pockets in a burial suit. It’s true! You don’t need them, because you can’t take it with you. But you can send it ahead.

How can you and I do that? By investing in people who are going there. 

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:18-19, “Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven—it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well” (TLB).

Every time I’m generous with the poor, a friend, or a neighbor, God says I’m storing up treasure in the bank of heaven. My time on Earth is only about 80 or at the most 100 years. But I’ll spend trillions of years in eternity. So where do I need to have my biggest account? 

There’s no greater investment than the Kingdom of God. When I help other people with my time, money, resources—whatever I’ve got—I’m actually making an investment in heaven.

My investment is protected in heaven. It pays good rates. It’s proven. There are great dividends and no risks.

I’m not going to get that kind of investment anywhere else! 

Four Heart Attitudes for Giving

In 2 Corinthians 9:7 it says, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” (NLT)

When it comes to giving, God is much more interested in what’s in our hearts than what’s in our wallets. What he really wants is our willingness—not our wealth.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully’” (NLT). This verse offers four key heart attitudes we should have toward giving.

1. Give thoughtfully. Not impulsively. The most spiritual kind of giving is when we think about it, pray about it, and then make up our minds about it. God wants our giving to be important and meaningful in life—so he wants us to plan for it.

2. Give enthusiastically. Don’t just think, “I have to give!” Give because we know God’s going to do something big in our hearts when we become a generous people.

3. Give voluntarily. Don’t give in just because we are pressured. God’s not going to bless that kind of giving anyway. But when we feel God challenging us to give, that’s the time to give generously and voluntarily!

4. Give cheerfully. Give with joy! One of the Greek words for “offering” has the same root as the word “hilarious.” God wants us to enjoy giving to him and to others.

Next time you’re considering whether to give or how much to give, remember that God’s greatest concern is our hearts. When we give thoughtfully, enthusiastically, voluntarily, and cheerfully, then we know that’s a gift God will bless!