Give Him What Belongs to Him!

The Bible repeatedly declares that God is the ultimate source of everything we have:

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17 NASB).

“You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18 NASB).

Verses like these are a great reminder that none of us is truly a self-made person, nor can we claim credit for any financial success we’ve achieved. Our material blessings have come “from above,” from our Heavenly Father. He has given us “power to make wealth,” for which we should be extremely grateful.

Because our blessings all have come from the Lord, He should get the glory for every good thing that appears in our lives. And in the end, everything goes back to Him:

“From Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever” (Romans 11:36 NASB).

In light of such verses, isn’t it silly for God’s children to complain when a preacher encourages us to sow tithes and offerings into the Kingdom? We’ve all heard someone say, “Oh, great, now they’re just trying to get me to give money again.” Somehow it has never dawned on some of us that it’s not “our” money at all! Let’s say it again: Everything comes from God and ultimately belongs to Him.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it” (Psalm 24:1 NASB).

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all” (1 Chronicles 29:11 NASB).

Give and It Will Be Given

Now, because God owns everything, He has the whole universe at His disposal, right? He has the power and desire to reward us whenever we’re generous with our resources and are obedient to Him. That’s why there’s such power in Luke 6:38: “Give and it will be given unto you.” Jesus is telling us the secret to our abundance in a nutshell:

We are blessed as we choose to be a blessing to others.

Take a closer look at that Scripture, and you’ll also notice something else. You might assume Jesus is just talking about money here. But in reality, He’s revealing a powerful principle that can be applied to any part of our lives. Back up a couple of verses and look at verses 36 and 37, and you’ll understand the complete picture:

“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Jesus doesn’t actually say “Give, and it will be given unto you” (v. 38) until after that last verse on judging others. So, the principle isn’t necessarily tied just to our finances; it could also be applied to forgiveness, mercy, understanding, and patience.

The point that Jesus is making is that we reap what we sow. Whether good or bad, we receive our harvest from the seed we plant in the Kingdom. It doesn’t have to be money. Our seed can be anything really, and it frequently is.

But the fact is, it must produce something … and it must produce after its own kind. The seeds we sow into God’s Kingdom have a spiritual DNA that will determine the type of harvest we’ll receive.

Think about it this way: You can cut open an apple and count the number of seeds inside, but you can’t count the number of apples that will grow from those seeds. Why? Because each seed has the potential to grow into a tree producing countless apples, season after season.

If we plant the seed we can expect a harvest, but if we don’t, then no apple will grow!

Do you need a financial breakthrough? Then sow a financial seed. Do you need God’s mercy? Then be kind and merciful to others. Do you need the Lord’s healing touch? Then pray for others, and ask God to heal you as well (James 5:15-16).

Seeds are powerful things! But too often, God’s people focus on their needs, when they should be focusing on their seeds.

Of course, God doesn’t expect you to sow what you don’t have. But He does ask you to give Him what you are holding in your hand.

Deuteronomy 15:14 presents a powerful principle: “From what the Lord your God has blessed you with, you shall give to him.” You see, God has blessed every person differently. Some have great resources. Others have few resources. But we all have something.

In Deuteronomy 16:17, God says, “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.”

Friend, although you may be facing serious needs in your life today, the Lord has blessed you with something. Even the widow had a mite to give (Luke 21:1-4). Her gift was small in the eyes of those around her, but it was great in the eyes of the Lord. Why? Because she gave everything she had. And it wasn’t just out of her abundance either. She gave out of her need. She gave in extravagance, and it caught the attention of the King of kings.

That in itself may cause you to ask yourself, “What have I given lately that was so extravagant that it won God’s heart?”

…

Excerpt taken from Simple Steps to Abundant Living by Inspiration Ministries