Tag Archives: giving

April 25, 2025 · 5:57 AM

Sharing Is Caring

When I was a kid, my parents would force me to share things with my siblings or other people. I didn’t like having to share. As humans, we’re naturally selfish. Then I began to share from selfish motives. Id say, “I’ll share this with you if you share that with me.” It’s the opposite of God’s idea of sharing. His idea is sacrificial and used to build people up rather than transactional. When we share things Biblically, we transform lives by sharing our faith, sharing their burdens or sharing our blessings. When we share God’s way, we glorify Him rather than serving ourselves. What is God asking you to share with someone?

Here are some Bible verses on sharing:

I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective and powerful because of your accurate knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ.

Philemon 1:6 AMP

2. Whoever receives a prophet because he is God’s messenger will share a prophet’s reward. And whoever welcomes a righteous person because he follows me will also share in his reward. And whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of my disciples, I promise you, he will not go unrewarded.

Matthew 10:41-42 TPT

3. The people asked him, “What are we to do, then?” He answered, “Whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoever has food must share it.”

Luke 3:10-11 GNT

4. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2 NLT

5. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

Hebrews 13:16 NLT

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 24, 2025 · 5:30 AM

The Law Of Favor

If you were to stand on a chair and jump. 100 times out of 100 jumps you would go down. No matter how many times you try it, you will always go down. Why? Because the Law of Gravity is at work. You don’t have to believe in gravity for it to make you go down. You don’t have to see gravity for it to work. Laws work no matter what. You and I would never challenge the Law of Gravity because we’ve seen it at work our entire lives. Isaac Newton simply observed it, tested it and put it into words giving it at name.

God’s laws are no different that the laws of nature that He created. They work 100% of the time whether you believe in God or not. The Bible is full of these laws and they are constantly at work in our lives. For example, you will reap what you sow. If we think of it in the farming context, if you plant corn kernels, you will grow corn. You can’t plant a corn kernel and expect a potato. If you plant kindness in others, you can expect kindness. If you give, it will be given to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over because this is God’s law.

Another law at work is found in Proverbs 11:25. It says, “Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favor” (TPT). This law works just like the others. If you will live to bless others and pour your life out, you will find God’s hand of blessing and favor. My wife and I like to say, “Favor ain’t fair,” because it’s in direct proportion to your blessing others. You don’t have to have money to bless someone. Spend time with them, walk through their struggles with them, send an encouraging message, show them unconditional love or anything that reflects Christ. If you do these things, the Law of Favor will go into effect for you.

Photo by Luis Alexander Minchola Jiménez on Pexels.

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 31, 2023 · 5:46 AM

An Abundant Mindset

If you’ve ever been around someone from the depression era, you’ve seen what a scarcity mindset looks like. Very little is thrown away. They utilize everything to its limit and they’re very frugal. They probably still have their lunch money from the third grade. They never feel like they have enough and it can affect their generosity. By contrast, if you’ve been around anyone born in the last forty years,you’ve seen someone with an abundance mindset. They seem to place little value on what they own because they can just get another one. They’re very free with their money and live in the moment. To them there will always be more than enough. It’s amazing how these mindsets affect every area of life, including generosity, contentment and gratitude.

The disciples had a scarcity mindset. They blocked the little children from coming to Jesus because there wasn’t enough of Him to go around. When they told Jesus to send the people away to eat and He told them to feed them, they looked at how much money it would take and it wasn’t enough. When they had five loaves and two fish, it wasn’t enough. However, Jesus had an abundance mindset and He wanted to teach them a lesson. He took what little they had to show them if they were generous and if they trusted Him, they would have more than enough. After feeding the five thousand, He sent them out with baskets to gather the leftovers. Each disciple had a basket full. It was enough for them to keep giving. He was trying to change their mindset to one of trust and abundance.

In Luke 6:38 Jesus said, “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). Again He was teaching us that we have to get past our scarcity mindset to receive the blessings He has for us. The measure we give is the same measure He uses to bless us with. If we have a scarcity mindset in giving, we will miss out on the abundance of God. If we never feel like we have enough and hold tight to everything entrusted to us, we’re like the guy who buried His talent in the sand. That’s what a scarcity mindset looks like. God will supply all YOUR needs according to HIS riches. It’s not about how much you have. It’s about how much do you trust Him with what you have. When you take what little you have and put it in His hands, it becomes more than enough. Pray about what that looks like for you and ask Him for an abundant mindset so you can experience the overflow.

Photo by Paz Arando on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 25, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Giving First Fruits

In the Old Testament God asked His people to give the first fruits of their labor. It was designed to help them acknowledge God as their provider and to thank Him. This was an annual offering that was different than their tithe. The Hebrew word for first fruits means “promise to come”. They gave their first fruits in obedience knowing their was a blessing to come. We don’t live in an agrarian society anymore, but God is still our provider. It is still right for us to act in obedience in offering Him our first fruits. These gifts, whatever you purpose in your heart to give, are to be given before you take anything for yourself. It’s an expression of trust in God to bless everything else. Pray and ask God what first fruits He would like you to give, then do it with a cheerful heart.

Here are some Bible verses on first fruits.

1. The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.

Deuteronomy 18:4 ESV

2. Each of you must place in a basket the first part of each crop that you harvest and you must take it with you to the one place of worship.

Deuteronomy 26:2 GNT

3. The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God.

Exodus 34:26 ESV

4. The first of all the first fruits of every kind, and every contribution and offering of every kind, from all your contributions and offerings, shall belong to the priests. You shall also give to the priest the first of your coarse meal and bread dough, so that a blessing may rest on your house.

Ezekiel 44:30 AMP

5. Glorify God with all your wealth, honoring him with your firstfruits, with every increase that comes to you. Then every dimension of your life will overflow with blessings from an uncontainable source of inner joy!

Proverbs 3:9-10 TPT

Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

July 19, 2023 · 4:11 AM

The Gateway To Abundance

I believe giving is the gateway to abundance because it is an act of worship, obedience and faith. Whether it is giving your time, resources or money, it comes from something you hold dear and of value. I remember early on in my marriage when we looked at the bills and our income. It was very tight. We had both been raised to give our tithe first before anything else. There was a moment of temptation to not pay the tithe so we could have some money until the next payday. However, we know that if you’re not willing to give when you have a little, you won’t give when you have a lot. It’s a matter of where we put our trust. We’ve made it a practice to give out of what we can no matter how lean.

In 1 Kings 17, Elijah had prayed that there would be no rain in Israel until they returned to God. The drought had dried up the brook he was getting water from. In verse 9, God told him, “Now go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay there. I have commanded a widow who lives there to feed you” (GNT). I don’t know when God spoke to the widow or how long it took Elijah to get to her village. What I know is that when he arrived, he asked her for some bread. She told him she was picking up sticks to make a fire to bake bread with her last bit of flour. After that, she knew she would starve to death. However, she gave that bread to him because of what was in her heart and what God had asked her to do. Because she gave, she had an abundance of bread for her flour never ran out until it rained and she could harvest again.

In Luke 6:38 Jesus promised, “Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.” We like to quote the first part of that, but it’s the last sentence that gets me every time. The same measure we use to give is what God uses to bless us with. When people ask me about how they should give, I always ask, “How do you want God to bless you?” We want God’s abundance and overflow, but it comes from our giving. It’s not about the amount. It’s the heart of the giver and the sacrifice that’s made. There’s a lot we can learn from this widow who had no income. God used her to bless the prophet and to show us the gateway to abundance.

Photo credit Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 22, 2023 · 6:30 AM

A Potential Harvest

Several years ago, I bought several bags of seeds so I could teach my son the importance of sowing and reaping. Our garden is small and I could only plant a portion of the seeds. From the ones we planted, we got cucumbers, jalapeños, tomatoes, and a watermelon. From the ones we didn’t plant, we didn’t get anything. In fact, they’re still in their bag and haven’t produced anything. The potential is there to grow, but until they’re taken out of the bag, planted, and watered, they will only be seeds with great potential.

You and I are like those bags of seeds. As long as the seeds are in us, they only have the potential to do great things. Jesus called you and I to be sowers. We are to broadcast the seeds that are in us. They will never grow unless we disperse them and water them. We weren’t meant to just have potential. We were created to meet it and even exceed it. God can’t bless a seed that hasn’t been sown, and He can’t force us to plant. If we are willing to, He’s promised to bless it.

In Haggai 2:18-19, God said, “I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you” (NLT). God wants you to know that before you ever sow one seed, He has already blessed it. Before there is a harvest, God guarantees a blessing if we will simply do the work of a sower. He has placed potential in each one of us, but we have to be willing to let go.

Photo credit

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

January 18, 2023 · 5:44 AM

Be Faithful Now

My wife and I watched History Channel’s “Men Who Built America”. The show discusses several titans of industry during Reconstruction after the Civil War up to the early 1900’s. It was incredible to see what these men did and how they operated. It was also eye opening how they would do anything to make money. Because of them, we have a lot of the labor and antitrust laws. They were often ruthless in their pursuit, but two men changed their tune as they got older and began trying to make a difference by give away their fortune to philanthropic causes and charities. J.P. Morgan gave away around $900 million in today’s money and John D. Rockefeller gave away around $540 million. To this day their philanthropic causes live on.

In Luke 16, Jesus told the story of a rich man who had a manager of his affairs. It turned out the manager was wasting the money so the rich man called him to account. The guy was afraid of being unemployed and didn’t want to beg so he cut what each person owed with all of his boss’s debtors. He figured he would make friends before he left so that he would have a place to land. The boss was impressed with how shrewd he was. Then in verse 9, Jesus said, “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home” (NLT). While Jesus doesn’t discourage us from being rich or making money, He does encourage us to give and make a difference with what we have.

In the next two verses Jesus continued, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” Sometimes we think we need to be rich to make a difference or to give, but this verse clearly tells us to be faithful with what we have, even if it’s a little. Many of us pursue more money and better jobs, but how can we handle that if we’re not making a difference with what we have. The same is true with our spiritual gifts. Many people look for ministries that are in the spotlight or get lots of attention, but God is looking to see if we can be faithful when no one sees. When we are faithful with a little, He trusts us with a lot.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 29, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Debt Forgiveness

“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch your back.” “You fly, I’ll buy.” “Quid pro quo.” “You buy this time, I’ll buy next time.” Ever used any of these expressions? Of course you have. We all do favors for favors. It’s an offer to help in exchange for help. You’ll give them what they want if they’ll give you what you want. Everybody wins. We all play the game, but what we forget is that Jesus changed the rules on it. He expects us to do for others who have no ability to pay us back.

You see, there’s no reward in doing something for others who can pay you back. It’s not really a blessing if you get a favor in return. Part of our Christian DNA should be to do for others who are unable to pay us back. It should be a part of who we are and be a regular thing we do. When Jesus was describing who got into Heaven, this is what He said in Matthew 25-35-36, “For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me” (AMPC).

In all of these examples, it was about helping someone out who couldn’t return the favor. He mentioned several times in the Gospels that we were to give without expecting anything in return. When you think about it, Jesus did that for us. He set the example of giving at a high cost for those who couldn’t pay Him back. If you’ve accepted Him as your savior, then He paid your debt for sin in full. There’s no way to repay Him for that. The best thing we can do is to follow His example. Give to those who can’t repay you, and don’t hold it over their head.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION:

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 24, 2021 · 5:53 AM

Spiritual Investing

I’ve been reading a lot of news on the stock market lately. There was the rise and fall of Game Stop stock where a group of people decided to invest in it to drive the price up in order to stick it to some Wall Street people. Bitcoin has surged after taking a nose dive a couple of years ago. Investors have been on a wild ride lately. Some keep predicting that this is a bubble and it will pop at some point. Others who have never invested are jumping in trying to get rich quick by taking advantage of buying a low stock in hopes that it will have explosive growth. Others are in it for the long haul knowing their investments will increase slowly and steadily over time. The one constant is that if you don’t invest, you won’t have the opportunity to grow your money in that system.

Sometimes we get wrapped up in this world’s economy trying to make our lives better that we forget God has an economy too. We all have the opportunity to invest in it as well. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said, “Don’t keep hoarding for yourselves earthly treasures that can be stolen by thieves. Material wealth eventually rusts, decays, and loses its value. Instead, stockpile heavenly treasures for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay, or lose their value. For your heart will always pursue what you esteem as your treasure” (TPT). It doesn’t say don’t seek or make money. It says don’t hoard it or store it up. You can invest those treasures in the heavenly economy by putting them to use for Kingdom purposes.

1 Timothy 6:18-19 says, “Remind the wealthy to be rich in remarkable works of extravagant generosity, willing to share with others. These spiritual investments will provide a beautiful foundation for their lives and secure for them a great future, as they lay their hands upon the meaning of true life.” Giving is a spiritual investment in the heavenly economy. I realize this verse is talking to the rich, but each of us have the opportunity to invest in heavenly treasures. God’s principle of giving works whether you invest a little or a lot. When you give, it will be given unto you. Giving is simply showing God that you don’t value the earthly economy over the heavenly one. It’s a way to show Him you can be faithful over a little so He can trust you with a lot. There are lots of ways to give and invest in His economy. This life is a vapor, but heaven will be for eternity. Invest wisely.

Photo by MayoFi on Unsplash

5 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 13, 2020 · 5:45 AM

Be Generous

Over twenty years ago, I started paying attention to the people around me that had the most money. I was looking for similarities to see if there was anything I could replicate. They all worked in different fields with different positions. Some were very educated and some were not. One of the things I noticed that was similar between all of them was that they were generous. They didn’t hoard their money. They gave, they sponsored and they helped others. I thought, “Could it be that the secret to having more was giving more?” When you look at Scripture, it fits. Give and it shall be given. When you’re faithful over a little, God will make you faithful over a lot. You reap what you sow. I began to pray them, “God, if you can get it to me, you can get it through me.” I wanted to be generous with God’s blessings.

One of the antonyms of generous is selfish. We seem to be bent toward selfishness. I’ve also observed that a lot of the problems in the world and in our lives are the result of selfishness. As believers, we’re to be known for our love for others, not self. God asks us to break away from selfishness and even offers blessings if we’ll be generous. It doesn’t matter if you have a little or a lot, we have the ability to be generous. Generosity is a matter of the heart. When we look at the things and money we have as God’s, then it’s easier to give them away. If I look at myself as the provider and the things I have as a result of my own work, it’s harder to give away. If we get that perspective right, giving comes naturally. Look around you today for opportunities to be generous. Pray for wisdom and ask God to show you where He wants you to be generous with His love and blessings, then you will know where to make a difference.

Here are some Bible verses on being generous.

1. Generous hands are blessed hands because they give bread to the poor.

Proverbs 22:9 MSG

2. Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.

2 Corinthians 9:6 NLT

3. Life is good for the one who is generous and charitable, conducting affairs with honesty and truth.

Psalms 112:5 TPT

4. You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous, and this [generosity, administered] through us is producing thanksgiving to God [from those who benefit].

2 Corinthians 9:11 AMP

5. Be generous, and you will be prosperous. Help others, and you will be helped.

Proverbs 11:25 GNT

Photo by Kat Yukawa on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,