Scripture:
“Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.”
Deuteronomy 15:10 NLT
Observation:
Moses warns the people to be generous with giving to the poor. For in our giving, God can see our heart and sees what kind of stewards we are of His blessings. When we are generous givers, God is able to pour more into us because there is a constant outflow. If we hold tight to what we have, it will reflect what limits us. We will also become stingy not only with our money, but our time and other resources. We will become like the Rich Man who wanted to follow Jesus. He was told to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and THEN he could follow. However, because he was so caught up in getting and having things, he missed the only thing that is worth more than all the treasure in the world, the saving grace from Christ.
Application:
This warning is not only to us about money, but also how we live our lives. We are to imitate Christ and his generosity to all who came to Him. One question comes to mind about ow we give. What is the motive behind our giving? If our motive to give is out of just fulfilling an obligation, we will give grudgingly. We may do what is asked and outwardly be pious and selfless, but inwardly being torn apart by what we are sacrificing.
When we are doing it out of obligation, we expect something in return. And when we don’t get anything back, we get upset and question ‘Why should I give, when I don’t see any return?’ That mentality will not get us anything but a rebuke from God. Proverbs 23:6-7 strikes my heart with these words, “Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”
I know I have times where I have been like the begrudging host, I have counted the time I spent with someone. Glancing at my watch just to see how much I have spent with this person. Why? My motives were wrong. God wants me to be generous with what I have been blessed with. I know this is an area I am working on and is changing through the power of Jesus!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for convicting my heart about the motives that I may have that keeps me from giving generously. Please forgive me for being stingy and tightfisted with things YOU have blessed me with. I choose to let go of my grip on what you have blessed me with and ask for you to remind me when I have the wrong motives. Help us to all serve others and be a people that genuinely cares for the welfare of those you put in our lives. Help us be intentional about our giving, and let our hearts be available to your prompting. I love you Jesus and I am so grateful for you showing us how to be generous givers. In Your Name, Jesus, Amen!
