Blessed to Be a Blessing

How good does it feel to give someone something they need?  Sometimes the Lord blesses us with some extra money we have sitting somewhere, and then a family member or friend shares with us a financial struggle they are having.  There it is in our hands to give to them.  That moment feels better than the moment of receiving the money.  It is truly more blessed to give than receive. Acts 20:34-36 - You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. ³⁵ And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” 36When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them.
   It is all too easy to think of obedience to God as drudgery, having to follow his laws like cranky children grumbling while we take out the trash.   Our parents had to get on our case about it because we kept stalling, so by the time we do it, we have made it a major grind, when really, it was just a small request.  In our relationship to God, it goes even further.  When we obey Him, we experience blessings that we cannot even describe.  We also get to take in the fruits of His favor here on earth.  We only know this when we have fellowship with Him.  I tuned into Joyce Meyer's show where she sits down and interviews guests.  Her guest was a pastor from London who was talking about the incredible emptiness that people experience from their pursuits of money, houses, sex and other temporary things.  He said that is a big thing that drives people in London.  She confirmed that they do that here in the States as well.  What they continued to discuss is that people can make 100 million pounds, or dollars, and then still feel just as unsatisfied as when they began the drive to make the money.  The flip side of this is that God could bless us with wealth or things.  He does want to bless us even with abundance, but if we know Him, we can then use that money to bless others.  So it is not that God does not want us to have things, or success, it is just that if we are living for Him, we don't feel empty, we feel fulfilled to then give that stuff to other people.
    We see the importance of our relationship with the godhead established from the very beginning.  In Genesis, God made promises to Abraham, blessed him and his nephew Lot with possessions and land.  They had so much so, they had to divide it up and move to totally different parts of their land to have space for each other and their lives.  After he rescued Lot from the king of Sodom, he met Melchizedek the first priest of Scripture, and an honorable God worshiping man and gave him a tithe of the goods he was had from the spoils.  This offering to a 'King of Peace', the representation who Jesus was to be in the flesh.  Abraham honored the lord with the firstfruits of his house.  Then, when the king of Sodom wanted to give Abram the goods for the taking he refused it to ensure that glory for his wealth would go only to the Lord and not to the king of Sodom.  He had his priorities in the right place.  There is a proverb that says the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous.  and 
     So let's absorb, memorize, speak, and follow God's word about giving.  We hope to experience the plans that he has for us.  To prosper us and give us a future and a hope. Jer. 29:11.

Doing things God's way is great.


Here are some other passages on giving:

 Proverbs 15:6
Great wealth is in the house of the righteous,But trouble is in the income of the wicked.  

Isaiah 32:20 (New Living Translation)

 ²⁰ the Lord will greatly bless his people.
      Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up.
      Their cattle and donkeys will graze freely.

Luke 6:38 (New Living Translation)

³⁸ 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.^[a]”

Psalm 112 (New Living Translation)

Psalm 112

 ¹ Praise the Lord!   How joyful are those who fear the Lord
      and delight in obeying his commands.
 ² Their children will be successful everywhere;
      an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
 ³ They themselves will be wealthy,
      and their good deeds will last forever.
 ⁴ Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
      They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
 ⁵ Good comes to those who lend money generously
      and conduct their business fairly.
 ⁶ Such people will not be overcome by evil.
      Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
 ⁷ They do not fear bad news;
      they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
 ⁸ They are confident and fearless
      and can face their foes triumphantly.
 ⁹ They share freely and give generously to those in need.
      Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
      They will have influence and honor.
 ¹⁰ The wicked will see this and be infuriated.
      They will grind their teeth in anger;
      they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.