GIVE  IT  AWAY!

What do we have to give away? . . .  every thing that the LORD has sown into our life.  Has He sown His love into our heart?  Give it away!  Has He sown His compassion into our life?  Give it away!  Has He poured giftings of the Holy Spirit into our spirit?   Give them away!   Share them!  We grow as we flow with what we already have.

What made the Apostle Paul such a wonderful ambassador for God’s kingdom?  He passed on what he learnt.  He imparted to others that which he had received. He knew the reality of the fact that God trains people to give them away.   Paul wasn’t pursuing position or popularity; he was pursuing the Lord Jesus through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Paul wasn’t striving to “be a good Christian”; he was simply acknowledging God in every area of his life, in all his ways, instead of leaning and relying on his own understanding of things (Proverbs 3:6), as he had done previously when he was religious but not converted in his heart. 

When Paul became “in Christ,” he gave away his own bigotry in order to become set free.  “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36, KJV).  Paul gave away everything really.  Even his life was in peril on several occasions, but he kept on giving, giving, giving.  He travelled the long, dusty roads frequently, with one thing on his mind – giving: giving all of himself that others might catch the vision; that others might become committed and dedicated to Jesus, the One who was crucified and rose again that we might experience new life in Him.

We might think we have little to give, but the principle of giving is that, as we give it away, we have the thrill of seeing God pour back into our lives.  But we don’t give to get; we give because we love and care.  There are many ways of giving in the economy of God; it’s not just about money, it’s about a lifestyle.  How blessed we feel when we see the expression on the face of someone we have given to.  How rewarded we feel when our giving has made a difference.  If we feel like that in the natural, how much more does our Heavenly Father feel when we give to others from the fruit and gifts He has developed on our branches and in our lives?

We love to receive from others but be reminded today that Luke 6:38 says,

“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”  (Good News Bible). 

“Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back--given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way.  Generosity begets generosity”  (The Message Bible). 

The principle is that “we reap what we sow” (Galatians 6:7b).  If we want to reap a harvest, we need first to give: sow, sow, and sow the good seed!

~ Joan Emery