I must say that one thing I love about Christmas is that it is the holiday made for GIVING! There is so much generosity and kindness around this time of the year. But honestly, I wish that the world was like this all year round instead of only when Christmas comes. There are so many people who wish they had a more "blessed" life. I wish I could ask them "what are you doing to lived a blessed life?". You see, the secret to living a blessed life is simple: you have to BE a BLESSING!
Luke 6:38 says "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]
I think about this time of the year, and how a lot of people like to give. Some people do it with the scripture Luke 6:38 in mind. They think "if I give these Jordan shoes to the Salvation Army, then surely I'll get those a bonus so that I can buy those new shoes that drop next week". And while the scripture is very true, we just can't give and expect to receive something. We must have a giving heart and be righteous in order to receive blessings. So in simpler terms, do NOT give for the following reasons:
To get something back in return
To receive praise from others for giving
Listen, God doesn't bless us so that we can hold all the good things to ourselves! He also won't bless us if our hearts aren't in the right place. You see, when I say you have to BE a blessing, that means you should want to give and help others because you desire to! Not because you are looking for something in return. The book of Matthew talks about this in verses 3 through 4. It says "But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." [NLT] It doesn't get any more self explanatory than that! To be a blessing is to be humble, and remember this; God always BLESSES the humble. (see Matthew 5:5)
Let's be real; we ALL want to be blessed in someway or another. We want the things that we pray, and we believe that giving will help us get those things quickly. But just know that God cannot be fooled! If you are not giving with a humble, righteous heart, then your giving is pointless. Yet, if you give with an honest heart, the Lord will open so many doors of blessings for you.
A perfect testimony I have of this exact principal is back in October of 2018. I remember at that time I was just starting graduate school, and struggling financially. I had to pinch pennies to survive! Yet, I was still generous. I remember there was this homeless man on side of the road. Now usually I would drive off or walk past them, especially if I knew I only had so much money. However, there was something different in my spirit that day. I took the last $12 dollars I had, and I gave it to the man. He looked at me shocked and said "God bless you". I felt bad cause I knew I would only get paid so much that week, and there were still things I needed. But I trusted that God would provide for me like he always did, and I genuinely wanted to be a blessing to that man. Fast forward to the next day, I go to the gas station. There was hardly any money on my card but I was going to put as much gas as I could in my car. I go to unscrew my gas cap, and there was literally $25 right there in my gas cap! I was so shocked! I hadn't told anyone in that area that I needed money, yet somebody blessed me randomly! You see: if you are a blessing to others, God will bless you! (Here's a picture for proof)
It's the holiday season! Please enjoy your family and friends, but also remember to GIVE to someone. I challenge you to pray and ask God how you can be a blessing to someone this season. Whether you give money, or even your time (if you want to volunteer somewhere) just be a blessing. If you give with the right heart, trust me...he'll make sure you get it back!
Don't forget you can share, subscribe, and donate!
Comments