Life is full of paradoxes. For example, in order to keep your life you must lose it, and in order to lead you must serve. One of those paradoxes that is misused a lot in our society is, in order to gain you must give. Giving to gain is a biblical principle. Two good biblical examples are Proverbs 11:24-25 and Luke 6:8.
“One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” – Proverbs 11:24-25
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” – Luke 6:38
Giving to gain is a fact of life. Where this fact of life gets messed up is when our motives are wrong. If we give just so we will get, then this law breaks down. God never rewards a “what’s in it for me” attitude. If we serve just so people will follow us, no one will. If we give just so we will get, we will get nothing.
The heart of the matter is the heart of the matter. If you have a giving heart from which you give due to an honest caring for the needs of others, then you will be blessed. If you give and then think God owes you, you are in for a rude awakening.
There are a lot of people proclaiming the “name it and claim it” philosophy who will misuse these and other Bible verses about giving to gain. They teach all you have to do is give $100 and you’ll get $500 or $1,000 in return. That is not what God promises.
God is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him and His will for their life. Live according to His standards and these paradoxes make sense and come true. Live according to the self-centered, “what’s in it for me” attitude and you will miss out on so much more than the material blessings you were hoping for. When you focus on what’s in it for you, you miss out on the best God has planned for you. You miss out on a true relationship with Him.
So be generous, share the material blessings God has given to you. Give from your abundance and you will be blessed. Give from your poverty and you will be blessed even more. In all cases, give out of a grateful heart for your relationship with the Lord and you will be blessed for eternity.
Helping you live life abundantly,
Life Coach Ken