GREEDy is NEEDy but GIVE-ing is LIVE-ing

Money magnifies what's already in the heart. If you make $500 and give $5, or 1%, when you make $500,00, you may give $5,000 and think it's so generous, but it's still just 1%. Only God can relax the grip of a greedy heart. GREEDy is NEEDy but GIVE-ing is LIVE-ing.

There is also the principle of sowing and reaping. What you sow is what you reap. I've known people who sow a lot of time and talent and little to no money and wonder why they are still always broke but have a lot of time and talent. They're sowing "corn" and disappointed when "wheat" sprouts. It's like planting a Talent tree and expecting it to grow into a Money tree.

Generosity is often connected to sacrificial giving--giving when it hurts. It's not giving from your overflow but from your need. It's giving from your grocery fund or your entertainment budget. It's deciding to live on less so someone else can have enough. Generosity is love in action. It is giving at your expense for the well-being of someone else.

No one is born naturally generous. We are all inclined to selfishness and prefer to keep our hard-earned money in our pocket. So God sends us tests to root out our selfishness and greed. It's also a test for God to see how much he can trust you. Those tests show up as prompts to give when our first response is "I don't have it." It may be $5, $50, $500 or $5,000, but it's relative to what we have, or don't have, that determines the sacrifice. When we don't give when God prompts us, we don't own the money, the money owns us. You've just been "paid off" by a selfish heart. We confirmed we trust money more than God. So who is your real master?

But when we give and pass the test it shows God you can be trusted to help others, it allows him to break off greed, and it opens up more ways for God to bless you financially. Perhaps the greatest reward of generous giving is it expands your faith and trust in God. God rewards the obedient and faithful and those who give to the needs of others. So the next time you are prompted to give, be generous, resist the temptation to be paid off by a greedy heart, and watch what God will do!

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 NLT Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. (7) You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (9) As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” (10) For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. (11) Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.