Living on God’s Economy—Giving Positions Me for God’s Blessings
In God’s economy, giving is like planting a seed. Just as planting seed positions a farmer for harvest, so giving our resources positions us for God’s blessings. Second Corinthians 9:6 explains it this way, “…He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
Jesus also explained the direct relation between giving and blessing in Luke 6:38: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” This verse reminds us that giving follows four basic laws of harvest.
You reap what you sow.
“Give, and it shall be given unto you…”
You simply cannot out-give God! And every Christian who has been giving to God long enough to reap the harvest can attest to this truth.
Experiencing God’s blessing after giving is not a privilege given only to a select few. It is a basic law of God’s economy—you will always reap what you sow. The shape and size of the harvest will vary from one experience to the next, but the blessings will always come.
You reap more than you sow.
“… good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom….”
One of the outstanding characteristics of God’s economy is the generosity of God. He gives far more than what we give to Him. God has built multiplication into the laws of harvest. For example, one wheat seed can produce over one hundred more seeds on one plant, and one corn seed may produce a stalk with over eight hundred kernels per ear.
God blesses our giving with this same multiplication. One generous Christian observed, “I shovel out, He shovels in, and He has a bigger shovel!” This could be the personal testimony of hundreds of thousands of Christians who have chosen to live on God’s economy—God richly rewards those who give. “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself” (Proverbs 11:25).
God’s rewards are not limited to monetary blessings. Christians who give find that God’s blessings include the joy of being used, increased dependence upon Him, growth in faith, contentment, and even eternal rewards.
You reap in proportion as you sow.
“…For with the same measure that ye mete…”
God’s blessings are in direct proportion to our giving. In fact, in God’s economy, giving is a form of investing. J.L. Kraft, founder of Kraft Cheese, regularly invested twenty-five percent of his income in the Lord’s work. Later he observed, “The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord.”
Investing wisely and giving generously are not opposing concepts; they are complementing truths. Proverbs 19:17 says, “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.”
If we only knew how richly God would bless our giving, we would not even be tempted to withhold anything from Him!
You reap after you sow.
“…it shall be measured to you again.”
I’ve never known a farmer to plant his field and then be disappointed the next morning when there is no harvest. We all understand the results of planting are not immediate. And so it is with giving—the blessings are guaranteed, but they are not immediate.
Some of our reaping will not come until we see the fruit of our eternal investments in eternity. Some of our reaping will come sooner. But either way, it will come.
Giving positions you directly under the windows of Heaven, available to receive the lavish blessings of God. In God’s economy, the blessings we receive are far greater than anything we give to the Lord.
( Adapted from Living on God’s Economy—Available from Striving Together Publications)
