Be Inspired to Give!

More Blessed to Give!
In a money-grabbing world it's hard to believe that "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). But the Lord said it, so it must be true.

And everyone who has given generously and sacrificially - not only of their money but of their time and energy and gifts - will know from experience the blessed truth of the saying.

Here are some inspiring stories of giving known to me, with names obscured for confidentiality.

Story #1 - The couple who put God first in their business(es)
A couple from the Midlands started out married life and business life poor. They scraped together enough money for their first mortgaged house and their first business. They belonged to a small church which owned a building and this couple decided to put God before themselves. When the church building needed curtains, for example, they bought curtains for the building before they bought curtains for their own house. And so it went on.

What was the outcome? God blessed their business. They ended up owning one business after another and used the profits to build the kingdom of God. They put the success of their business "empire" down to God's generosity and his faithfulness to his promises, such as "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you."

Story #2 - The retired couple whose jar never ran out
My second story is about an elderly couple who learnt to give sacrificially during their working life. They did not earn much money, they were converted in middle age and from that time onwards began to give. In their retirement they and those around them were surprised at how well off they were, still able to give generously, since their jobs had been so very ordinary. Once again, they put it down to God's faithful promises.

Story #3 - The young family who put God first
A young father with wife and three young children, laden with debts from the past and the higher living costs of a young family, decided to put God first in his giving. Instead of thinking, "I'll start to give once the kids have grown up and I have more money" he gave during the expensive child rearing years. What was the outcome? He paid his debts off much quicker than he expected and the family were better off than they ever hoped they might be.

Story #4 - The church planting couple whose financial needs were met "like a tap"
A couple church planting in the north of England for seven years. The small church was only able to give them a small amount - the bills of the church were always paid before the wage. Money came from the most unexpected sources. From unbelievers, from unknown people and trusts, from family members. Enough to live on. But here is the strange and supernatural thing - as soon as the family had a regular income those sources all turned off like a tap! The God who had moved hearts to give now switched off the Tap (or more likely directed the resources to others!) since the gifts were no longer needed!

Story #5 - The couple who reviewed their giving every year
A couple decided to review their giving ever year - and pledged to increase it % wise year on year. Some years they found they could go up by one % but other years they found they could not increase by more than a fraction of one % - yet they were determined to do it. One day that man wrote a book which made him a millionaire. What did he do? He was a pastor so he paid back to the church all he had ever earned from them. He kept his old car and his old house. He ended up giving away 91% and keeping 9%. What did he credit his sudden wealth to? God's faithfulness to his promise, and as he put it, "After faithful giving during many years of poverty, the Lord knew he could entrust me with money."

Story #6 - The couple who got a house
My last story is about a couple who through no fault of their own found themselves on the verge of homelessness. They cried out to God one night, but decided to tell no-one their need. The next day someone out of the blue gave them a gift of £1500 [around £2500 today], which the couple saw as a token of God's mercy. Two weeks later an acquaintance of the family called to find out in general how things were. And then out of the blue he asked how the accommodation needs were - he knew nothing about their specific need. When he was told of the need he promised to help out and in a few days time a cheque for £25,000 [£45,000 in today's money] arrived in the post.

Missionaries and Gospel workers could tell a thousand stories like this! And they inspire us to trust God and to give generously.

But most inspiring of all are the promises of God:

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33)

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."(Luke 6:38)

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." (Matthew 19:29)

"Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness." (2 Corinthians 9:10)