I wish I had a dime for everyone who has walked into this pastor’s office over the years wringing their hands over
not being able to receive what they need from God. (I could take an early and lucrative retirement!) In many of these
cases the seekers have developed wrong perceptions and in some instances false doctrines because of their
disappointments and the frustration they feel. This is not good.
Try to picture in your mind a handsome, ambitious young man, let’s call him “Tim.” Tim feels like God blesses
everyone else but refuses to bless him. He points to certain people who have received raises at work or who have
come into some financial windfall, and then reminds himself that he seems to get nothing from God. With each passing
day his problem worsens. If he doesn’t see the truth soon his faith will continue to decline and he may even fall away
from the Lord, as I have seen some do.
If this young man had an internal physical problem surgery would help reveal the source of the problem. The surgeon
would open him up, take a look around, fix what is broken and rectify his serious condition. If we spiritually opened up
young Tim, we might find that he has developed a serious doctrinal error that is poisoning his thinking. Tim wrongly
believes that it is totally up to God whom He blesses and from whom He withholds blessings. This is wrong thinking, in
fact, it is false doctrine. Such thinking must be corrected.
The Bible is very clear in this matter. Let’s do a short Bible study so we can be certain that we have a grasp on this
very important doctrine of our faith. Let’s start with Luke 6:38: "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.”
Can you see from the last sentence in this verse that God is not the one who determines the measure of our
blessing? It is us – you and me. How do we do this? An analysis of the verse answers this question. First of all there is
a command to give. Being generous in every way is God’s way of doing things. So we simply do things like He does
them. Of course, this is not intended to be limited just to money because the same principle works in everything. But
the key is this man has obeyed God and imitated Him and been generous. That is his part of the equation.
Then, God’s part of the equation begins once his has ended. What does God promise He will do once we have done
what He tells us to do? He is going to abundantly bless us!
When Tim’s pastor inquired about his giving, Tim dropped his dead in embarrassment. Even though he understood
tithing and giving of offerings, he made the same mistake many of us have made, which is to allow our financial strain
to prohibit our generosity to God. When this happened, Tim shut off the channel of God’s blessings to him. It was not
the hand of God that reached down and turned off the handle on the “blessing spout” – Tim did it himself.
This verse instructs us in this very important truth, so let’s take care to learn the lesson from God right now and we
won’t follow the same path as young Tim. Here are the primary factors important to set in memory:
1) YOU MUST BE OBEDIENT TO GOD. Simply do what you are told and things will go well for you. When God tells you to
give, then give. Please understand this, that sometimes what you are told to do may not make sense to you at the time,
but remember your Father in heaven will never ask you to do something that will hurt you in any way. Know this: your
obedience to God positions to receive from Him. Someone has said that it literally connects you to the covenant you
have with God. I agree.
2) YOU MUST SET THE STANDARD HIGH. I think it is interesting that in this verse God does not tell you how much to
give; He just says “Give.” The mistake so many folks make is to try to determine the bare minimum they can get away
with in their giving; give just enough to keep God on their side. This is backward, carnal thinking. Instead, these
believers should be trying to find ways to give even more. Look with me at this powerful truth found in II Corinthians 9:
6: "But this I say: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”
Something interesting happened to young Tim once he was properly reminded and instructed. He confessed his sins
of doubt and unbelief to God, along with the sins of fear, disobedience, murmuring, and complaining. He got his
thinking and his mouth back in line with the Word of God; this is a vital key to understand. And, he did one more very
important thing that jump-started God’s blessings – he started cheerfully giving again. It didn’t take long before he was
enjoying the blessings of His Father who wants so very much to give good things to those who love Him and believe in
His Word. Child of God, the principles of God worketh!
Think about it, our Father in heaven would be unfair and He would be guilty of favoritism among His children if He
chose some to have much and for others to have little or nothing. That is not His way. His love for each of us is so
great that it would boggle our minds to really comprehend it. He loves to give good things to His children and is
constantly searching for ways He can do that.
So I encourage you to make a choice right now, make the choice to set your bar really high. Begin to believe BIG and
expect to receive BIG, and you will find that your God will perform for you BIG.
Be blessed!