It’s Friday…Experience Heaven’s Fruit

The season of giving and receiving is upon us. It seems like “Black Friday” is coming earlier and earlier with each passing year. And have you noticed that most people, even those without a solid faith foundation, have little trouble asking God for things? As human beings we are wired to receive, huh? But giving doesn’t come as easily, even though we were originally wired for that too. Our fears and insecurities instill in us a desperation to get what we can whenever we can get it. And we spend much of our lives trying to grab as much as we can.

Jesus doesn’t condemn our need to receive, but He offers us a better way. When we live in a Me-centered environment, we may get some things but we lose a lot more. But if we can shift to a We-centered environment in which providing for others is as important to us as providing for our own, we end up getting more than we give. It takes an intentional and radical change in perspective, but the rewards are worth it. Generosity – materially, spiritually, emotionally, and more – is like sowing seed into fertile ground. Eventually, there is a rich harvest.

“Give, and it will be given to you. . . For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)

That doesn’t mean we give simply in order to receive. We give because we genuinely want to help other people out and are concerned for their well-being. But if we can invest in other people’s abundance, God demonstrates how interested He is in investing in ours. He loves the magnanimous spirit because it’s a reflection of who He is. When we enter into a generous attitude, we have entered heaven’s environment. And we Experience Heaven’s Fruit.

Let’s learn to give – not because we are focused on getting something out of our generosity, but because it reflects the heart of God and the culture of His Kingdom. Let’s invest ourselves in others. As we do, we will find that others will invest in us at a greater level. God Himself will honor our generosity by giving us greater experiences of His own.

Have a blessed weekend. Make it better by worshiping The Lord with those who live to give because they know they have been given everything by The One whom they will never be able to out give.

All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16)